PM Shehbaz announces Rs10bn for calamity-hit Balochistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced a grant of Rs10 billion for Balochistan to help the provincial government with the ongoing rescue and relief operations, Aaj News reported.

The premier made the announcement during a visit to the flood-affected areas of district Jaffarabad in Balochistan. The prime minister also reviewed the rescue and relief activities and met the flood affectees, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

The chief secretary and the director general Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) briefed the prime minister on the relief operations, flood situation, and rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructure.

Thousands told to evacuate as rivers in KP rise

Talking to the media in Balochistan, PM Shehbaz said that NDMA and provincial authorities would make a plan on whether to give the money to those whose crops were destroyed or to rebuild roads and houses.

“I am 100 per cent confident that the government will give you your right with full honesty.”

The premier said that every flood-affected family in the province would be given Rs25,000, adding that this money would be disbursed within a week.

PM Shehbaz said he would preside over a meeting in Islamabad tomorrow (Monday) in which the government would decide on short and medium-term plans to deal with the situation.

“Whether it is rain-induced flood or rivers overflowing, this [rebuilding] work cannot be done through slogans and leveling accusations. We must work night and day to become like countries that have prevented floods through technology.”

Flash floods wreak havoc in Swat

The prime minister also talked about the wrecking caused by the floods. "I have never seen this kind of flooding in my life before,” he remarked.

During the talk, he thanked the chief ministers, chief secretaries, and teams working to rescue flood-affected families in the province.

The Prime Minister also appreciated the role of the Armed forces for their services in rescue and relief operations.

PM Shehbaz said he has contacted all services chief to discuss the entire situation of floods and related relief activities. He said helicopters of security agencies are also participating in different rescue operations.

The premier also shared that the presidents of Turkey, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates have offered to help Pakistan to deal with the crisis.

“Planes [carrying relied goods] have departed Turkey today and are about to reach Karachi. A plane from UAE will reach Islamabad. Other friendly countries are also sending messages. The British government announced 1.5 million pounds. We are thankful to them for sending aid to Pakistanis in this difficult time.”

Earlier, thousands of people living near flood-swollen rivers in Pakistan’s north were ordered to evacuate Saturday as the death toll from devastating monsoon rains neared 1,000 with no end in sight.

Many rivers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a picturesque province of rugged mountains and valleys — have burst their banks, demolishing scores of buildings including a 150-room hotel that crumbled into a raging torrent.

Pakistan army rescues 110 people stranded in Swat: ISPR

Officials say this year’s floods are comparable to 2010 — the worst on record — when over 2,000 people died and nearly a fifth of the country was under water.

Pakistan is eighth on the Global Climate Risk Index, a list compiled by the environmental NGO Germanwatch of countries deemed most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change.

Still, local authorities must shoulder some of the blame for the devastation.

Corruption, poor planning, and the flouting of local regulations mean thousands of buildings have been erected in areas prone to seasonal flooding — albeit not as bad as this year.

The government has declared an emergency and mobilised the military to deal with what Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman on Wednesday called “a catastrophe of epic scale”.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority, since the monsoon started in June more than two million acres of cultivated crops have been wiped out, 3,100 kilometres of roads have been destroyed and 149 bridges have been washed away.

In Sukkur, more than 1,000 kilometres south of Swat, farmlands irrigated by the Indus were under water, and tens of thousands of people were seeking shelter on elevated roads and highways as they waited for fresh torrents from the north. “We have opened the gates fully,” dam supervisor Aziz Soomro told AFP, adding the main rush of water was expected Sunday.

The flooding could not come at a worse time for Pakistan, whose economy is in freefall and whose politics is gripped by crisis following the ousting of former prime minister Imran Khan by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April.

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan Army rescued 110 people stranded in Swat after the high flood in the area swept away houses and other structures.

According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), four special army aviation helicopters evacuated the stranded people from Khwazakhela and shifted them to the Swat Cantonment area.

“These rescued people are being provided meals and necessary medical care,” the military’s media wing said.

Meanwhile, Dir Scouts has established Flood Relief Control Centre. In case of emergency or assistance required public can contact Dir scouts flood Relief control room on the following numbers: 03091311310, 03235780067 and 0945-825526.

The military also urged the people not to travel towards Swat and surrounding areas due to emergency situation caused by flash floods.