Sindh to ‘formally request’ federal government for money

The UN has sent $22 million while the provincial govt releases Rs5 billion.

KARACHI:

The Sindh government will formally ask the federal government to hand over the funds it promised for the relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected people.

Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah met with the committee the prime minister put together to help the provincial government with the crisis at CM House on Saturday. He said that the prime minister had promised to pay Rs20,000 to each family affected.

Shah stressed the need for better coordination between local helpers and foreign NGOs so as to allow them to get to areas where the people’s need is greater.

MNA Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Senator Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Rehabilitation Minister Haji Muzaffar Shujra, Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Chief Secretary Raja Muhammad Abbas, NDMA Chairman Zafar Iqbal Qadir, Sindh PDMA Chairman Saleh Farooqui, Additional Secretary to President AK Ansari, Ishaq Lashari, the committee’s convener, Arif Ahmed Khan, and the finance, food, irrigation and livestock secretaries were also at the meeting.

The meeting was told that the Sindh government has released Rs5 billion for relief work while another Rs1 billion have distributed as Pakistan Cards in Badin and Tando Muhammad Khan. In order to distribute Pakistan Cards in Benazirabad and Sanghar, they will need more funds.

The committee’s problems

The committee’s convener, Arif Ahmed Khan, told the gathering of the two major issues. The first is problem is of how to drain stagnant rainwater out of marooned areas and the second is protecting people from malarial diseases that are breeding in the stagnant water.

He claimed that the provincial health department has imported insecticides from France and India and 500 fumigation machines will be needed to clear all affected areas.

Khan estimated the number of people affected to be eight million and said that the National Disaster Management Authority has distributed two million family packs of ration and 310,000 shelters.

Clusters of United Nations agencies and NGOs have also begun working in areas while people have begun returning home in areas from where the water has receded.

He has written to all the DCOs asking them to identify high-level areas in their districts where tents can be set up in case of flooding or torrential rains in the future. These areas will be developed as places for tent cities and be supplied with electricity and hand pumps to extract ground water.

UN dispatches money

Senator Nayyer Bukhari said $22 million have been received of the $350 million promised by the UN. He said the federal government understands the needs and constraints of the Sindh government and will make all possible efforts to release the funds needed.

He pointed out that the president and prime minister are keen to help and have contacted the UN and heads of states asking for help. He asked the provincial government to submit a brief stating their needs in time for the prime minister’s meeting with the World Food Programme delegation next week. Meanwhile, in areas where the water has receded, farmers require financial support in order to sow wheat and sunflowers.

The gathering was told that about 4.5 million animals have been moved to safer areas in the desert and the livestock department has chalked out a feeding plan for next 15 days that requires Rs600 million.

Meanwhile, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas and Badin are in desperate need of mosquito nets and 70,000 nets and 20,000 water purifiers have been ordered.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2011.