Keeping in view forecasts regarding heavy monsoon rains, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday finalised a strategy wherein emergency arrangements would be made for more than 190,000 families on war footing.
A meeting, with Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti in the chair, was informed that Flood Controlling System’s emergency office had been completed.
The office was in direct links with administration from at least 10 districts, badly affected in July-August 2010 floods.
Briefing reporters about the decisions made in the meeting, Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain said the Met Office had forecast usual monsoon rains in July 2012 but keeping in view 2010 conditions, the provincial government had decided adopting precautionary measures.
He said the meeting had approved 2012 flood plan that could help in bringing the situation under control. The minister said so far the government had made arrangements for around 30,000 tents and was in a position to arrange a similar number of tents on an emergency basis.
He said the UNHCR was going to provide 10,000 tents to the provincial government, adding that the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) would coordinate with all government departments for handling the situation in case of floods.
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister directed all government departments to ensure maximum coordination with PDMA with a view to avert a 2010-like situation. The Met Office was directed to alert flood information centers in all districts, whereas the Information Department was directed to give flood warnings to the people in time through Radio Pakistan, Pakhtunkhwa Radio and other medium.
To a question, Hussain conceded that there were hurdles in implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding encroachments.
“We did whatever was possible but unfortunately, some of the people have blocked the move with getting stay orders from various courts of law,” he remarked, adding that the “government was capable of handling the encroachment issue if the judiciary cooperates”.
He also confirmed that beside legal hurdles, deteriorating law and order, political interests and others reasons hampering progress in the encroachments issue.
