21 Sindh districts devastated by rains: CM

HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has said 21 districts of the province were severely affected by the recent torrential rains.

He was presiding over a meeting on Sunday to review the devastation by rains in the Tando Allah Yar district, the press release said. Ministers, district administration officials and notables attended the meeting.

Qaim said the federal government, on the recommendation of the Sindh government, was seriously considering that it should make an appeal to the United Nations (UN) for help to the rain victims in the province.

Keeping in view the devastations, the chief minister declared the Tando Allahyar district as calamity-hit area and announced Rs 20 million grant for the relief and rescue operations in the district.

He said the Sindh government has spared Rs 5 billion from its development budget of Rs160 billion to provide relief to the rain victims in Sindh, “but the losses from the rains were more than calculations and we have recommended to the federal government for more funds and for an appeal to the United Nations in this regard.”

He said earlier, the federal government was reluctant in appealing to the United Nations but it was now considering the Sindh governmentís request as more rains have taken the matter beyond the approach of the provincial government.

Qaim said that to date, 46 rain-related causalities have been reported, while standing crops in millions of acres and peoples in millions have been affected. He said the Badin district and other parts of coastal areas were worst affected as compared to other districts.

The chief minister said the district relief committees, comprising the DCOs and public representatives, have been constituted for each district to ensure transparent utilisation of relief fund and monitoring the survey work. He said that the provincial minister belonging to the district concerned would act as the head while the DCO to perform as secretary of the committee.

The CM said the Sindh Government has decided to provide Watan Cards to each rain-affected family and Rs10,000 would be provided to each card holder and he has also recommended the federal government to give matching grant to the victims.

He said President Asif Ali Zardari was very concerned about the rain devastation and has directed to provide ample relief to the rain victims, adding though all the district governments had established relief camps in their areas where all facilities, including food, medicines and drinking water, were being provided to the victims but some victims at their own will were residing on the banks of canals, at roadsides.

He advised such victims to come to the relief camps and avail government facilities. He directed the officer concerned to prepare the PC-I for laying a new drainage system in Tando Allahyar and assured that the Sindh government would provide funds for repair of broken roads in the district.

Earlier, the chief minister was briefed by the DCO who said that over 0.15 million people have been affected due to torrential rains in the district, out of which 25,292 people have been encamped in 89 relief camps. The DCO said that more than 4,000 houses have been damaged completely while more than 17,000 were partially damaged.

He further informed the CM that around 1,30,285 acres of cultivated land have been affected out of which crops on 73,081 acres have been totally damaged.