Armed forces taking active part in rehab work

HYDERABAD: The armed forced in collaboration with philanthropists and well-to-do persons are actively participating in rehabilitation of millions of people of Sindh province who were displaced during unprecedented flood in 2010.

The unprecedented flood, which witnessed by the people of Sindh after four or five decades, had played havoc in many districts of the province situated at the right bank of the Indus river.

The gushing flood forced the millions of people to shift in the relief camps by leaving their ancestral villages, towns and cities.

During evacuation from inundated areas, the Pakistan Army and Navy utilized their maximum possible resources and rescued the marooned persons through helicopters, hovercraft and boats.

The continuous monitoring and supervision of the rescue and relief work including provision of medical facility in the relief camps by Army and Navy medical teams save many precious lives during the natural disaster.

After rescue and relief operation, the Armed Forces have also been engaged in rehabilitation of the flood-displaced people with the cooperation of non-governmental organisations, philanthropists and well to do persons.

The Pakistan Navy Women Association also taken this noble cause with full enthusiasm by not only providing relief goods to affected people, but also started construction of a model village near Aliabad in Jamshoro district.

The Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir who handed over the keys of newly constructed houses to affected people of the areas few days back eulogized the role of PNWA and other philanthropists who extended full cooperation to Navy for rehabilitation of flood displaced people of the province.

The newly constructed houses of Pakistan Navy Women Association Model Village Mocho Goth, which handed over to flood hit families are fully furnished and equipped with all basic amenities including drinking water, sanitation, gas supply and electricity besides school, mosque and dispensary.

He said that Pakistan Navy had the experience of rescue, relief and rehabilitation in cyclone hit cities and villages of Makran Coast, therefore, it has not faced any difficulty while receiving the task during flood in Khaiber-Pakhtunkhawa, Punjab and Sindh provinces.

Under Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), he said that Hovercrafts and Boats were utilized for rescue of flood-hit people, who were later provided relief and rehabilitation with the help of philanthropists.

He said that no government or non-governmental organization or other institution alone can be able to carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation work for disasters’ victims as it could not be overcome through combined efforts of all. Besides other organization, Admiral Noman Bashir said that Pakistan Navy also shared responsibility by launching Operation Madad for flood hit victims of the country particularly in Sindh.

Pakistan Navy has stood by the nation in times of crisis and has fulfilled its promises, he said and added that all resources were mobilized to provide relief in flood hit areas.

He said that all commanders of Navy who were engaged in rescues, relief and rehabilitation, received clear directives to complete all tasks and with the grace of Allah Almighty, the Navy come up to the expectations of the affected people.

During Operation Madad, he said that Pakistan Navy carried out rescue and relief work and now engaged in completing the task of rehabilitation in successful manner particularly in flood hit areas of Jamshoro, Dadu, Sujawal, Thatta, Khairpur and Sukkur.

He also appreciated the performance of the engineers of Pakistan Navy for manufacturing own designed water purification plants and its installation in relief camps.

Pakistan Navy continued to extend all possible help to displaced flood hit countrymen, he said and added that it would not abandon the displaced families and will continue to support till complete rehabilitation.

The Commander Karachi Rear Admiral Sayyid Khawar Ali on the occasion informed that each family has been provided with equal space of 500 sq.yds. in the model villages. At the time of allotment, he said every house has been furnished with two steel beds, a pedestal fan, stove and other necessaries of life.

In order to ensure water supply, he informed that a filter plant has been installed besides underground and overhead water tanks with storage capacity of 12000 and 3600 gallons respectively.

He informed that Pakistan Navy had rescued 228,980 personnel in flood hit areas and around 69,011 people have been treated in the Pakistan Navy Medical Camps.

He expressed his gratitude to all welfare organisations and philanthropists who extended their valued cooperation in completion of the project.

Couples days back, the General Officer Commanding Hyderabad Major General Shaukat Iqbal paid a visit to Village Muhammad Ali Sario of Dadu district, which has been reconstructed by Army entire from its own resources by spending an amount of around Rs 5 million.

It was the first pilot project in rehabilitation phase in which eighteen houses were constructed along with a mosque besides complete renovation of nine houses in the affected area.

The General Officer Commanding who handed over the keys of the houses to the owners in a graceful ceremony desired that maximum NGOs and philanthropists should come forward to assist Army in this noble cause. He also pledged to construct 300,000 houses if required land is made available for the purpose.