Assistance plan: NDMA shores up relief efforts in Chitral

Food rations, other necessities dispatched to the affected people

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday shored up its relief activities in the flood-hit areas of Chitral on Saturday.

Acting on the directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, NDMA is working to provide every possible assistance to carry out rescue and relief operations in the affected areas.

Two Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying relief goods including 15 tons of dry ration comprising flour,rice, pulses, oil, milk, tea, sugar, for the affected landed in Chitral on Saturday. One ton of bottled mineral water and one million Aqua Tab (water purification tablets) had also been dispatched. The aircraft also evacuated 80 tourists trapped in the areas.

Managing Director of Utility Stores Corporation is also in Chitral to monitor the Utility Stores especially set up in those areas. Ten mobile Utility Stores outlets have been established, while permanent Utility Stores will be established within two weeks in the city.

Utility Stores also transported around 16 tons of various commodities to Mastung, Bhoni from Gilgit and additional supplies are being sent to Chitral.

Furthermore, the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) had been assigned for the speedy repair of roads in coordination with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his recent visit to Chitral had announced Rs500 million for rehabilitation of infrastructure, besides writing off of all agriculture loans in the affected areas. He also announced compensation worth Rs500,000 for each destroyed house, besides directing to upgrade Chakdara-Chitral Motorway with Rs27 billion allocation. He also announced completion of Lowari Tunnel by the end of 2016. As many as 2,800 tents along with 1,000 blankets have been handed over to the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) by NDMA.

Moreover, the disaster management authority is now in close contact with all Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) and is monitoring the situation proactively. So far, no demand for relief assistance has been received from any province.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2015.