Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed - PDMA

Voluntary appeared Mr.Sajid Mehmood Qazi, Addl. Registrar/
Facilitator of Flood Commission
Date of hearing 28.3.2011
O R D E R
The Flood Commission has submitted following interim report:
“On 15 March 2011, during the course of its interaction with affectees of
Jafferabad District that suffered most due to 2010 floods, in Balochistan,
concerns were expressed about the economic hardships unfolded by loss
of two crops of Kharif and Rabi 2010 due to breach of Tori Bund in Sindh.
The affectees urged timely measures to enable the farmers to plant the
next Kharif crop, being the third consecutive crop and any let up will surely
unfold untold miseries for the people most directly affected by the floods
in the Naseerabad Division in general, and the District, in particular.
Apprehensions were also voiced that slow pace of rebuilding of the
damaged embankments in Sindh may generate a fresh round of
devastation in the next season.
2. These representations substantiated Commission’s observations of
the state of Rabi plantings during over flighty from Sukkur to Jafferabad on
that morning, and on way back to Sukker. Most farm lands had not been
planted or lacked vegetative cover for various reasons including the 2010
flood water, present in many stretches, despite lapse of 6-7 months,
reduced irrigation & safe drinking water supplies on account of damages
to irrigation infrastructures, as well as lesser number of IDP’s returning
back to resume farming for obvious exposure to stressful living conditions
for men and cattle. The situation needed urgent attention of all concerned,
including the Federal and Provincial Governments, as the potential unrest
was not deemed conducive for the Federation.
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