GB seeks Centre's assistance as rains, flash floods inflict over Rs20bn in losses

• 300 houses completely destroyed, 200 suffer partial damage: CM.
• Provincial govt seeks Rs7bn from Centre, says Haji Gulbar Khan.
• Limited resources insufficient to recover from this disaster, he adds.

GILGIT: The recent monsoon spell has wreaked havoc across Pakistan with scenes of urban flooding, flash floods and landslides resulting in over 260 deaths, while several others are still missing along with damage to infrastructure.

Gilgit Baltistan, which hosts several tourist hotspots, was also battered by flash floods and landslides with Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan saying that at least 10 people were killed and four others were injured in the region in floods triggered by intense monsoon rains.

The chief minister, during a presser, said seven districts in the region have been severely affected by the floods, which have destroyed roads, water channels, homes and agricultural land, and that the infrastructure damage was over Rs20 billion.

"Our limited resources are insufficient to recover from the scale of this disaster," he said, urging the federal government to step in and assist.

Expanding on the extent of damage, the chief minister said that 300 houses were completely destroyed, whereas 200 were partially damaged. Also, 30-40% of water channels and 15 to 20 kilometres of roads were damaged.

CM Gulbar said the state government has formally requested Rs7 billion from the federal government for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure. He also appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to visit the flood-hit areas and witness the scale of the destruction firsthand.

"We have written letters to both the prime minister and the chief of army staff, requesting their support at this critical time," the CM stated.

Earlier, the chief minister visited various flood-affected areas in Diamer district, including Thak, Niat, Kunar, and Thor, where he declared the worst-hit localities as calamity-stricken zones.

He directed officials to provide immediate relief, including tents and other emergency supplies, to the displaced families.

He assured victims that transparent damage assessments would be carried out and full compensation would be provided for losses to homes, agricultural land and essential infrastructure.

Emergency restoration of electricity, drinking water, irrigation channels and roads has also been ordered.

The chief minister further directed authorities to remove all illegal encroachments along the water channels to prevent future disasters of similar magnitude.

— With additional input from The News