LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb said on Saturday that Pakistan had never faced such highest level of flash floods and intensity of rains in its history.
The flash floods and torrential rains inflicted huge human losses and infrastructural damages. Pakistanis should come forward to help and support the people hit hard by natural calamity.
Talking to the media, she said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was departing from Lahore to Sajawal district of Sindh to visit the flood-hit areas. She said the country witnessed 190 percent more heavy rains, while Balochistan and Sindh provinces received 400 and 480 percent more torrential rains, respectively. She added that the data showed that such rains of high intensity and flash floods had never been witnessed in Pakistan.
“At first, its concentration was very high in Balochistan and South Punjab and for the last two days its concentration also observed in the North,” she maintained. The Minister said that Sindh province was affected the most and damaged due to heavy downpour and flash floods. She said that floodwater washed away houses, cattle and all other belongings of the people due to which, children, old persons and women were in great trouble.
Yesterday’s flash flood in Swat caused a number of casualties and huge financial and infrastructural losses, she said and asserted that Kalam, Bahrain, Madyan, Khazakhela and Mingora were completely affected and even concrete buildings fell down there. The Rescue department had done a lot of work to ensure emergency relief, she added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had visited Balochistan, KPK and Punjab, and in the second phase, he was visiting Sindh. The PM visited Sukkur district of Sindh yesterday and announced Rs 15 billion assistance for Sindh government. Besides, instant disbursement of Rs 25,000 cash to each affected family was being done, and the federal government would also provide Rs 10 billion funds to Sindh for procurement of medicines and other instant relief goods, while NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) had been given Rs5 billion funds, she mentioned.
Federal Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said that Pakistan Armed Forces, NDMA, civil administration and provincial government were playing there active role in rescue and relief activities in the flood-hit areas. Despite having very low level of carbon emissions, Pakistan was among those ten countries which come under more vulnerability in environmental change, she added.
She said that Prime Minister had constituted a ministerial committee for flood relief, adding that Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal was monitoring the NDMA operation, while Federal Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan was in Hyderabad to oversee the matters of power supply.
Maryam Aurangzeb said, that affected people were in dire need of help and support of their countrymen.
At this time, all Pakistanis including overseas Pakistanis must come forward to donate and support their brothers and sisters in distress as the government alone could not cope with huge damages. She said that Pakistanis must show the same spirit and resolve, they had shown during earthquake of 2005 and flash floods of 2010, and donate maximum for flood-hit people of the country. Up till now, the number of casualties was above 1000 and more than 2000 people were injured, she said and mentioned that tents, food packs, medicines, mosquito nets and water were being supplied to by the governments in affected areas of provinces.
People could send an SMS on 9999 for Rs 10 donation in the donation fund and similarly, they could also transfer donation money through online in Prime Minister Relief Fund.
Radio Pakistan centres had been nominated as relief goods collection centres and people could also present their donations at these centres from where the Armed Forces, NDMA and civil administration would collect these donations for their onward supply to affected people.
