ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that a National Committee on Prevention of Floods is the need of the time to propose measures to prevent floods and mitigate losses in future, said a report published on Radio Pakistan.
He was speaking at a ceremony held in Wazirabad this afternoon to distribute the first installment of twenty-five thousand cash assistance among flood-affected people.
The premier said the government is paying utmost attention to rescue and relief operations and rehabilitation of the affected people would also be a foremost priority.
However, he said, there is also need to plan for the future in order to prevent damages caused by recurring floods.
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Earlier in September, the premier had declared the flood-hit areas as calamity-hit zones and said the affected people would be paid compensation once the damages had been assessed after the floodwaters had receded.
A flood-affected woman looks on at higher ground in Jhang. — File photo/AFP |
He had said that it was the government’s responsibility to help the displaced people to cope with the difficulties they were facing.
PM Nawaz had also directed officials to accelerate relief efforts, adding that Pakistan would not approach any country to provide aid or assistance in relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
With over 4,000 homes destroyed and several thousand people rendered homeless across central and northern Pakistan, the catastrophic floods had been dubbed as the deadliest in the country’s history.