ISLAMABAD - Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources on Wednesday expressed concern over the encroachments on flood waterways of all major, other rivers/hill torrents and directed authorities to restrict further encroachments.

The Committee met here at the Parliament House, chaired by its Chairman Senator Shammim Afridi.

The member of the Committee including Senator Gianchand, Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Senator Mir Muhammad Yousaf Badini, Senator Usman Khan Kakar, Senator Walid Iqbal and Senator Mir Kabeer Ahmed Muhammad Shahi also attended the meeting.  The Committee also recommended that the people encroached on waterways of rivers should be resettled at safe places and restrict further encroachments.

The senior officials of Ministry of Water Resources informed the Committee that as per River Act of Punjab Province approved in April 2016, such settlements are considered as encroachments and the Supreme Court of Pakistan has already directed to remove such encroachments from the flood plain/ waterways of all major and other rivers/ hill torrents and settle at safe places.  The officials further said that Federal Flood Commission(FFC) is holding regular meetings and are pursuing the matter with the provinces for removal of such encroachments and restricting further encroachments in flood prone areas.