HYDERABAD, March 13: As the provincial assembly prepares to wind up business before its dissolution within a few days, a large number of rain-affected people, especially heirs of the deceased, are still looking towards the government for disbursement of Rs41.7 million in compensation.

The government had declared a number of rain-affected districts calamity-hit areas and stopped recovery of land revenue and other taxes after the upper region of the province was battered by belated monsoon rains.

According to statistics of the provincial relief department, 3.5 million people were affected by rains and 280 were reported dead in rain-hit areas.

The worst affected districts were; Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Qambar, Shahdadkot, Kandhkot, Kashmore, Sukkur, Khairpur and Dadu.

Figures showed that crops on 505,454 acres were damaged and the monsoon rains severely damaged rice crop and its nurseries.

In previous two disasters, 2010 floods and 2011 heavy rains, the federal government had issued Watan and Pakistan cards to each family head of the affectees which they used to draw a nominal amount, but in 2012 heavy rains which wreaked havoc in most districts of upper Sindh, no such cards even though with paltry amount were issued.

“The government didn’t launch appeal for international donor agencies last year and decided to help people on its own, so we ran short of so many things although we tried our best,” said adviser to the chief minister on relief, Haleem Adil Sheikh.

Pakistan had launched back to back appeals in 2010’s floods and 2011 heavy rains which had destroyed irrigation network and canal system besides causing huge losses to cash crops in Kharif season.

The international community responded to the appeals with financial assistance.

Sindh government pays Rs300,000 through revenue department to each heir of the deceased who died on account of a natural disaster or calamity.

A nominal amount is also paid for the repairs of katcha and pucca houses’.

“Last year, 280 deaths were reported from rain-related incidents and of them heirs of 139 deceased were provided death compensation but the remaining have not yet received the amount,” said the adviser.

Asked what impeded payment of compensation, he replied that “it is in fact non-seriousness of Sindh finance ministry that funds amounting to Rs41.7 million have not yet been released. “Disaster management in 2012 left much to be desired in Sindh as the government came up with fragile management measures and we had insufficient resources to cope with the situation,” he said.

The adviser said that he doubled up his efforts soon after devastations were reported and forwarded a summary to the ministry keeping in mind the little time the government had been left with.

“Some queries were raised by the ministry in October and we sent their replies but the funds were not released,” he said and added with sarcasm “actually there are no ‘engineers’ to pursue the summary and ensure payment to the families of the deceased”. He said that he had sent a reminder for the summary in January this year as well but in vain. “Sindh government didn’t simply respond, so I decided to seek intervention of the president because he is to stay there even after completion of present government’s term and I sincerely hope he will help get the payment released to heirs,” he remarked.

Sindh was also hit by an outbreak of measles which claimed lives of hundreds of children but the government did not utter a word about compensation or financial assistance for misfortunate parents.

The adviser confirmed that he had sent a request for compensation to parents of each deceased child but without success. “Over 500 children died of measles but the government did not announce any compensation in spite of my repeated requests and reminders,” the adviser said in a letter addressed to the president.

According to health experts, measles broke out due to malnutrition, which was reported in the areas severely affected by super floods in 2010. The disaster had rendered millions of poor peasants homeless.

“We had urged the government after 2012 heavy rains to announce provision of subsidised wheat but it was not done. Likewise, no seed was given to farmers whose rice crop was damaged by rains.

“Actually, the government didn’t show the kind of seriousness and empathy it had demonstrated during past two [2010 and 2011] disasters,” said Mehmood Nawaz Shah, general secretary of the Sindh Abadgar Board.

The government did not even hold a single meeting with farmers’ representatives to discuss compensation, he added.

In his letter, the adviser also cited affects of global warming and climate change. “This region will continue to face disasters in the shape of floods, cyclones and earthquakes till 2022. We lag far behind in measures to handle these disasters like building communication infrastructure, ring embankments, bunds and dewatering mechanism,” he said.