Sindh

President tries to ensure no flood victim gets left behind

Officials claim that more than 80% of flood survivors have made their way home.

Express November 11, 2011

KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to set up committees to monitor the distribution of wheat seed and fertilizer to flood survivors.

“These committees will be led by deputy commissioners and elected representatives and members of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture and Sindh Abadgar Board,” said Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to President Asif Ali Zardari at a video conference at Bilawal House.

According to President House spokesperson Farhatullah Babar, the president asked the provincial government to distribute sunflower seeds among the farmers. The president asked the administration in Tando Allahyar to install pumps to help draining stagnant water quickly. Benazirabad, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta, Matiari, Mirpurkhas and Tando Mohammad Khan were some of the areas they covered in the conference.

Rabi crop talk

The president was quite concerned with the arrangements made for helping out the farmers and wanted to know how the seeds for the Rabi crop were being distributed. On Thursday, the president was informed that the province’s agricultural department had come up with a Rs4.4 billion package for farmers which would ensure that 1.1 million acres of land would be used to cultivate wheat. The farmers would also be provided with wheat seed - 50 kilogrammes per acre with one bag of urea.

Louis Berger, a foreign consultant was brought to a meeting to discuss what measures should be taken in order to deal with natural disasters and calamities in the future. He also presented them with a blueprint of how to increase the capacity of the Left Bank Outfall Drain.

Zardari had also asked the Water and Power Development Authority to prepare a similar plan for Balochistan. An official briefed the president about how 80 per cent of the flood survivors had returned to their homes and more than 90 per cent of the rain water had been drained or had evaporated.

While responding to a question about writing off loans, Zardari said that it was a matter that should be dealt with and discussed with the federal finance secretary.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2011.