DERA GHAZI KHAN: The troubles of the flood-hit people in the trans-Indus districts of south Punjab are far from over as there is an urgent need of quilts and blankets in the makeshift abodes and camps.

The government has failed to start the rehabilitation of the displaced even after three months of the disastrous floods in the mountain drains of Sulaiman Range, which affected half a million people in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.

Dera Ghazi Khan Deputy Commissioner Anwar Baryar said the winter relief goods, especially quilts, were yet to be provided to the displaced.

Philanthropists, on the other hand, are providing quilts to the families staying in the camps. They are also actively working on rehabilitation of the flood-affected people and have reconstructed dozens of damaged houses in both the districts.

Advocate Malik Saleem Bhutta said he and other philanthropists were making efforts to provide quilts to the south Punjab people and he had sought public help on social media.

He said a doctor had promised money for purchasing 100 quilts and in all, he had provided 5,000 quilts to the needy.

Imran Lodhi, who runs a group under the banner of ‘Ambassador of DGK’, said he provided thousands of quilts and financial aid for 30 houses in the flood-battered areas.

Another group of philanthropists claims to have initiated work on bamboo-mud-lime stone houses in the two districts by using the novel architectural idea of Yasmeen Lari of Sindh. Each room costs just Rs50,000.

Dr Ibrar Khosa told Dawn that under the supervision of Yasmeen Lari and in collaboration with Dr Sarwat Shah, the group had planned to build 100 economic and eco-friendly rooms in Dera Ghazi Khan tehsil, 50 in Taunsa tehsil and 100 in Rajanpur.

He said the group would also provide quilts to the people.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2022