ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday unveiled a countrywide campaign against encroachments along rivers, streams, and natural waterways, stressing that protecting water channels was vital to reducing the risk of future floods.
Presiding over a high-level meeting to assess the devastation caused by ongoing monsoon rains, the premier called for urgent relief operations while also laying out long-term strategies to safeguard vulnerable communities. He said that providing assistance to flood victims was not just a government responsibility but a “national duty.”
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz directed the Ministry of Water Resources to fully assist the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government in restoring water supply systems damaged by heavy flooding. “Relief and rescue must come first, but rehabilitation should not be delayed,” he noted.
The prime minister also instructed federal ministers and secretaries to be stationed in flood-hit districts to oversee recovery work on the ground. Expressing concern over fresh spells of rain forecast in the coming days, he urged authorities to strengthen monitoring systems and issue timely early warnings in high-risk areas.
Particular focus was placed on Gilgit-Baltistan, where a glacier outburst in Ghizer has formed a dangerous artificial lake. The PM tasked the NDMA chairman with closely monitoring the situation and ensuring the pre-emptive evacuation of nearby residents. He further directed that engineering units from the Pakistan Army and FCNA be mobilised to drain the lake safely, without causing additional damage.
During the briefing, officials shared updates on river flows, glacial threats, and weather forecasts across northern and southern regions. The information minister also informed the meeting that a central coordination committee had been set up to streamline nationwide relief and rescue operations.
