New committee set up to guide floods and assess the government’s response to the disaster
Punjab has set up a parliamentary committee to look into the recent floods and oversee recovery efforts in the affected areas.
The committee will be headed by Syed Ali Haider Gillani of the Pakistan Peoples Party and includes 24 members of the provincial assembly. The Punjab Assembly Secretariat has issued a notification confirming its formation.
The committee is tasked with preparing its report within 30 days. Its responsibilities include assessing the impact of the floods on agriculture, livestock and infrastructure, estimating losses suffered by affected communities.
It will also examine the reasons behind the loss of life during this disaster.
It will also formulate recommendations for the rehabilitation of flood victims and review the performance and administrative response of public authorities during the disaster.
Read: Punjab’s fertile fields ravaged by floods
In addition, the committee will propose measures to strengthen flood preparedness, including improvements to early warning systems, and gather information on coordination between the Punjab provincial government and the federal authorities.
The Committee may also invite experts to attend its meetings to provide technical input.
Separately, officials have released updated figures on flood damage across Punjab and the country.
According to Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, over 2.2 million residents were safely evacuated and more than 4.2 million people were affected this monsoon season, marking the largest rescue and relief operation in the province’s history.
Nationally, previous assessments by federal authorities placed nationwide losses significantly higher.
Officials from the Ministry of Planning revealed in October that flood damage has caused an estimated loss of Rs3.856 billion in the country, while the economy faces another Rs740 billion in potential losses.
Read more: Floods inflict losses of Rs 3,856 billion
According to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), over 1.441 million hectares of agricultural land in 27 districts of the province have been affected. Heavy losses have been reported in Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Bahawalpur, Chiniot, Kasur, Okara, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot and Narowal where crops like rice, cotton, sugarcane and vegetables have been completely destroyed.
