Rs20,000 promised for each flood-hit family | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Rs20,000 promised for each flood-hit family

By Habib Khan Ghori

KARACHI: Out of the over eight million flood-affected people in Sindh over 29,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) reached Karachi from the interior areas of Sindh until Saturday night.

The IDPs have been accommodated in 23 camps set up in different parts of the city. Besides, more IDPs are expected arrive from Larkana and Sukkur by train who will also be accommodated in the camps to facilitate their stay.

With each camp a Nadra unit has been attached for the registration and issuance of the IDP cards to flood-victims in order to facilitate the payment of compensation to them.The government had decided to give Rs20,000 in compensation to each flood-hit family for their rehabilitation. This money included Rs10,000 assistance from the federal government.

But those families who would like to stay in Karachi would be provided with a plot of 120-sq-yards to build their house.

This was stated by Special Assistant to Sindh chief minister Syed Waqar Mehdi.

Flanked by EDO of revenue Roshan Shaikh and adviser to the chief minister Siddique Abbu Bhai at the committee room of the Chief Minister’s House on Sunday, Mr Mehdi briefed journalists on the latest flood position in Sindh.

He said that the ‘super flood’ was passing through Kotri Barrage where water discharge was over 900,000 cusecs.

However, except Kacha areas which used to be part of the riverbed, no more districts in Sindh were under threat and hopefully the flood would pass by without causing any further damage, he said.

Mr Mehdi said that at the relief camps all basic necessities were being provided to IDPs, including rooms in school buildings or a tent, mats, pillows, water cooler, fans, toilet facility, food, cooked food, milk, dry ration and clean drinking water.

In addition to this, medical facilities had also been provided to them and they were being looked after and as a result, except three gastroenteritis cases, no more patients were reported with such condition, he added.

At the medical facilities set up at the camps, anti-malaria and anti-diarrhoea medicines and other water-borne diseases medicines had also been made available, he said.

Answering a question, he said that it was possible that the figure of IDPs arriving in the city could be more than those registered at the camps because they were residing with their relatives elsewhere in the city.

However, all such IDPs were advised in their own interest to report to the camps for their registration which would help them in getting compensation and rehabilitation.

Replying to another question, he said that those people who had been projecting themselves as ‘IDPs’ and had taken shelter at Islamabad relief camps, had been thrown out and only genuine flood-affected people were being allowed to stay at the relief camps.

He said there were reports that some IDPs had come along with their livestock. He said all these IDPs should contact with the city district government EDO for finding an accommodation and those who themselves had set up camps at unauthorised places should also contact with the relief monitoring committees set up by the chief minister in each town.

At the moment there was a provision to accommodate 5,000 more IDPs in notified camps, he said.

Mr Mehdi said that at the camps proper security arrangements had been adopted by deploying Rangers and police and at some camps sports facilities, learning room for children and vocational training for women were also arranged.

Besides, community workers were being recruited from IDPs on a salary of Rs5000 per month, he added.

He said it would take floodwater some six months to recede and IDPs to go back to their areas.

“However, being sons of the soil and masters of this province, they are welcomed and free to live where ever they like,” he said.
Source: Dawn
Date:8/23/2010