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PESHAWAR, Aug 28 (APP):Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur has issued a video statement detailing the provincial government’s relief and rehabilitation measures for flood victims.
He said that since August 15, cloudbursts and heavy rains had devastated several districts, including Buner, Swat, Shangla, Bajaur, Mansehra and Swabi. The disaster claimed 406 lives, left 245 people injured, destroyed 664 houses and partially damaged another 2,431. A total of 511 roads, 77 bridges and 2,123 shops were also affected.
The Chief Minister said that as soon as the first cloudburst was reported in Bajaur, the administration, rescue agencies and relevant departments were immediately mobilized. Their timely response enabled the rescue of more than 5,500 people. A total of 2,061 rescue personnel with 176 vehicles and boats were deployed, while medical and relief teams reached the affected areas without delay.
He said that so far 136 link roads and 65 bridges have been restored, over 119,000 people have been provided cooked food, 125 trucks of relief goods have been dispatched, and 70 medical camps have been set up.
Gandapur explained that the provincial government had also enhanced the compensation package for victims. The amount for families of the deceased has been increased from Rs10 million to Rs20 million, while compensation for the injured has been doubled to Rs500,000. Owners of destroyed houses will now receive Rs1 million, and partially damaged homes will be compensated with Rs300,000.
For the first time, shopkeepers are also being compensated, with Rs500,000 for destroyed shops and Rs100,000 for cleanup in cases where floodwaters entered. He added that farmers and livestock owners would also be covered under the package.
According to the Chief Minister, compensation worth Rs654 million has already been paid to the families of 350 deceased persons, while pending cases involving minors are being processed through accounts opened by deputy commissioners. Payments have also been made to 18 injured people, shopkeepers, and thousands of families through food stamps, while further disbursements worth billions of rupees are being prepared. Gandapur stressed that all compensation is being provided through a digital payment system to ensure transparency, and set a deadline of Sunday for completing payments to all affected families.
He said that senior secretaries have been assigned to oversee relief operations in Hazara and Malakand divisions, while additional officers, medical staff and mobile health units have been deployed in the affected districts. The government has so far released Rs6.5 billion to the Relief Department and will soon release another Rs5 billion. Provincial cabinet members, lawmakers and government employees have also donated their salaries for flood victims, with funds being deposited in a special PDMA account.
He vowed not to rest until all victims were fully rehabilitated, saying that those who lost homes would be given new ones, infrastructure would be rebuilt, and every loss would be compensated in full. He said the government would also relocate communities living in high-risk flood zones to safer areas. Children orphaned by the disaster, he added, would be looked after entirely by the provincial government. Gandapur also expressed solidarity with flood-affected people in Punjab, saying the KP government stood ready to assist them in any way required.