LARKANA: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah admitted on Thursday that despite his government’s best efforts the demand for 1.5 million tents for the internally displaced persons could not be met and likewise there was still a gap between demand and supply of ration for the flood victims.
“We have distributed around 300,000 tents and placed orders for 600,000 tents more but have received only 200,000 tents so far,” said the chief minister while talking to media persons during his visit of relief camps on the last day of his three-day tour of flood-stricken areas of the Larkana division.
“I have visited all flood-hit areas of the province to assess the post-rain situation so that appropriate measures can be taken to drain out rainwater, rehabilitate IDPs and restore agricultural activities to move forward,” he said.
He said that he found that the flood victims living in relief camps and on roadsides were keen to return home if floodwaters were cleared. “It means the most important task on the government’s list is to clear the villages, cities, towns and roads of floodwaters to pave the way for their return,” he said.
“I have formed a team of irrigation experts under Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro to prepare a water escape plan so that necessary measures and decisions can be taken to dispose of the floodwaters into the river. “It is no solution to clear one area at the cost of flooding another, therefore a workable plan is needed,” he said.
Shah hoped the floodwaters would drain out within one and a half months as the level of Manchhar lake had dropped to 120 RL from 123.5 RL and over 200,000 cusecs of water was flowing into the Indus River. The pace of the drainage would further accelerate within the next few days, he told newsmen at Dokri.
Gap between demand and supply of relief goods
The chief minister said that he had personally met the IDPs living in the camps and along the roads. “I know their cries for tents are justified,” he said.
He said that despite best efforts of his government the demand for 1.5 million tents could not be met and similarly, the demand for ration was being met but there was still a gap between its demand and supply.
He lamented that in some cases IDPs were provided tents but still they demanded more when they were offered one. Such cases were earning bad name for the government, he said.
Shortage of medicines at camps
During his visit of two relief camps in Ratodero, Shah was told that there was shortage of Panadol and Chloroquine tablets. He said that he had already approached different agencies to provide medicines for the treatment of malaria and diarrhoea.
Mr Shah visited mega tent city in Miro Khan town where the dwellers appeared to be living in better conditions.
He mingled with flood victims living along a road on his return journey to Larkana and visited a Basic Health Unit at Beero Chandio village and mother and child unit at Dokri taluka hospital.
In Larkana district, the chief minister visited a relief camp at Arija on airport road where he met a family of IDPs and enquired about their problems.
The chief minister was accompanied by elected representatives of the areas during his visit to Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts.
Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2022
