PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Friday said besides immediate relief, the provincial government was also working on long-term strategies to reduce the risks of floods in the future.

“Long-term strategies include the relocation of vulnerable populations from permanently flood-prone areas to safer locations, the installation of nets on mountains in cloudburst-prone districts to reduce the flow of debris, the construction of additional small and check dams at feasible sites and the launch of special projects to clear waterways of flood-carried debris and sand,” the chief minister told a United Nations delegation in a meeting here.

The delegation comprised UN Resident Coordinator for Pakistan Mohamed Yahya, head of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office Afke Bootsman and chief of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Carlos Geha, according to an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

The meeting focused on cooperation between the KP government and the United Nations, ongoing development projects, and matters of mutual interest.

Both sides agreed to expand collaboration, particularly in relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected communities.

The visitors expressed condolences over the recent loss of people’s lives and property to floods in the province.

Mr Gandapur informed them that eight districts of the province had been severely affected by torrential rains and flash floods, which claimed over 400 human lives and left more than 240 people injured.

He said that 664 houses were destroyed, while 2,431 houses were partially damaged, in addition to heavy losses to schools, basic health facilities, infrastructure and drinking water systems.

Mr Gandapur said that relief operations were carried out immediately after the flooding and that the government had begun disbursing compensation for human and material losses.

He said that the provincial government doubled the amount of compensation for deaths from Rs1 million to Rs2 million each and from Rs250,000 to Rs500,000 for injured people each.

The chief minister said compensation for destroyed houses had been increased from Rs400,000 to Rs1 million each, while partially damaged houses would receive Rs300,000 instead of Rs100,000 each.

“For the first time, compensation of Rs500,000 has been approved for shopkeepers whose shops were destroyed and Rs100,000 for those, whose shops were inundated by floodwater, for cleaning purposes,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said that compensation would also be provided for damages to crops, orchards and livestock.

He said that payments were being made through a digital system to ensure transparency, and that all disbursements would be completed by Sunday.

“For orphaned children who had lost all family members in the floods, bank accounts were being opened under the supervision of deputy commissioners to ensure they received their due compensation,” he said.

The UN delegates assured the chief minister of its full support in the rehabilitation of flood-hit communities.

The delegates expressed deep sorrow over the losses caused by floods in KP and said that UN agencies would extend cooperation not only in flood-affected districts but also in other underdeveloped parts of the province.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2025