Army rescues 54,000 as relief arrives

Rescue efforts in the wake of the devastation caused by floods in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa continued on Tuesday.

Rescue efforts in the wake of the devastation caused by floods that raged through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa continued on Tuesday.

The Pakistan Army has rescued over 54,000 stranded people in the last five days, a spokesperson of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

Some 40 helicopters and 450 army boats are participating in the continuing rescue activities in the stricken areas, said the spokesperson in a press release.

Rescue efforts are continuing in Swat, Kalam, Madian and Khawazakhela where most of the link-bridges on Swat River have been washed away, said the press release, adding that 21 army helicopters have been deployed to rescue stranded people.

In Sindh, troops have been deployed at Kandkot, Guddu Barrage, Qadirpur Loop Bund, Nowshero Feroze, Larkana, Dadu, Thatta and Sukkur Barrage, amid fears that the Guddu and Sukkur barrages may break.

“The entire helicopter fleet of Pakistan Navy is on standby position for any eventuality in Sindh where flood water has started reaching,” said NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed at a press conference.

He added that 150 boats were engaged in relief operations in different areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

Other than mobilising local resources, he added, “special folding bridges are being procured from the United Kingdom to restore the communication network in different areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, AJK and Punjab.

Meanwhile, the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa decided to freeze its annual development plan (ADP) for the current fiscal year with a view to using the allocated money on relief and rehabilitation of flood victims.

K-P Minister for Information Mian Ifthikar Hussain told a news conference that the provincial government has banned all foreign visits by government functionaries, including the chief minister.  The funds would now be diverted to the reconstruction of the destroyed infrastructure, he said. It is learnt that the annual development programme of the province for the current financial year was worth Rs60 billion.

International support

Relief efforts from international organisations also increased on Tuesday, as the World Food Programme (WFP) started food distributions to 35,000 families in the affected areas. Distribution of emergency food supplies has been started to families in three of the worst affected districts, including Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsada.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent said they are planning to distribute supplies to 250,000 people, International Committee of the Red Cross spokesman Christian Cardon said.

UN humanitarian coordinator for Pakistan, Martin Mogwanja, said discussions were underway with the government to determine whether the crisis warranted a fresh appeal for donor aid.”The international community is again ready to help Pakistan. They are waiting to see a concrete plan of action by the humanitarian agencies,” he said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister of Italy, Franco Frattini, has assured complete support to Pakistan and said the Italian government is providing humanitarian relief of 3.5 million Euros. The Italian government is also sending a plane-load of humanitarian assistance and setting up a field hospital for the flood affectees, he said.

The NDMA chairman said at least six Chinook helicopters are reaching from the United States to take part in relief activities. Earlier, the US government announced a 10-million-dollar aid pledge and has rushed helicopters and boats. China has also promised 1.5 million dollars, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

On Monday, the total aid pledged to Pakistan from the international community was said to be worth 20 million dollars.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2010.