flood in pakhtoonkhwa

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has waived provincial taxes in calamity hit areas and urged the centre to exempt affected people from federal taxes as well.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that people were not in a position to pay taxes consequently the provincial government waived off all taxes.

“The disaster has left people completely destitute. They have lost each and everything and they are not in a position to pay taxes. Therefore the provincial government should appeal to the federal government to waive off all taxes,” he said.

If federal government did not waive off taxes, the provincial government would be with the calamity-hit people of the province, he said.

The minister castigated officials of the provincial health department for their poor performance and said that he did not see doctors and medical staff at relief centres in Peshawar.



He said that only volunteers were present at the relief centres to provide health cover to the affected people.

“The government cannot bear lethargy on the part of the employees and they must show their presence otherwise serious action will be taken,” he warned. He said that people were suffering from water-borne diseases and cholera could break out any time.

Mr Hussain said that government had provided 500 kits of anti-snake venom and cholera and each kit was sufficient for 10,000 people. He said that snake biting and cholera cases had been reported from different relief centres.

He asked World Health Organisation to provide 50 kits of anti-snake venom and cholera immediately to avert epidemics.



He said that people needed drinking water and government had arranged 10,000 bottles of mineral water, to be distributed among the stranded people free of cost.

He said that there was serious shortage of potable water in Charsadda and Pabbi because sources of drinking water had been destroyed by the floods. He said that the affected people were being provided with cooked food in relief centres.

The minister said that one of the major causes of the devastating flood was massive encroachment along the banks of rivers and watercourses in urban and rural areas of the province.



He said that encroachers should remove their illegal structures voluntarily; otherwise the government would take action.

He said that provincial government had set up monitoring committees comprising ministers, lawmakers and provincial secretaries for overseeing relief activities in the affected areas. The committees would provide their daily reports to the chief minister.

About relief operation in the flood-hit areas, he said that provincial government had released Rs43 million to the district governments for provision of food, water and other relief items.

He said that National Disaster Management Authority dispatched 1,000 tents for the displaced people in the province.



So far, he said, the provincial government was bearing all expenditures from its own resources and did not receive any assistance from the centre or any other agency.

He said that the main powerhouse in Swat was out of order and chief of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company was sent to Mingora in a helicopter to restore electricity.



He said that entire Malakand division except Battkhela was without electricity and natural gas. He asked National Highway Authority to rebuild main road to Shangla to avoid shortage of food items.

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saleem arman

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Disastrous floods

 The recent torrential rains have resulted in a truly alarming situation. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, already reeling from escalating terrorism, has in particular been hit hard.

Extensive flooding has affected over 400,000 people and killed well over 400. Thousands of homes across the province and the adjoining tribal areas have been inundated, and in Swat, houses, bridges, hospitals, roads and communication networks have been washed away. Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir are virtually cut off because landslides have blocked major road links, while the arterial Karakoram Highway has suffered extensive damage. In Balochistan, floods have affected over 60,000 people and killed 80 in just one week. The other provinces have not been spared either. Devastating flash floods and hill torrents have caused widespread damage in three districts of Punjab, while in Sindh, hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been inundated in Sukkur. Yet this unleashing of the wrath of the elements may not be over. The Federal Flood Commission has noted that the level of water in dams and barrages across the country continues to rise, while flooding in low-lying areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could worsen within days. Meanwhile, Sindh faces a massive in-rush of water flowing downstream.
The response of disaster management cells and authorities has been slow to say the least, and officialdom has in many areas been conspicuous by its absence in bringing relief. That said, however, it is clear that the scale of the disaster is such that it has inevitably overwhelmed whatever resources are available to bodies such as the National Disaster Management Authority. The thousands of people affected by the rains and floods need help, and need it fast. The stranded need rescuing while those in risk zones need to be evacuated; it is essential that the government divert every possible resource towards this end. Meanwhile, shelter, food, drinking water, medicines and clothing must be distributed without delay. Efforts made in this regard by the government, as well as civil society, could prove invaluable and save lives. The country must mobilise itself to meet the challenges posed by the worst monsoonal disaster seen in decades.
After the initial crisis is weathered, policymakers should turn their attention to the long-term measures required to mitigate the effects of natural disasters. This includes not just preparing contingency and coordinated response plans but also addressing issues such as wide-scale deforestation and the need to construct small dams and reservoirs in places where they could absorb excess river flows and rainwater, and store it for use during dry periods. Experts believe that climate change is increasingly giving rise to extreme weather. Pakistan must prepare itself.

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