Pakistan gov’t announces compensation for flood victims

ISLAMABAD (AA) – The Pakistan government has announced compensation for the families of those killed and injured during the recent devastating floods as relief and reconstruction activities continue in the South Asian country.

Speaking at a high-level meeting on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the federal government will give one million Pakistani rupees ($4,522) per head to the families of those who lost their lives.

“We will distribute Rs 70 billion (over $316 million) among the affected families and also will provide compensation to those injured during the recent flood,” Sharif said.

He added the Chinese government will send tents for the affected families as winter nears.

So far, 1,725 people have lost their lives, including 643 children and 348 women, while 12,867 others have been wounded across the country, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) data.

Drenching monsoon spells and apocalyptic floods have flattened hundreds of thousands of houses, schools, and hospitals, and wiped out huge swathes of agricultural lands.

According to NDMA, over 2.2 million houses were damaged, including 852,621 completely destroyed, across Pakistan. The flood also washed away 435 bridges and over 13,000 kilometers of roads while over 1.1 million livestock perished.

The flood affected over 33 million people across 85 districts and caused approximately $35 billion in financial damage, according to officials.