The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has completed an important phase of its survey of flood victims across Punjab, PDMA DG Irfan Ali Kathia announced on Friday.
Speaking at a news conference in Lahore, he said that the flood that began on August 26 was among the worst in recent years, making it a major challenge to conduct a province-wide survey within a short time.
“It was a very difficult phase to survey such a large-scale flood, but our teams have successfully completed it,” he said.
Over 186,000 houses, 1.44m acres of crops damaged
According to Kathia, the floods caused extensive destruction, damaging 186,073 houses across Punjab. Additionally, standing crops on more than 1.441 million acres of land were completely destroyed.
He said that despite logistical difficulties, PDMA teams managed to complete the survey in just 30 days. However, due to their remote and slum-like conditions, surveys could not be conducted in Rajanpur and Sadiqabad.
Massive data collection, rehabilitation
Kathia revealed that the PDMA had received over 550,000 entries regarding flood victims, and data of 214,493 individuals had been finalized so far. Out of these, bank accounts for 79,000 affected people have been opened, and 33,000 victims have already received compensation funds.
He further added that 953 complaints were received during the process, all of which have been resolved. “The problems of most tehsils in Punjab have now been addressed,” Kathia noted.
Relief funds to be released in Nov
The DG confirmed that the Punjab government will release financial assistance to approximately 600,000 flood-affected people in November. He appreciated the efforts of PDMA field teams and the public officials involved in the massive data and verification operation.
“The chief minister of Punjab had pledged support from over 11,000 individuals to ensure full participation in the rehabilitation process,” Kathia said. “Today, we can say the PDMA has fulfilled that commitment.”
Highlighting the speed and scale of the operation, Kathia said the survey completion within a month demonstrates the Punjab government’s commitment to rehabilitation and support for flood-hit families. He added that more relief initiatives would follow to rebuild damaged homes and revive agriculture in the affected regions.
