KASUR - Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt-Gen Muhammad Afzal on Tuesday visited flood affected areas of Kasur district along River Sutlej and reviewed relief activities there.
He visited various villages, affected by the recent floods, caused by water released by India into the rivers entering Pakistan from their side.
While briefing the media at a flood relief camp, set up by the district government Kasur, the NDMA Chairman hailed the performance of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), district government and other departments and said that timely measures, taken by these departments averted flood losses.
He said that due to heavy rains in India, it was expected that water would be released into the rivers entering Pakistan from across the border and the departments concerned had made adequate arrangements to cope with the situation.
Muhammad Afzal said that there was only one casualty caused by the floods and 45 others sustained injuries as no major human or property damages were reported. However, some crops were damaged. He said that under the Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan would take up the case with India in which three points would be raised.
Firstly, minimum of 1,000 to 3,000 cusecs of water should always flow in these rivers all the time.
Secondly, in case of flooding, early warning system should be made more active; and thirdly, Pakistan should also have access to all river chatchments areas.
The NDMA Chairman said that the Punjab government had already approved Flood Relief Management Act, which would also be passed by the National Assembly soon.
To a question, he said that Pakistan was included among the 10 countries which were the worst-hit by climate change.
Therefore, more steps should be taken to handle the situation in this regard, he added.
To another question about post-disaster action, he said that all-out measures were being taken to provide assistance to the flood affectees and work was being carried out from Federal to tehsil levels.
He said that more than 25,000 persons and about 23,000 animals have been vaccinated in Kasur district during the past weeks.