Govt to Formulate Effective Climate Plan: Musadik

Islamabad: Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik has announced that an effective plan will be developed under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Climate Emergency initiative for the upcoming year. This plan aims to mitigate the adverse effects of monsoon rains and glacier melting.

According to Radio Pakistan, Musadik Malik made this announcement during a briefing in Islamabad, where he was accompanied by Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik. The briefing focused on the current flood situation and the ongoing relief and rescue operations. The Minister highlighted that approximately 2.5 million people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas. He noted the collaborative efforts of federal and provincial governments, armed forces, relief agencies, and welfare organizations in conducting relief and rescue operations across the country. Tragically, recent rains and floods have resulted in the loss of around 930 lives.

Musadik Malik assured that the last spell of the monsoon is expected to conclude in the coming days, and all necessary arrangements have been implemented to manage water flows at various locations.

Chairman NDMA, Inam Haider Malik, emphasized that relief and rescue operations are actively underway in the flood-impacted regions. He highlighted the Federal Government’s substantial support, which includes the provision of approximately thirty thousand tents, numerous boats, and ration packs for affected areas in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir. Additionally, he reported that around 150,000 individuals have been relocated to safer areas in Sindh, and assured that all possible assistance will be provided to the Sindh Government in response to the floods.

The Chairman further stated that assessments are being conducted to evaluate the damage to infrastructure and agricultural crops caused by the floods.