ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Tuesday recommended that more funds should be allocated for the flood originated areas of the country. Senator Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar chaired the meeting of the committee here at Parliament House. The meeting was attended by Senators including Samina Abid, Maulana Tanveer-ul-Haq Thanvi, Mir Kabeer Ahmed Muhammad Shahi, Mrs. Khalida Perveen, Sardar Muhammad Azam Khan Musakhel and Gianchand. Senior officials of the ministry of Water and Power, Federal Flood Commission and WAPDA, briefed the committee. Chairman of the Committee said that developing the flood originated areas would help in early forecast of flood and minimize the losses in other parts of the country. He said that there is a dire need to establish advance forecast system. Muhammad Usman Kakar said that only 8 percent power used by the domestic purpose in Balochistan province while remaining 16 per cent used for commercial and 71 per cent for agriculture purpose. He said that the farmers community of Balochistan is facing problems due to forced loadshedding in various parts of the province. Chairman of the Committee also said that “a number of newly installed tube wells are unable to operate due to absence of power connections. The ministry of Water and Power should provide meters to these tube wells, he emphasized. Flood Early Warning system should be improved to inform the people in advance, the committee also suggested. The ministry and National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) are implementing a number of high voltage power sector projects in the province of Balochistan to improve the system capacity, the officials informed the committee. Briefing about the details of the projects, they said that a number of projects including 220KV Khuzdar Grid Station, 220 KV Loralai Grid Station have already been recently completed in Balochistan. While work on the 220kV Uch-Sibbi Transmission Line and 220kV Dera Murad Jamali Grid Station is in progress. They further said that a plan for PC-1 for 220 KV D.I.Khan-Zhob Transmission Line along 220 kV Zhob Grid Station had been submitted to Commission and are waiting for approval.