Govt will leave no stone unturned to bring normalcy back in lives of flood affectees: Ahsan

Islamabad: Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday assured that the government will leave no stone unturned to bring normalcy back in the lives of flood affected people of the country.

Briefing the media persons at National Flood Response and Coordination Center in Islamabad today (Saturday), he also made a fervent appeal to the international community, countrymen and expatriate Pakistanis to help Pakistan in this hour of need.

Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan is facing a massive climatic disaster and human tragedy, which is an outcome of environmental degradation. He pointed out that Pakistan's carbon emissions are less than one percent but it is the seventh most vulnerable country for climatic disaster.

He said the scale of devastation warrants a major humanitarian response for thirty-three million people affected by the floods.

He said the government or any institution cannot single handedly overcome this tragedy. He said the entire nation will have to get united to steer the country out of this challenge.  

Ahsan Iqbal also briefed the media about the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure of roads, power and telecommunication.

Giving the latest updates, Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz said the calamity has so far killed 1265 people and injured more than 1200.

He said rescue and relief operation is continuing in flood affected areas. He said we have provided four hundred and twenty thousand tents and keeping in view the heavy demand of tents, an effort has been made to build the capacity of tent manufacturing. He said fifty-seven thousand and four hundred food packages have been distributed amongst the flood victims.

The Chairman NDMA said there has been a good international response to the UN flash appeal for the assistance of flood affected people.  He said twenty-nine relief goods flights have been received over the last four days. 

These included ten from Turkey, eleven from the UAE, four from China, two from Qatar and one each from Uzbekistan and France. He said these flights carried goods such as 2728 tents, ninety-eight tons food packages, fifty boats and fifty-six tons medicines.

Briefing the media about the rescue and relief activities being carried by the armed forces, Director General ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar said they are engaged in the rescue and relief efforts over the last two months. 

He said, during this period, we have rescued the people and also provided them with relief items.  He said Pakistan Army has established one hundred and forty-seven relief camps wherein relief has been provided to fifty thousand flood victims.

“Eighty-three thousand victims have been provided with free medical treatment in the two hundred and fifty medical camps,” he added.