Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday launched the Digital Flood Dashboard to give details on relief activities being undertaken in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan to the public as well as international institutions and development partners.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Flood Response Coordination Center (NFRCC), he said that the service will enable people to check details by area, as well as what support is available to flood affected areas.
The dashboard will make public all information regarding donation received, distributed and delivery of relief goods to the flood victims.
It was launched on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and uses modern technology to inform the public about relief supplies and donations.
‘Digital Flood Dashboard’ to be launched today
“People will gain confidence in government activities through this portal,” he said. “It will give information to users in a transparent manner.”
He appreciated efforts made by provincial and federal governments as well as the military for taking part in relief efforts with enthusiasm.
“The scale of this disaster is far higher than capabilities of any government of the world,” he said. “We fought such disasters in 2010 and 2012 and we will emerge stronger and more resilient from this one.”
He announced that the government will ask top global firms to audit financial assistance received for floods affectees.
He also noted that the government was unable to give an accurate estimate of losses suffered during the floods until all the water is drained.
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“A huge part of Sindh and Balochistan is submerged in water,” he said. “We are updating our estimates of losses each day while working alongside UN, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.”
Floods from a record monsoon and glacial melt in the north of Pakistan have impacted 33 million people and killed at least 1,391, while washing away homes, roads, railways, livestock and crops.
Pakistan estimates the cost of the damage at $30 billion, and both the government and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres have blamed the flooding, extreme weather and resulting devastation on climate change.