‘NADRA to start registration process of 74 flood-hit districts’
* Kaira says registration meant to aid in transparent compensation of those affected by floods
By Vidya Rana
ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will start registration process in 74 flood-hit districts of the country to maintain the record of flood victims to be used for transparent compensation during the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation phases, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Monday.
Speaking at a press briefing, he said, “The registration of the flood victims would be done as was done during the internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) crisis.”
According to the latest figures released by the minister, the recent monsoon floods in the country have affected as many as 20 million people across and have claimed 1,463 lives, injuring 2,024 and destroying 895,259 houses.
The worst-ever floods in the country’s history have inundated towns and villages, destroyed communication infrastructure, perished livestock, agriculture and livelihoods in 74 districts.
Kaira said the risk of new floods in the coming weeks was unlikely, as the Met office had predicted normal and scattered showers in different parts of the country, which would not be translated into new floods.
“Water flow at Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri barrages still persists, but we hope that the pressure at Kotri Barrage will not be as heavy as feared,” he said.
He said that excluding the provincial communication infrastructure, 20 bridges of the National Highway Authority alone have been damaged. “This is a unique flood. Waves after waves are coming in. The water level has gone up to 1.1 million cusecs and stayed at around 8 million cusecs for days making spurs and barrages vulnerable,” he said, adding that the authorities feared more losses in case there was a breach at the border of Punjab and Sindh.
About relief efforts, he said the army as well as the civil administration were working round the clock to cope with such a bleak situation.
Source: Daily Times
Date:8/17/2010
” 
” 
” 
” 
