Govt kickstarts digital flood dashboard to keep track of aid

• Portal provides information to public on aid being received and distributed among flood victims.
• Ahsan Iqbal says portal launched on special directives of PM Shehbaz Sharif.
• Says final estimates of damage will be available only after water recedes.

The government launched on Monday the ‘Digital Flood Dashboard’ of the National Flood Response Coordination Center (NFRCC), in a bid to ensure transparency in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in flood-hit areas.

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said while speaking to the ceremony that this portal has been rolled out as per the special directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He said that the general public and development partners will be able to get information about the flood relief aid and funds being received from home and abroad and its distribution.

"Pakistan faces an unprecedented calamity which has affected 33 million people across Pakistan," the minister said.

He further stated that the damage caused by the floods is being assessed on a daily basis with the cooperation of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the United Nations and the provincial governments.

The final estimates of damage will be available only after water recedes from all parts of Sindh and Balochistan provinces, he added.

Iqbal also asked the public to step forward to help flood victims, reminding them of the valiant way the nation faced calamities in the past.

He expressed the confidence that it will cope with the current one in the same spirit.

What is the purpose?

The digital portal is established to provide direct information to the general public about the financial support and the relief goods being received and distributed among the flood affectees at the global, federal and provincial levels.

The digital flood dashboard had been prepared with the use of the latest technology to provide all the relevant details about the relief activities and receipt and distribution of relief goods and assistance.

Besides, ensuring transparency in the ongoing processes, the general public and media would be kept abreast of the relief measures.

The prime minister would personally supervise the digital dashboard as he had promised to the international community and the nation that relief assistance would be provided to the flood victims in a transparent way.