SWABI: Leaders of Awami National Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl said here on Thursday that food insecurity would be a big issue in the post-flood period and both the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments should work together to tackle this issue.

Talking to mediapersons in separate camps arranged here to collect donations for flood-hit people, they said that floods had not only destroyed houses, but also washed away grain stored by the people for meeting their basic food needs besides damaging standing crops.

“As the people have lost their grain in floods they need the government assistance to get grain and meet the food requirements of their families,” said ANP leader Mukhtiar Khan.

Answering a question, he said that availability of food should be ensured to the people in collaboration with the national and international partners by improving the supply chain.

Former provincial minister and JUI-F leader Maulana Fazal Ali said that floods had destroyed standing crops and as such the issue of food security should be handled with great care.

“Food insecurity is not a short-term issue, but it has become a long-term problem that needs a comprehensive plan to be tackled,” he said. The leaders of the two parties said that they would continue collecting donations to help the flood-affected people.

OPERATION: An operation has been started to remove encroachments from irrigation channels and rainwater courses in Swabi tehsil areas under the supervision of assistant commissioner Mohammad Usman Ashraf.

Heavy machinery is being used by the irrigation officials to complete the task.

The officials said that during the operation all the encroachments would be demolished and removed so that there was no obstruction in the drains and rainwater courses to avoid flooding in future.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2022