LAHORE:
As floodwaters displaced millions of people and caused losses worth billions of rupees, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan asserted on Saturday that dams must be built on a priority basis to mitigate recurring floods and their impact.
Speaking to reporters at a relief camp near the Babu Sabu Toll Plaza in Lahore, he said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) “will not leave the flood victims alone under any circumstances,” adding that displaced families would be provided two meals a day in relief camps.
“The entire nation along with the government has come out to help the flood victims,” he said, adding that his team and the Governor House are engaged in relief efforts.
He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for taking notice of his statement on dam construction.
Governor Saleem Haider emphasised the need for long-term measures, saying climate change has left Pakistan increasingly vulnerable. “A proactive policy must be formulated to deal with this situation in the future,” he said, calling for strict action against unauthorised housing societies along riverbanks and penalties for regulatory failures.
Separately, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan described the current flooding as “unprecedented and devastating,” warning that millions have been displaced and agriculture in affected areas has been destroyed.
“Projects to store water must be initiated,” he said, pledging to use his political influence to push for dam construction.
“I have suspended all my political activities for now, and I will use all my strength for this cause,” he added.
He warned that the loss of crops will leave farmers unable to pay electricity bills and service bank loans. “If there is no harvest, how will we make payments?” he wondered.
Despite recent statements by provincial leaders, neither the senior PPP nor PML-N leadership has announced detailed plans regarding new reservoirs.
After an aerial survey of flood-hit areas recently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also called for the urgent construction of dams, saying reservoirs were essential to address recurring floods and the escalating threat of climate change.
“Pakistan is among the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change,” the prime minister said, urging stronger disaster management institutions and ordering the speedy completion of the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.
Meanwhile, Punjab Social Welfare Minister Sohail Shaukat Butt stated that relief supplies, medical treatment and safe relocation of the affected population were being ensured on an emergency basis. Thousands of families have been shifted to safe places. The minister said in a statement that the Punjab government stands with the more than 1.5 million affected citizens and will leave no stone unturned in compensating the losses. He stressed that addressing the damage suffered by farmers is among the chief minister’s top priorities.
PPP Parliamentarians Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari also distributed food among flood victims at the Babu Sabu relief camp.
He said on the occasion that more resources were urgently required for the rehabilitation of the victims.
With additional input from APP
