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Friday March 29, 2024

More dams to be built to check flood havoc: Nawaz

Says first dyke costing Rs1.30 bn to be built in Isakhel; economic corridor to pass through area creating jobs and bringing prosperity to people

By our correspondents
August 09, 2015
ISAKHEL: Announcing the first protective dyke in Isakhel district of Mianwali — the home constituency of PTI chief Imran Khan — costing Rs1.30 billion, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said the government would build more dams throughout the country to avoid massive devastation caused by floods. The dyke will protect Mianwali from devastating hill torrents.
The prime minister arrived here and announced Rs300 million for flood relief and Rs200
million for
a water scheme in the district.
He reassured the people that the government was prioritising development of underdeveloped areas in order to bring them on par with the developed areas.
He said the government had decided to evolve a long-term strategy to save people and their properties from floods and rainwater. “The decades-old havoc that has been hitting the people annually would be averted through the construction of protective dykes and strengthening of embankments of rivers and nullahs across the country, and a study in this regard is complete.”
Referring to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, the prime minister said it would pass through the area creating jobs for people and bringing prosperity in the area and across the country.
He said not only will it generate employment, but also open up new avenues for progress and development.
He said under the CPEC, new schools, colleges and universities would be opened in the city besides creating employment opportunities.
He said Pakistan today was in a much better economic condition compared to two years ago and expressed the resolve that the economy would further improve in the next three years.
He reviewed the flood affected areas. Hill torrents devastated Isakhel tehsil owing to torrential rains in the surrounding hills last week.
High flood in the Kurram River has eroded a portion of the Mianwali-Bannu Road at Jalalpur near Kalabagh.
Various hill torrents of Isakhel tehsil locally known as ‘Barooch’, ‘Rakka’ and ‘Lunda’ have destroyed crops on thousands of acres besides inundating residential localities of various villages.
The prime minister was informed that three men and a child were killed in the collapse of houses in different parts of Isakhel tehsil on Monday
Reports said water flowed into the Isakhel Tehsil Headquarters Hospital and its residential area, forcing the hospital staff and indoor patients to shift to the nearby girl’s college.
The four-foot deep water damaged medicines and other equipment.
Doctors had to temporarily set up outdoor patient departments (OPD) at the college building while the hospital authorities fetched medicines from a local medical store for patients.
Barooch has inundated the Basic Health Unit (BHU) in Kaloor Town forcing the hospital staff to shift to higher ground.
Addressing a gathering of the flood-affected people, Nawaz said the government would utilise all resources for their early rehabilitation.
He visited the relief camps and distributed food and relief goods among the displaced people.
He directed the Punjab chief minister to expedite work on projects to protect the area from flash floods.
The prime minister assured the people that the government would provide funds and a build a number of embankments to divert the flood waters.
He also announced release of more funds for completion of the remaining work on the cadet college in the city.
He said the government would make efforts to develop Mianwali on a par with the developed cities of the province.
He told a gathering of the flood-affected people that he was saddened to see the damages caused by rains and hill torrents and prayed to Allah Almighty to keep everyone safe.
He said the compensation for those who lost their lives was in no way a replacement of the precious lives lost, but was meant to help their families.
He said floods this year were of lesser intensity than the ones in 2010 and was appreciative of the role of NDMA, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and other departments and organisations for flood rescue and relief.
Later, the prime minister took a round of Isakhel city and responded to the people who were waving on the roadside and rooftops to greet him.
He also stopped twice during the city visit and interacted with the people besides listening to their problems. He directed the DCO to address the grievances of the residents.
The prime minister was informed that payment of rupees Rs0.5 million to the heirs of those who lost their lives had already been made.