Families of seven flood victims compensated
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MUZAFFARGARH: The district coordination officer (DCO) on behalf of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Tuesday gave away compensation cheques to families of the seven people who swept away in the floods in the Indus and Chenab.
DCO Hafiz Shaukat Ali said each family was given Rs500,000. The families of Nadia Bibi, Kausar, Muhammad Yousaf, Muhammad Younis, Ahsan Ahmad, Shamim Mai and Elahi Bakhsh were given compensation, while the families of two women who were swept away on Tuesday were awaiting the amount.
The Indus was flowing fast and the water level increasing at the left-margin and Abbaswala dykes near Head Taunsa barrage, while thousands of acres had been inundated in Mustakil Hunjrai, Lomarwala, Betwala, Nishanwala and other 50 villages. The district administration had failed to provide food and fodder for cattle to the villagers affected.
The DCO said he had set up 18 relief camps and his teams were busy evacuating people. He also mentioned that more than 25 families were stuck in the Indus where Rescue 1122 was helping them.
In Alipur and Jatoi, the water level in the Chenab was increasing at Sarki dyke where over 20 villages were flooded, but no relief camp had been set up there. The district administration said these were river belt areas.
Sources said that in Alipur and Jatoi many dykes such as the Chandar Bhan that had been under construction were incomplete for over two years even after Rs400 million were spent on them on the orders of the chief minister. The CM had visited the dykes twice but the areas close to Alipur were still under threat.
Flood-affected families appealed to the PDMA and the chief minister to visit their areas to witness how the poor were suffering. Their houses, crops and business had been swept away and they had no tent, food or fodder for their cattle.
District Officer (Livestock) Dr Anwar said they had no husk or fodder, but only vaccine for cattle. He said thousands of cattle had been vaccinated but the water level was increasing.
The DCO said all arrangements had been completed for the affected people and the district administration was ready to help them.
Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2015
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