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Floods have pushed KP 50 years back: Hoti
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=254272
Admits govt failure in timely evacuation of marooned people
Monday, August 02, 2010
Khalid Kheshgi
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti said here Sunday that his government might divert the entire Annual Development Programme (ADP) to reconstruction and rehabilitation works if the international community and federal government failed to help the province in the crisis caused by torrential rains and unprecedented floods.
After taking aerial view of the flood-affected areas in Nowshera, Charsadda and Malakand division and meeting people in upper parts of Swat, the chief minister told members of the media that the infrastructure including roads and bridges in Swat and Shangla districts and Malakand Agency had been washed away by the floodwater.
“Seeing the destruction in Swat’s Kalam and Madyan and parts of Malakand division, one can say that the recent rains and floods caused more devastation in these areas compared to other districts of the province,” he said, adding that from Chakdarra to Kalam all the bridges on river Swat had been washed away while from Fatehpur onward to Kalam there was no sign of the road.
He said the devastating flood and rains had pushed back the province by 50 years due to damage to roads infrastructure, canal network, electricity system and water supply schemes.
The chief minister said the present crisis caused by rains and floods was 10 times higher than the IDPs crisis, which the provincial government with support of people had bravely faced. He asked the general public and well-off persons to help the displaced and affected people in their respective areas.
“This is such a big problem that a provincial government cannot not handle or overcome it due to financial restrains. However, we will do whatever is possible to help the affected people,” he said, appealing to international community and federal government to bail them out from the present crisis.
The chief minister said with the demolition of Munda Headworks the entire irrigation system in the downcountry would be affected as thousands of acres of land in Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi and Nowshera districts were being irrigated by this irrigation system.
Flanked by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the chief minister said that rescue operation in Charsadda had been completed and thousands of stranded people were evacuated and relief activities launched.
About Nowshera district, the chief minister said the rescue teams would evacuate the stranded people in Nowshera Kalan and Mohib Banda. He said the army and navy rescue teams had shifted thousands of people in helicopters and motorboats to safe places.
“Our first priority is to rescue and save the lives of people and then to provide them relief,” he said, adding that after assessment of the losses the rehabilitation and reconstruction process would be launched.
The chief minister also announced Rs300,000 each as compensation for those who died in the rains and flood. “This is the least we can do for the bereaved families,” he remarked.The chief minister said that it would be premature to provide the exact figure of the losses. He, however, said the financial losses to the individuals would be in billions.
The chief minister also announced Rs250 million for Swat and Shangla districts for rescue and relief operation while Rs80 million had already been released to Charsadda and Nowshera districts.
Admitting his government’s failure to evacuate the stranded people in time, he said the provincial government was short of resources and the machinery required for rescue and evacuation.
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=254272 Admits govt failure in timely evacuation of marooned people
Monday, August 02, 2010
Khalid Kheshgi
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti said here Sunday that his government might divert the entire Annual Development Programme (ADP) to reconstruction and rehabilitation works if the international community and federal government failed to help the province in the crisis caused by torrential rains and unprecedented floods.
After taking aerial view of the flood-affected areas in Nowshera, Charsadda and Malakand division and meeting people in upper parts of Swat, the chief minister told members of the media that the infrastructure including roads and bridges in Swat and Shangla districts and Malakand Agency had been washed away by the floodwater.
“Seeing the destruction in Swat’s Kalam and Madyan and parts of Malakand division, one can say that the recent rains and floods caused more devastation in these areas compared to other districts of the province,” he said, adding that from Chakdarra to Kalam all the bridges on river Swat had been washed away while from Fatehpur onward to Kalam there was no sign of the road.
He said the devastating flood and rains had pushed back the province by 50 years due to damage to roads infrastructure, canal network, electricity system and water supply schemes.
The chief minister said the present crisis caused by rains and floods was 10 times higher than the IDPs crisis, which the provincial government with support of people had bravely faced. He asked the general public and well-off persons to help the displaced and affected people in their respective areas.
“This is such a big problem that a provincial government cannot not handle or overcome it due to financial restrains. However, we will do whatever is possible to help the affected people,” he said, appealing to international community and federal government to bail them out from the present crisis.
The chief minister said with the demolition of Munda Headworks the entire irrigation system in the downcountry would be affected as thousands of acres of land in Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi and Nowshera districts were being irrigated by this irrigation system.
Flanked by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the chief minister said that rescue operation in Charsadda had been completed and thousands of stranded people were evacuated and relief activities launched.
About Nowshera district, the chief minister said the rescue teams would evacuate the stranded people in Nowshera Kalan and Mohib Banda. He said the army and navy rescue teams had shifted thousands of people in helicopters and motorboats to safe places.
“Our first priority is to rescue and save the lives of people and then to provide them relief,” he said, adding that after assessment of the losses the rehabilitation and reconstruction process would be launched.
The chief minister also announced Rs300,000 each as compensation for those who died in the rains and flood. “This is the least we can do for the bereaved families,” he remarked.The chief minister said that it would be premature to provide the exact figure of the losses. He, however, said the financial losses to the individuals would be in billions.
The chief minister also announced Rs250 million for Swat and Shangla districts for rescue and relief operation while Rs80 million had already been released to Charsadda and Nowshera districts.
Admitting his government’s failure to evacuate the stranded people in time, he said the provincial government was short of resources and the machinery required for rescue and evacuation.
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