ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province on Friday decided to launch a satellite-aided survey to quantify damage from ongoing floods before beginning rehabilitation and compensation for families who lost homes and farmlands.
Punjab, home to about half of Pakistan’s 240 million people and most of its wheat and rice output, has been hit hardest by this year’s monsoon. According to provincial officials, 49 people have died in the current Ravi-Sutlej-Chenab flood spell, while the province’s seasonal death toll since mid-June has reached 183.
Nationwide, flooding and rain-related incidents have killed 884 people since June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The authorities warned earlier in the day of new flood peaks on the Chenab and Indus rivers and possible urban flooding in Sindh as the monsoon continues to batter Punjab and threaten millions downstream.
The province’s relief commissioner, Nabeel Javed, presided over a meeting at the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) head office to plan the rehabilitation of flood-affected people.
“The survey will cover submerged area, crop losses and a monetary estimate,” he was quoted in a statement circulated after the meeting that brought together officials from the agriculture, irrigation and revenue departments.
