NDMA distributes compensation cheques among flood victims; Relief goods handed to affected people

TANK: The federal government has distributed compensation cheques worth Rs1 million each among five families who suffered human losses in the recent floods in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and South Waziristan districts.

The cheques were handed over to the heirs of the deceased by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt-Gen Akhtar Nawaz here on Thursday as per the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Tank Deputy Commissioner Hameedullah Khattak, Commanding Officer 25 Regimen Sindh, elders and flood victims were present on the occasion.

The NDMA chief handed over five truckloads of relief goods, including food items, tents, blankets and other necessary items to the district administration for distribution among the flood affectees.

Speaking on the occasion, the NDMA chairman said the federal government and the NDMA stood by the affected people during these testing times.

He said the authoritywas distributing relief goods among 500 affected families following the directives of the prime minister.

The NDMA chief said Pakistan is among the countries facing the effects of climate change. “Pakistan is the top eighth country in the world having most effects of natural calamities with two major challenges of monsoon and earthquakes”, he added.

He said the Meteorological Department had predicted 25 to 30 per cent more rains during this season.

The NDMA chief said the authority had made a contingency plan and directed other departments concerned at the provincial, district and local levels to make own plans in this regard.

He said this time four major indicators of climate change were witnessed — an early arrival of summer and minimum period of spring season; four major heatwaves due to which the forests caught fire in different areas; an early advent of monsoon and more rains in during this season, adding even rains heavily lashed those areas which had very minimum chances in the past.

The NDMA lauded the steps taken by the federal and provincial governments for helping the flood-affected people.

He appreciated the district administration led by Deputy Commissioner Hameedullah Khattak for its prompt response during floods, which helped minimise the losses.

The NDMA said the media played an important role in creating awareness among the people.

He urged the journalists to continue the role in raising awareness about climate change so that the loss could be avoided at the maximum level.

The NDMA said that the federal government was committed to providing every possible assistance to the flood victims of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that a disaster management system had been put in place to cope with emergencies.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Sharif Hussain thanked the NDMA chairman for visiting the flood-affected area of Tank and distributing relief goods and compensation cheques.

He said the chief minister had also visited the affected areas and conveyed a message to the people that they should not feel alone as the government was always with them.

Earlier, the deputy commissioner of Tank briefed the officials from NDMA and PDMA about the recent floods and the losses caused by them.