LAHORE: As widespread flooding ravages large parts of Punjab, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif announced on Thursday an aid package of Rs100 million to each district hit by the recent flash floods, according to a Radio Pakistan report.

During a visit visit to affected areas in the Chiniot District, the chief minister said that it is the priority of the government to evacuate the stranded population to safe ground.

Shahbaz said that 90 per cent of the population had been evacuated from the area before the inundation occurred, and added that helicopters were employed to provide food and medicine for the displaced.

Rs20,000 to each displaced family, says PCC

The Punjab Cabinet Committee constituted for flood relief in a news conference today said the provincial government will provide Rs20,000 to each family displaced by floods before Eidul Azha.

Committee Chairman Shuja Khanzada said 16 helicopters are being used to take trapped people to dry areas.

Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin said 184 people were killed in floods due to rain-related incidents and the provincial government announced aid of Rs2 billion for relief and uplifting of the stranded people.

Another committee member Zaeem Qadri aid 140,000 people have been shifted to safer areas out of the estimated 1.8 million affected by the catastrophe.

For rehabilitation purposes the government has constituted 500 relief camps, he added.

The committee stated that it will unconditionally continue providing help to the flood-hit population.

Flood victims call for help as they stand on the roof of their submerged house in flood waters in Srinagar September 10, 2014. — Photo by Reuters

AP adds: Officials said troops with helicopters and boats have evacuated another 4,000 marooned people from the country's plains where raging monsoon floods inundated more villages early Thursday.

In a statement, the military said it has expanded relief operations in flood-hit areas in the eastern Punjab province where the overflowing Chenab River is causing damage.

In India , Sandeep Rai Rathore, a top official at the National Disaster Response force, said that 80 army and air force transport aircraft, and helicopters are dropping water bottles, biscuits, baby food and food packets for hundreds of thousands of people stuck in flood-hit areas of the Indian-held Kashmir.

The flooding which began earlier this month in Kashmir has killed 461 people.

No lessons learned from past

After being hit by 21 major floods since 1950, it could be assumed that Pakistan would by now have an effective flood management and disaster relief plan in hand. Unfortunately it is not the case.

For the past three years, Pakistan has topped the list of the Global Climate Risk Index produced by Germanwatch, an NGO that works on global equity issues.

A partially submerged tent is pictured in floodwaters in Jhang, Punjab Province September 11, 2014. — Photo by Reuters

In 2010, Pakistan was listed as the number one country in the world affected by climate related disasters (due to the massive flooding that hit the country); in 2011 it was ranked as number three. Last year’s report listed Haiti, the Philippines and Pakistan as hardest hit by weather disasters in 2012. This year’s report will be launched at the UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Peru in December.

The 2010 floods had killed approximately 2,000 people and caused a damage totaling over $10 billion.

Chants of ‘Go Nawaz, go!’ as PM addresses Kashmiris

As Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached Azad Jammu and Kashmir to address flood victims, the locals started chanting slogans of “Go Nawaz, go”.

Ignoring the sloganeering, the prime minister continued his speech and vowed to rebuild the infrastructure of the region which has suffered massive destruction due to heavy rains and flooding.

During his address in Rawalakot, PM Nawaz said that Government of Pakistan would give Rs1,000,000 to all those who have lost their family members.