By: Fayyaz Ahsan Kalyar
Where the country is currently suffering from economic crisis and political instability, since June 14, stormy rains and flood disasters have also continued, which have affected 116 districts nationwide and more than 900 human lives, including 326 children, have been lost. About 500,000 houses have been destroyed or partially damaged, and more than 30 million people are expected to be homeless. About 800,000 cattle have been killed and crops standing on millions of acres of agricultural land have been destroyed and thousands of tons of wheat stored in warehouses have been destroyed. Although the meteorological department had warned about the rains and floods in advance, it is a natural calamity that even the developed countries could not prepare for. According to the latest report, India has released a total of 9 lakh cusecs of water in the rivers. Which poses a serious threat to the lands of southern Punjab and Sindh. The Balochistan province which is the most affected is raining and flood situation here, the situation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and South Punjab is not much different. The government has declared a national emergency in view of the loss of precious lives and property and the situation. Pakistan Army has always played a proud role in the protection of national borders, war against terrorism, rehabilitation of people affected by natural calamities and national development. A conference was held in which grief was expressed over the loss of human lives and property damage due to rains and floods. The Army Chief directed the formation commanders to maintain efforts and operational preparations to deal with the situation of rains and floods as well as eliminate terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. On the other hand, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif canceled his visit to London in view of the emergency situation and held a long emergency meeting on Thursday evening after his immediate return home from Qatar, in which important decisions were taken for the timely relief of the flood victims and their complete rehabilitation. Under the leadership of federal ministers and coalition leaders, separate committees were formed for the provision of clean drinking water, tents, mosquito nets, medicines and medical aid and ration. World and Asian banks, charitable organizations and representatives of China, America and European countries also participated in the meeting. The Prime Minister said that the magnitude of rains and flood disasters is so high that the federal or provincial governments alone cannot fully restore the victims, which requires the emergency cooperation of international organizations, donor countries and financial institutions. Federal Minister for Climate Change Shireen Rehman says that NDMA is reviewing the aid needs, after which we will appeal to the United Nations. In this hour of difficulty, the federal government has announced financial assistance of 25 thousand rupees per affected family, but more than three crore victims are currently facing the highest inflation and unemployment, while these people have nothing left, including livestock. On the other hand, the concerns of health and sanitation and the outbreak of epidemic diseases in the affected areas cannot be ignored in any case. The federal and provincial governments and health departments need to keep a close watch on the situation and send vaccination teams there because any outbreak that manifests as a disease does not stand a chance.