0
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday directed mobilization of all available resources to provide relief to the flood stricken people in various parts of the country.
The President held a meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr to review the latest situation and relief efforts made so far for the flood victims in Sindh and other parts of the country.
He ordered that all available means at the disposal of federal and provincial governments to be utilized for providing relief to flood affected people.
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister for Water & Power Syed Naveed Qamar, Secretary General M. Salman Faruqui, Chairperson of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) Nafisa Shah, secretaries of Foreign Affairs, EAD and Information Division along with Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Zafar Iqbal Qadir and Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar.
Briefing the mediapersons, the Spokesperson to the President said that during the meeting the NDMA Chairman briefed about the on- ground situation and the measures taken so far for the calamity-hit people including the provision of basic necessities to them.
He said the meeting discussed in detail various available options to cope with the present challenge.
The NDMA Chairman informed the meeting that huge losses had been caused due to damage to the cotton crop, particularly in Sindh.
He said that relief assistance was being provided to the victims.
The NDMA was directed by the President to make accurate needs assessment in coordination with the provincial disaster management authorities for undertaking future relief and emergency operations.
The President also directed the divisions concerned to ensure availability of funds and the required logistic support to the NDMA and the provincial components of disaster management authorities so that the relief efforts were not hampered due to shortage or unavailability of necessary resources.
The President said that the government would provide all possible support to the farmers so that they could be compensated for their losses to their standing crops.
He said that besides relief and reconstruction aspects, efforts must also be geared up to prevent outbreak of water borne diseases and to educate people for taking necessary preventive measures.
The President also made an appeal to the affluent people and other local non-governmental humanitarian organizations to complement the government's efforts in relief activities.
