Floods in Sindh: Famine possible if water not removed urgently from farmlands: CM

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah talking to a high-power delegation of UAE, led by Hamoud Abdulla Aljeibi, DG Secretary UAE Red Crescent regarding relief & rehabilitation work in Sindh, said that along with rehabilitation of affected people the government has to dewater agricultural lands so that wheat crop could be sown to avoid the famine-like situation in the province.

“We have to rehabilitate over 1.5 million people, restore 3,172,726 acres of land for Rabi crops, particularly wheat; otherwise food shortage would emerge,” he said and added this was a gigantic task for which the international community would have to support the provincial government.

The UAE delegation includes Ambassador of UAE in Pakistan Hamad Obaid Alzaabl,

Bakheet Ateeg Alremeithi, UAE Consul General Bakheet Ateeg Alremeithi, Head of International Communication UAE Red Crescent, Rashed All Alhammadi, Director Int’l Communication, UAE Red Crescent Saeed Suhail Almazrouei, Head of UAE Red Crescent Hamad Bakheet Alremeithi.

The CM was assisted by provincial ministers Nasir Shah, Mukesh Chawla, Advisor Rehabilitation Rasool Bux Chandio, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Special Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, and Secretary Rehabilitation Asif Memon.

Shah said that agricultural machinery, fertilizer, seed, and technology would be provided to growers to start sowing wheat. “Wheat is the most important Rabi crop of Sindh,” he said.

The chief secretary giving a briefing said that over one million tents, three million mosquito nets, kitchen sets, mosquito nets for animals, ration bags, and drinking water were urgently needed.

The UAE Secretary Red Crescent, Relief & Rehabilitation Hamoud Abdullah Aljeibi said that their government was ready to support the people of Pakistan, particularly Sindh who have suffered a lot. He said that on September 10 a program was being organized in Dubai to raise funds for the flood-affected people of Sindh.

Aljeibi said: “We are arranging more tents, mosquito nets, medicines, and other required material.”

The chief minister said that the water coming down the hills of Balochistan was still wreaking havoc in various districts of the province, particularly Shahdadkot, Dadu, and Jamshoro. He added that due to breaches in Manchhar Lake and other drains the number of people being rendered homeless was increasing day by day.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022