The federal and Sindh governments have so far released Rs 12.1 billion for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people of the province, said Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Media Sharmila Farooqi on Saturday. “The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led government is actively involved in providing relief to the flood survivors on priority basis, besides taking precautionary measures in view of the expected rains in July and August,” she said, while talking to a PPP workers delegation. Elaborating on the status of Pakistan Cards, the media adviser said that the Sindh government had released Rs 10.6 billion while Rs 1.5 billion were released by the federal government. “The total cash disbursed through Habib Bank and United Bank is Rs 11,406,922,449,” she added. Farooqi said that while the government always led the relief and recovery activities in flood-affected areas, the humanitarian community supported the response by covering gaps where the needs exceeded the government’s response capacity. “In response to the government’s request for assistance on September 6, 2011, the humanitarian country team developed a rapid response plan as a strategic one to address the needs of the population in support of the government’s relief interventions,” she said. The former minister claimed that the government had provided almost all items of daily use to the flood-hit people that include 304,311 tents and 508,633 blankets. Despite the conspiracies and different tactics used by anti-democracy forces, Farooqi said the government is continuing the relief process smoothly. “The PPP is a recognised party of the country and deeply rooted among the masses. It is the only party that could save the nation and the country in the real sense,” she added. Last year, the devastating floods killed 497 people and damaged 1,596,807 houses. Appreciating the role of the Sindh Rehabilitation Department and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority-Sindh for ensuring smooth relief to flood affectees, the adviser asked the departments to start taking precautionary measures in view of the expected rains in the upcoming monsoon season.
