Expected extreme monsoon rainfall, flooding may delay next elections: NDMA

ISLAMABAD: The upcoming elections in the country may be delayed due to the expected extreme monsoon rainfall and flooding of highly vulnerable communities in Pakistan.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) shared its flood forecast with a parliamentary panel on Wednesday.

Member of the Committee Mushahid Hussain Syed said that this expected emergency situation may delay the elections in Pakistan.

Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik informed the members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the forecast of heavy flooding was based on the data collected from various local and international sources which probability is 72 percent.

“The scale of flooding will be projected on the same scale as the previous floods in the country,” he said.

The NDMA chairman said the authority had sought Rs 12 billion grant from the prime minister to restock in case of extreme monsoon rainfall and other stakeholders were also mobilised.

He said that the Chinese weather forecasting system projected 90 percent accuracy and the authority through the Prime Minister’s Office was trying to collect information from them. The Chinese weather forecasting system could forecast weather condition of one year.

“The NDMA is also upgrading its early warning system which can forecast flooding and other natural disasters of four to six months,” he added.

The chairman further acknowledged that the process of cash compensation and rehabilitation activities in recent flooding areas in Sindh, KP, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, and other areas were slow as the flood damage assessment survey report has yet to be vetted by the Prime Minister’s Office that was submitted eight months back. He said that families of 1,739 persons who died in floods were compensated. Only 10 percent verified data is available and 40 percent incomplete. Rs 3,000 cash per family along with BISP cash was disbursed in affected areas.

The committee further sought details of funds spent under head of customer social responsibility (CSR) by companies including petroleum companies from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

The committee also directed the additional secretary Information to fill the vacant post of the MD PTV and no dual charge should be given to secretary Information in future. The PAC chairman said that the eligible candidate for the MD PTV should be selected through the advertisement for the post.

Earlier, the committee members expressed their displeasure over corruption in the given right of airing PSL-7 and -8 matches to a private TV channel which inflicted financial loss to the PTV.

The secretary Information explained that a consortium comprising the PTV, ARY, and Ten Sports Pakistan for coverage of the matches as PTV had no finances to win the bid. He said the present management of the PTV found elements of corruption in air rights of PSL by previous management and cancelled the contract in July 2022, however, eight cases were filed in the Sindh High Court, the Lahore High Court, and the Islamabad High Court and restrain orders were issued to them. The case was referred to FIA and two top officials of the previous management of PTV went toIHC against the inquiry of FIA, he added.

The committee met under chairman Noor Alam Khan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023