ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked to set up a committee of federal ministers to assess the damage in areas affected by monsoon rains and floods across the country and submit a report by August 4 on Thursday.
The prime minister asked the committee to visit all the affected districts over the next four days while presiding over a meeting to examine the damage caused by the recent rains and floods.
A thorough short-, medium-, and long-term plan will be created in accordance with the recommendations.
The compensation amount for the impacted parties was increased by the prime minister from Rs50,000 to Rs200,000.
The amount of compensation for houses with partial damage would increase from Rs25,000 to
Rs250,000 and from the current Rs50,000 to Rs500,000 for severely damaged structures.
The calamity caused by rain and flooding will be dealt with by the province governments with full support from the federal government, according to PM Sharif.
He urged the national and provincial disaster management bodies to ensure the implementation of the ‘Disaster Risk Management’ strategy instead of disaster management.
He also called upon them to fast approach the relevant ministries and international donor agencies to get financial assistance to deal with the challenge.
For restoration of the damaged infrastructure in Karachi due to recent rains, the prime minister said the federal government would write a letter to the Supreme Court for provision of the fund available with the top court.
He lauded National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the provincial governments for carrying out effective relief efforts during the natural disaster.
In a tweet, he said Pakistan was facing the challenges of climate change and stressed the need to address the problem of current flash flooding from the same perspective.
“Our ongoing floods and torrential rains need to be seen from that angle,” he said.
PM Sharif mentioned that climate change was a reality that was greatly impacting Pakistan.
“Climate change is an undeniable reality of our times and has serious consequences for developing countries like Pakistan,” he said.
The prime minister said the government was aligning its development goals with the requirements of climate change.
Pakistan has been experiencing an unprecedented heat wave and a series of extreme climate events ranging from flash floods to forest fires.
The country has long ranked among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, which tracks the devastating human and economic toll of extreme weather events.
To address the issue, the vision of the government is to mainstream climate change in the vulnerable sectors of the economy and to steer Pakistan towards climate resilient development.