Federal Minister for Finance, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Wednesday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other stakeholders to give realistic estimates of the damage caused by the floods. All the stakeholders should give realistic estimates of the damage caused before any rehabilitation work is undertaken, he said while chairing a meeting convened to assess the damage and devastation caused by the recent floods in the country.
The minister said that NDMA should take the help from United Nations (UN) to start the Damage Need Assessment (DNA) because UN has vast experience in dealing with the calamities of this nature. Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and AJK government should work together for effective results, he said. The Finance Minister said that NDMA should also start an awareness campaign to inform people about the losses to life and property in Azad-Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Punjab.
This would direct relief efforts to places where it is most required, he said, adding "Media teams should visit these flood affected areas and focus more on the people who are in urgent need of help." Earlier, Secretary Cabinet, Ikhlaq Ahmad Tarar in his briefing apprised the minister about the initial estimated damage caused by the floods. He said the real estimates of the damage could only be given after the water recedes, however the initial estimates drawn up by NDMA indicate huge damages including vast crop losses. The meeting was also attended by secretaries from Ministry of Climate Change, Ministry of Water and Power, Economic Affairs Division and Communications Division, Members from NDMA, National Highway Authority and the AJK government along with the senior officials of the Finance Division.