Pakistan gov’t announces compensation for flood victims as reconstruction continues

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - The Pakistan government on Thursday announced compensation for the families of those killed and injured during the recent devastating floods as relief and reconstruction activities continue in the South Asian country.

Speaking at a high-level meeting on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the federal government will give one million Pakistani rupees ($4,522) per head to the families of those who lost their lives.

“We will distribute Rs70 billion (over $316 million) among the affected families and also will provide compensation to those injured during the recent flood,” Sharif said.

He added the Chinese government will send winter tents for the affected families as winter nears.

So far, 1,725 people have lost their lives, including 643 children and 348 women, while 12,867 others have been wounded across the country since mid-June, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) data.

Drenching monsoon spells and apocalyptic floods have flattened hundreds of thousands of houses, schools, and hospitals, and wiped out huge swathes of agricultural lands.

According to NDMA, over 2.2 million houses were damaged, including 852,621 completely destroyed, across Pakistan. The flood also washed away 435 bridges and over 13,000 kilometers (8,077 miles) of roads while over 1.1 million livestock perished.

The flood affected over 33 million people across 85 districts in the South Asian country and caused approximately $35 billion in financial damage, according to officials.

Pakistan also received 137 flights of relief goods from different countries, including 15 from Türkiye.

"So far, Türkiye has sent a total of 15 planes and 13 trains carrying aid, including family tents, food, medicines, and cleaning materials,” Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Mehmet Pacaci told reporters in the capital Islamabad on Wednesday.

The first team of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) arrived in Pakistan on Aug. 7, when the flood hit the provinces of southwestern Balochistan and southern Sindh.

“A total of 77 personnel have worked in Pakistan so far to coordinate the distribution of aid materials sent to the region by our presidency and to assist in the establishment of tent cities, housing thousands of flood affectees,” said the ambassador.