A 200-page report compiled by a four-member commission on last year's devastating floods has been issued after the apex court direction to make it public. A three-judge SC bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Amir Hani Muslim directed, hearing a constitutional petition on consequences of the devastation caused by floods that hit Pakistan in July and August 2010.
The Supreme Court had constituted a four-member commission in January 2011 headed by Barrister Azam Khan including members Fateh Khan Khajjk, A.W.Kazi and Kh. Zaheer Ahmed former provincial chief secretaries and federal secretaries, who compiled the report.
The report made public Monday disclosed that Pakistan suffered a loss of Rs 855 billion, which was 5.8 percent of the GDP in 2010-11, however direct losses to irrigation infrastructures were limited to 2.8 percent of the total losses. Of these losses about 50 percent was borne by rural/agriculture/farm sector (Rs 429 billion) including damage to private housing stock (Rs 135 billion), transport and communication (Rs 113 billion), financial sector (Rs 57 billion), education (Rs 27 billion), energy (Rs 26 billion) and water and sanitation (Rs 9 billion).It added that as many as 1600 people lost their lives.
The report says that no steps were taken at government level to avert the losses. The report further says that all the departments were found negligent as the Met Office failed to provide information about floods in advance whereas Kacha areas suffered worst losses due to encroachments. Categorically, it has been recommended in the report that investigation against the then chief engineer Guddu Barrage, chief secretary irrigation Sindh and those found responsible for devastation caused by floods in Balochistan should be carried out under judicial supervision.
It has been pointed out in the report that construction of Munda dam could save the low-lying areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. Besides, the report revealed that no evidence had been found for breaching Toori Bund because it broke up due to heavy flow of water. It added that thousands of acres land was under the occupation of influential persons in the area of Kacha but the common man and his lands were affected adversely. About natural calamities it was informed that National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) failed badly in discharging its obligations.
It has been recommended in the report that encroachments be removed alongside the riverbanks to contain destruction from floods in future. The bench directed that recommendations on Munda dam in the report should be taken seriously. The court adjourned the hearing with the observation that order would be issued on the report today (Tuesday).
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