Pakistan devises rehabilitation plan after 30-bln-USD losses in flood

Islamabad [Pakistan], September 27: Pakistan on Monday devised a plan to rebuild and restructure flood-hit areas of the country, which will be implemented during a period of six months to 10 years, an official statement said.
Pakistani Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal held a meeting with economists and development stakeholders to devise a rehabilitation plan, the statement from the minister's office said.
Iqbal said that the country has suffered losses of 30 billion U.S. dollars in the devastating floods which badly damaged agriculture and infrastructure besides resulting in heavy casualties across the country.
The participants of the meeting proposed the government to adopt the owner-driven reconstruction approach to rebuild the damaged houses of the flood-affected people who should be provided assistance and subsidy to rebuild houses on their own.
The participants also suggested focusing on agricultural land of the south Sindh province which was badly affected by the flood.
According to the latest report from the country's National Disaster Management Authority, the death toll in Pakistan from this season's monsoon rains and floods since mid-June has risen to around 1,638, along with 12,865 injured.
Source: Xinhua