THATTA: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday visited various rain- and flood-hit areas of Thatta, Sujawal and Badin districts and held out the assurance that every possible assistance would be extended to people for their early rehabilitation. He declared Sujawal and Badin districts ‘calamity-hit areas’. With the inclusion of the two districts in the list, the number of such areas has risen to 11.

Speaking to the media in the office of the Thatta deputy commissioner in Makli, he said that the entire country was faced with the calamity, adding that Sindh had so far received 500pc more than usual rains inflicting irreparable losses to the civic infrastructure and crops right from Karachi to Kashmore, besides claiming many human lives and rendering thousands of people homeless.

He said dewatering was started on an emergency basis in all areas while the pace of rehabilitation works was under way on a fast track. Rescue and relief operation was undertaken during rains and was continuing without any break, he added.

Mr Shah said that under a directive of Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the entire government machinery had been mobilised and all ministers, MNAs, MPAs and other public representatives, as well as district administrations, had been at work to ensure provision of relief to rain-hit population of Sindh. The affected families were being provided food, drinking water, tents and mosquito nets along with other essentials of life and healthcare facility.

Says federal government will help rehabilitate 60pc of affected families in every union council

The CM observed that the ongoing situation appeared to be worst ever though Sindh had experienced a disaster in 2010 and 2011 when it was hit by super flood. In those hard times, Watan Cards were provided to people on a directive of Asif Ali Zardari, currently the co-chairman of PPP. Mr Shah said that assessment of losses to people was under way and soon the affected families would get suitable compensation against their loss of crops, livestock and loved-ones. He said financial assistance of Rs25,000 would be provided to each affected family through the Benazir Income Supported Programme (BISP).

“The federal government has pledged to help bring 60pc families from every UC in Sindh under BISP for an assistance of Rs25,000 to each of them,” he said.

Provincial ministers Syed Nasir Shah, Rasool Bakhsh Chandio, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Spe­cial Assistants Sadiq Ali Memon and Riaz Hussain Shah Shirazi, PPP leaders Ashiq Hussain Zardari, Abdul Hameed Panhwar, Ghulam Qadir Palijo, Mehmood Alam Shah, Imtiaz Qureshi, Divisional Commissioner Nadeem Rehman Memon, DIG Syed Pir Mohammad Shah, Deputy Commissioner Ghazanfar Ali Qadri, SSP Adeel Hussain Chandio and officers of all departments concerned were also present.

Syed Murad Ali Shah said that efforts were being taken to declare entire Sindh ‘disaster-hit’, adds an official handout issued on Saturday.

The CM said that orders had been issued to all relevant institutions, including the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), to help the rain victims on a priority basis. Emergency water drainage from flooded and submerged areas, including damaged bridges, roads, government buildings of the district, was under way, he said.

In response to a question, he said that orders had been issued to officers of the health department to ensure availability of required medicines and all other facilities including anti-snakebite vaccine, at all government hospitals and health centres. Apart from this, steps were being taken to protect people from various diseases including malaria and dengue, he added.

Earlier, a high-level meeting was held in the DC office under the chairmanship of CM Murad Ali Shah to review the devastation by heavy rains in Thatta district.

The DC along with elected representatives from the district gave a detailed briefing to him on the overall situation regarding the damage and destruction caused by the rains.

The CM sought a comprehensive survey report on the damage so that losses to the affected people could be assessed and assistance provided to them as soon as possible.

He also directed that all relevant officials and public representatives should remain active all the time to provide relief to people without any discrimination.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2022