FFC fails to finalise NFPP-IV to cope with calamities

Federal Flood Commission (FFC) has not yet finalized a 10-year National Flood Protection Plan (NFPP-IV), designed to cope with natural calamities. Large scale destruction in the 2010 floods fuelled the need for investment in combating floods and FFC, accordingly, began work on formulating NFPP-IV.
Consultants were engaged for the purpose in May 2013 under Water Sector Capacity Building Project for preparation of NFPP-IV, a few weeks before the PML-N government took oath. However, the subsequent draft NFPP-IV prepared by the consultants is still under review by key stakeholders.
A document made exclusively available to Business Recorder reveals that NFPP-IV (2007-2018) is still not finalized - a document that was to be prepared in consultation with key stakeholders including Provincial Irrigation Departments and Federal Line Agencies. The Plan was to envisage construction of new flood protection interventions and procuring/installation of flood forecasting and warning systems including institutional strengthening of FFC and related departments. An official of Water and Power Ministry on condition of anonymity said that failure to finalize NFPP-IV for the period 2007-2018 after passage of nearly 9 years is not only a failure on the part of the FFC but also raises questions on the workings of Ministry of Water and Power. "Non-achievement of prime objective by the FFC is a serious lapse," he added.
The first National Flood Protection Plan-IV draft where no consultants were engaged was prepared and submitted to Ministry of Water and Power in November 2006 for approval of competent authority. However, it could not be approved at the time due to low priority given to floods given the drought like conditions in the country during the period. In 2007, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and coastal Balochistan were badly affected due to monsoon rainfall. 967 people died and around 2,000 were displaced.
In 2010, almost all of Pakistan was affected when massive flooding caused by record breaking rains hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. At least 2,000 people died in this flood and almost 20 million people were affected by it. In September 2011, at least 361 people were killed, some 5.3 million people and 1.2 million homes affected as well 1.7 million acres of arable land inundated when massive floods swept across the province of Sindh as a result of monsoon rains.
In September 2012, more than 100 people died, and thousands of homes destroyed, with thousands of acres of arable land affected when intense rainfall battered Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Southern Punjab and Upper Sindh as a result of monsoon rains. In August 2013, more than 80 people died. In September 2014 due to massive rain in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir and in Punjab, people were affected.