KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday directed Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to mobilise all available resources and rehabilitate rain-affected people in the interior of Sindh with a relief package.

He issued the directive while presiding over a special meeting at CM House here to review the losses and damage caused by the continuing heavy rains and the measures taken by the provincial government.

The CM informed him that as per a rough estimate, the rehabilitation would cost Rs40 billion which would cover compensation to the affected people for the loss of their damaged crops and shops, and repair of road network, bridges and sewerage system.

He said that the provincial government lacked adequate resources, therefore, the federal government would have to help the Sindh government in the rehabilitation of affected people.

Unprecedented downpour, related incidents have left 166 people dead, 573 injured in Sindh, says Murad

The PPP chairman assured the CM that he would talk to the prime minister in this regard.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari observed that the unprecedented and prolonged five spells of monsoon rains had badly affected people in 13 districts of the province. PPP’s priority was to protect the affected people in the first phase and then rehabilitate them with a relief package, he said. “We cannot leave them under the open sky; the provincial government must mobilise all its resources to support the affected people by providing them tents, mosquito nets, drinking water, cooked and uncooked food, healthcare faculties and also ensure vaccination of their cattle,” he added.

The meeting was attended among others by Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi, Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon, Senior Member Board of Revenue Baqaullah Unnar, LG Secretary Najam Shah, Finance Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, Irrigation Secretary Sohail Qureshi and PDMA director general Salman Shah. Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro and commissioners of Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and Larkana attended the meeting through video link.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari noted that the downpour had submerged thousands of villages and towns in 13 districts. “It [downpour] has affected and rendered thousands of people homeless, therefore their proper care is the responsibility of our government in Sindh,” he said, and directed the chief minister to send the party MPAs to their respective constituencies for helping the affected people.

‘Calamity-hit areas’

Briefing the PPP chairman, the CM said that during the last 24 hours, Sanghar had received 319mm rainfall followed by Umerkot (172 mm), Shaheed Benazirabad (162mm), Qambar-Shahdadkot (158mm), Tando Allahyar (150mm), Hyderabad (142mm), Khairpur (135mm), Larkana (127mm), Naushahro Feroze (112mm) and Tharparkar (105mm).

He said that widespread thunderstorm/rain with heavy to very heavy falls at scattered places and extremely heavy falls at isolated places was expected all over Sindh in the coming days. Therefore, he said, flood warning had been issued across the province.

Mr Shah said that the heavy rains had so far claimed 166 lives and left 573 people injured. He added that 2,849 cattle had perished, 47,399 houses were damaged (6,489 completely and 40,910 partially), and standing crops over an area of 810,683 were washed away or damaged.

The CM informed the party chief that 1,002kms of 256 roads and 18 bridges had been damaged by the rains in the province, adding that the provincial government had declared nine districts ‘calamity-hit areas’ and would include four more districts in the list.

According to the CM, around 1.053 million people had been affected and 432,658 displaced. “We have set up 61 relief camps where 1,169 people have been shifted and those who are not ready to leave their homes have been provided tents, mosquito nets, beds and such other things through the PDMA,” he said.

Dewatering ordered

The PPP chairman was informed that LBOD (Left Bank Outfall Drain) was in a dilapidated condition right from Sanghar and Shahdadpur up to Kaloi. It was pointed out that Mirpurkhas had received 36 hours of continuous rain on August 18 and was badly affected along with Kot Ghulam Mohammad and its adjoining areas.

The meeting was told that the Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas of Hyderabad district had submerged. Dewatering machines have been installed to drain out rainwater. Jamshoro, Manjhand, Sehwan taluka, Johi (Dadu district), Tando Mohammad Khan and Tando Allahyar have also been badly affected.

Similarly, Sukkur and Khairpur districts have received heavy rains where the entire date and cotton crops have been destroyed.

Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur and Kandhkot-Kashmore district have also been affected and surveys to assess the losses and damage are being conducted there. The rains have wreaked havoc in Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze and Umerkot districts as well, according to Mr Shah.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari directed the irrigation minister to keep visiting the barrages and vulnerable points of different embankments to monitor the situation.

He also directed the chief minister to get the entire road network in Karachi improved and its sewerage system repaired as soon as the rains were over.

He also directed the local bodies to start anti-mosquito and anti-bacteria sprays in the areas where water had accumulated.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2022