The Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre (MALC) in co-ordination with Caritas Austria, an NGO, has launched a scheme for construction of 100 houses in flood-hit areas of Kambar-Shahdadkot. Village Kehar Khan Magsi near Patooja Shakh which was completely destroyed during last year's floods had been chosen for the construction of first house.
The construction work has begun and 20 houses will be constructed in the village in three months' time, the medical co-ordinator of the centre, Dr Farooque-ur-Rehman Soomro, told APP, here on Wednesday. "Each house would cost around Rs 250,000 and the project would be completed by October 30 this year", he said.
Dr Farooque-ur-Rehman said that the worst affected families would then be given the possession of these newly constructed houses. Two other villages close to Kutchi Pul, near Sindh-Balochistan border, had also been selected for the construction of new houses, he said. Giving details about the damages caused by the last summer's floods in Sindh and Balochistan, Dr Farooque Soomro said that it had resulted in huge human and monetary losses as thousands of people were displaced due to floods.
He referred to a report of National Disaster Management Authority which confirmed 417 deaths, 203 in Balochistan and 214 in Sindh, with 224 were still missing. The report said that 36,819 houses were "completely damaged", 321,672 hectares of crops and orchards were damaged or destroyed, 429-km of provincial highways and 5,581km of secondary and minor roads were washed away because of floods.
Dr Soomro said the centre with the help of Caritas Austria, had provided emergency relief to flood victims in form of tents, food and clothing. He said approximately 1300 families were given dry ration (edibles) and washing soaps. Ration was supplied on monthly basis, he added.
Three hundred tents were distributed among the most deserving families while two hundred families were provided utensils. Dr Farooque Soomro said that the MALC had recently started a triple merger programme and established centers in Larkana, Kandhkot and Mirpurkhas for free treatment of patients of leprosy, prevention of blindness and tuberculosis.
All laboratory tests for these three diseases were being conducted for free at the centres, he said and added that the Bank Alfalah, Pakistan Petroleum Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company had adopted these centres and bearing its expenses for three years.
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