Punjab vows flood-resilient infrastructure as World Bank pledges post-disaster support
LAHORE: The government of Punjab on Thursday pledged to build climate-resilient infrastructure and improve early warning systems as the World Bank offered support for post-flood recovery efforts in Pakistan’s most populous province, ravaged by some of the worst monsoon flooding in recent history.
Heavy monsoon rains and floods have killed at least 1,006 people and injured more than 1,000 nationwide since June 26, when this year’s monsoon season began.
Punjab, the country’s agricultural heartland, has borne the brunt since late August, with over 300 people killed, 4,700 villages submerged, 4.7 million people affected and 1.5 million acres of crops damaged after rivers swelled from torrential downpours and India released water from its dams. Authorities say they have launched the province’s largest-ever search and rescue operation, moving 2.6 million people and 2.1 million animals to safety.
The floods have disrupted the pace of development projects in the province, but a survey is already under way to assess the damage, Punjab’s senior provincial minister Maryam Aurangzeb said after meeting World Bank Country Director Bolorma A. Amgaabazar in Lahore on Thursday.
