HYDERABAD: Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that the Association for Builders and Developers and the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (HCCI) will join hands to reconstruct houses collapsed in unrelenting torrential rains and subsequent flood in Hyderabad with the help philanthropists.

Memon, who also focal person for rain emergency, said that Abad would monitor the reconstruction process though a joint committee and an account would be created in which politicians would be the first to deposit donations to provide roofs over the heads of the homeless.

He told journalists at HCCI offices on Monday that the government had to deal with disaster of epic proportions. It had to provide cooked food to millions of victims daily besides provision of medical facilities, he said.

He said that losses were steadily increasing due to floods. The government had to take the difficult decision of breaching Manchhar Lake dyke on Sunday, which would affect five UCs with 125,000 population, he said.

He said that about 570 people had died including 190 men, 109 women and 217 children in rain-related incidents across the province and the number was still rising. As many as 10,468,392 people and over 1.8 million families were hit by rains and floods, he said.

He said that 666,193 people were staying in relief camps and 41,439 heads of cattle had perished while crops on 4,426,000 acres had been destroyed by the double whammy of rains and floods.

He said the government had overstretched its resources to cope with the situation as state machinery remained engaged in rescue and relief operations. The philanthropists and NGOs that wanted to help the victims with their own hands should contact the Provincial Disaster Management Authority control room which would guide them to the exact location of victims and also provide security during distribution of relief goods, he said.

He said that most of the time relief goods were given by philanthropists and NGOs to victims in camps on roadsides while the genuine victims remained deprived of succor.

He said that flood victims having cattle were not coming to relief camps but they were provided food at the place where they were staying. HCCI had decided to send beds, pillows and sheets to relief camps, he said.

Memon urged people to show unity and said Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was in contact with prime minister to get maximum help for the victims.

He said that Bhutto-Zardari appealed to foreign countries for help and the countries which had made commitments had started sending the aid. Pakistan was among top 10 countries affected by global warming and climate change hence it would have to adapt to the challenges, he said.

He said that torrential rains had destroyed 100 per cent cotton crop and appealed to people to help the victims.

Hyderabad DC Fuad Ghaffar Soomro, HCCI president Adeel Ahmed Siddiqui, Najamuddin, Ziauddin, Irfan Iqbal and others were also present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2022