HYDERABAD, Feb 22: An accountability commission has criticised the government for terminating relief services of rain-hit population in December last, and requested it to resume these activities immediately, especially for the 3,28,555 families still living in makeshift camps and rental houses.

It further warns the government to embark upon disaster risk reduction measures in view of the prediction of heavy monsoon rains this year also.

A research report of the People's Accountability Commission on Floods (PACF) titled "Critical situation of shelter in context of delayed early recovery phase" is 14th such document to have been issued. Members of the commission Taj Mari, Ismail Kumbhar, Punhal Sario, Saleem Abbasi and Ms Mehnaz Shaikh presented the report at a news conference on Wednesday.

The government, it says, has delayed rebuilding some 796,861 collapsed or damaged abodes. The research disputed the claims of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority that 100 per cent displaced person have returned to their homes. There still are 95 per cent of affected families of Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Shaheed Benazirabad and other districts with no roof on their heads, it states.The government is wrong in saying that all rain-hit people were safe in their dwellings, rather some 10,379 families and 55,953 individuals are still living in 241 informal camps, it further argues.

Moreover, it's absolutely deploring for 1.2 million women and 2.4 million children to face harsh conditions and undergo psychological trauma for not having enough protection. Inadequate humanitarian funding has left some 253,661 people without warm clothing and hardly any nutrition.

Women, elderly and sick people and children are undergoing the most difficult phase because of displacement and lack of relief services.

The government's apathy in dewatering process and hurdles placed by influential landlords in way of natural water flow are adding to the woes of people.

Around 80 per cent of rural population depends on agriculture and livestock for their livelihood and destruction of both has left them with hardly any income generation opportunity, and for them to generate Rs100,000 to Rs300,000 to rebuild their homes was next to impossible, research report stresses.