Naseerabad, 01 September 2022: President Dr Arif Alvi has affirmed the resolve to stand with the flood victims of Balochistan and Sindh during such difficult times, adding that rescue and relief activities should be further accelerated for the rehabilitation of the flood victims throughout the country.

The President gave these remarks during his visit to relief camps in Dera Mura Jamali, Naseerabad, Balochistan and Sukkur, Sindh, today. The President also witnessed aerially the devastation caused due to unprecedented rains and heavy floods in Sindh and Balochistan.

Talking to the flood affectees, the President said that he was deeply saddened to aerially witness the immense damage caused by super floods in flood-hit areas of the country, including Dera Ghazi Khan, Naseerabad, Dera Mura Jamali, Sukkur, Larkana, Shikarpur, Ratodero, and other areas of Southern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. He said that floods had caused extensive damage to lives, property, animals, houses, transport infrastructure and standing crops.

“There is a need for the early rehabilitation of flood victims, reconstruction of houses and early repair of damage by providing them timely compensation”, the President said. He added that flood victims in Balochistan were in dire need of ration packages, and appealed to the international community and the people of Pakistan to provide generous donations through government registered organizations and Hilal-e-Ahmar to help the government in providing dry rations, ready-to-eat packets, tents, potable water and other necessities of life to help survive in difficult conditions.

The President also emphasized the need to take appropriate measures to protect ourselves from future floods and to reduce the damage to the infrastructure. “Construction of dams is necessary to prevent flooding in Balochistan as the harnessed rainwater can be conserved and used for agricultural purposes in future”, he highlighted. He further stated that heavy rains and floods had badly affected the people of Balochistan and caused serious damage to livestock and crops in the low-lying areas of the province.

The President appreciated the timely provision of rescue and relief goods to the flood affectees of Balochistan, adding that the disbursement of financial assistance to 99% of the bereaved families, who lost their loved ones, was a welcome step. He further said that the provision of 5 lakh rupees per house for the reconstruction of completely destroyed houses in Balochistan and 2 lakh rupees for partially damaged houses was a commendable step and would help in their reconstruction. He said that federal and provincial governments had announced relief packages for the rehabilitation of the flood victims, adding that the Government of Balochistan, the people and the Armed Forces, including the Pakistan Navy deserved appreciation for helping the flood victims in a timely manner.

The President expressed full confidence in the ability of the nation to rise to the occasion in the face of natural disasters, like floods or earthquakes, helping the flood-affected countrymen and helping restore the lives of the people who had been severely affected by the super floods.  

He said that due to the unpredictable weather patterns, Baluchistan had been strongly hit by climate change and global warming which had caused it to suffer from periodic extreme dry weather, drought, famines as well as heavy rains leading to floods. He said that these conditions could be converted into an opportunity by saving water through the construction of delay-action dams and enhancing the water storage capacity of the existing dams to be used during droughts.

During his visit, the President was told that 32 out of 34 districts in Balochistan had been declared "Calamity Hit". It was informed that more than 4,000 ration bags and 2,100 tents had been distributed in the Naseerabad district of Balochistan.

***