Saudi Ambassador announces 9,000 shelter camps & 9,000 ration bags for the calamity-hit people of Gwadar
QUETTA/ISLAMABAD, March 10 (SABAH): Saudi Arabia has announced relief measures for calamity-hit Gwadar as hundreds of houses were damaged due to torrential rains in the port city.
The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al Maliky visited Balochistan and announced relief measures for the people of Gwadar. “We’ll help our Pakistani brothers in this difficult time,” the ambassador said, after meeting the Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Khan Bugti.
The ambassador announced 9,000 shelter camps and 9,000 ration bags for the calamity-hit people of Gwadar.
He also spoke Urdu and chanted the slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ while announcing relief items for Balochistan.
Chief Minister Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti paid his gratitude to Saudi Arabia for announcing relief items for Balochistan.
“Climate Change is a huge challenge for all of us. Gwadar received record rain this year and we are trying hard to rehabilitate the victims,” Bugti said.
Earlier, the port city of Gwadar was declared a calamity-hit area following torrential rains last month.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also visited the areas of the coastal city which suffered damage due to torrential rains last week.
As many as 3,100 houses in Gwadar, and 2,500 in Jiwani were damaged. Besides, 95 houses were completely destroyed and more than 200 cattle were killed.
The officials claimed that 355 people were accommodated in government residences, 800 were rescued and shifted to their relatives’ homes. Pakistan Army and Navy established medical camps to provide health facilities to the victims.
Meanwhile National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre Pakistan has mobilized an emergency relief convoy to support the flood victims of Gwadar.
Under this humanitarian initiative, a dispatch of five containers loaded with 9,000 food packages and 9,000 shelters, totaling 875 tonnes departed from Islamabad to the rain-impacted areas of Gwadar on Sunday.
The departure ceremony, held at the Jinnah Stadium, Sports Complex, Islamabad on Sunday, was graced by Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sarfraz Bugti, Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al Maliky, along with officials from NDMA.
The NDMA has diligently coordinated with Provincial Disaster Management Authority Balochistan, ensuring seamless liaison with local authorities, facilitating inter-provincial transit, and securing the necessary clearances to guarantee unimpeded delivery of this crucial aid.
Upon arrival, the consignment will be entrusted to the PDMA Balochistan and local administration, who will oversee the equitable distribution of the relief item to the communities ravaged by the rains in Gwadar.