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SWAT, Aug 17 (APP):Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur on Sunday announced that the provincial government would rebuild houses for flood-affected families and relocate populations residing in waterways to newly developed settlements at safer locations.
Speaking to the media after visiting flood-hit areas of Swat, the CM said that the provincial government would fully compensate citizens for their losses.
“The damage caused by the floods will be met with a hundred percent response from the government,” he asserted.
He said that the Prime Minister and all provincial chief ministers had contacted him to extend their support.
Gandapur noted that the Pakistan Army was actively assisting in rescue and relief operations and had also provided two additional helicopters to expedite the efforts.
The CM emphasized that priority would be given to compensating the financial losses of citizens before addressing damage to government infrastructure.
“We will rebuild destroyed houses and shift populations living in water channels to safer areas where new settlements will be developed,” he said.
Highlighting long-standing issues, he remarked that people had been building houses and shops on natural waterways for years without proper cleaning of streams and drains, which worsened flood damage.
Referring to encroachments, Gandapur cited the example of a market in Buner, where removal orders had been stayed by a court.
“If that market had been cleared in time, the scale of losses could have been much less,” he said, adding that many ignore government warnings and approach courts instead of vacating vulnerable sites.
“Are you earning a lawful livelihood by building on encroachments?” he questioned, urging citizens to refrain from illegal occupation.
He warned that strict action would be taken against encroachments, though he acknowledged it was not a permanent solution.
Meanwhile, in Saidu Sharif, flood-affected residents staged a protest during the CM’s visit, blocking the Saidu Sharif Road. They complained that government relief had not reached them even after three days of devastation.