KARACHI:
The Sindh government decided on Thursday to constitute district-level committees to start relief, rescue, and survey and damages assessment operations at the Deh level to aid people in rain affected areas.
The decision was made during a rain emergency and relief meeting held at Chief Minister (CM) House in Karachi.
“The purpose is to reach out to the affected families and support them in a transparent, proper and decent way,” Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah said, adding that the committees being formed would also procure all the required material and relief goods including but not limited to tents, mosquito nets, food items, medicines, and machinery.
Read 16 more die as rains continue to pummel Sindh
The committees comprise of the concerned deputy commissioners, representatives from Corps-V, engineering Corps, local government, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), and local representatives in the rain-affected areas.
During the meeting, it was pointed out that the PDMA has distributed 80,000 tents and placed an order for another 180,000 tents, but the district administration generated a requirement of one million tents.
Sindh floods
The CM said that high flood level was recorded at the River Indus, Guddu Barrage has 517,392 cusecs upstream and downstream flows, Sukkur Barrage 597,753 and Kotri 297,178 cusecs flow. “Comparatively the embankments of our rivers are in a better condition than the flood situation of 2010 and 2011, but various vulnerable points are still under pressure,” he said.
However, he added that “if the mountain range of Punjab received more rain the flow in the river would increase, thereby exerting more pressure on the bunds”.
CM Murad said that the people living in the riverine belt have vacated their homes and have started lining the embankment of the river, but if the bunds come under more pressure they will migrate further toward the main roads.
He added that he has travelled across the province and found that thousands of people have set up their cottages, and tents along the main roads.
During the meeting, it was decided that tent cities will be set up at the union council level so that people can be shifted to one place, which would aid the administration in providing them with all necessary facilities. However, it was also decided that tents would be given to people separately.
Read more Sindh closes educational institutions for two days due to heavy rains
The chief minister said that the Crops-V would also help the district administration in the distribution of ration bags and other materials.
On the issue of disposal of water from the cities and towns, meeting decided that the district administration will use diesel engines and electricity to pump out water from the cities and towns for which necessary machinery would be provided to them on an emergency basis, since the nearby canals and branches are flowing at their maximum capacity, and cannot accept rainwater in natural gravity.
The PDMA also briefed the meeting that they have already provided de-watering machines, pumping machines, and generators.
Concluding the meeting, the CM said that a survey of the houses collapsed, crops washed away, and cattle perished would help the government prepare a plan to rehabilitate the affected people.
Sindh ‘calamity hit’
Earlier this week, the Sindh government had declared 23 districts of the province calamity-hit due to the devastation caused by devastating floods following extraordinary monsoon rains.
Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said at least 239 people have been killed and over 700 have been injured across the province.
Also read Murad says Sindh situation ‘more critical’ than 2010-11 floods
Two day ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had appealed to the nation to donate for supporting the relief and rehabilitation measures of the people and infrastructure in flood-hit areas, where hundreds have been killed and thousands rendered homeless.
The premier said the government was distributing Rs37.2 billion as cash relief among the flood-stricken people. Rs5 billion have immediately been released to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to accelerate the rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts.