A series of cloudbursts and torrential rains began in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on August 15, which severely affected the districts of Buner, Swat, Shangla, Bajaur, Mansehra, and Swabi.

A total of 406 people were killed and 245 people were injured in various accidents due to cloudbursts and rains. These accidents caused complete damage to 664 houses and partial damage to 2431 houses. 511 roads, 77 bridges, and 2123 shops were damaged.

On the morning of August 15, as soon as we received the information about the cloudburst in Bajaur, we immediately mobilized the departments, district administration, and rescue agencies. Rescue teams and people from the district administration reached the spot, after which a similar immediate response was given in other districts. As a result of the timely response of rescue agencies, departments, and district administration, 5566 people were rescued while 430 dead bodies were recovered.

Without any delay, all government machinery, medical personnel, and relief teams were sent to the affected areas, and after the rescue activities, relief work was started. 176 vehicles and boats were sent to different affected areas, and 2061 rescue personnel were deployed.

So far, 136 link roads and 65 bridges of the affected areas have been restored. Cooked food was provided to 119 thousand people, and this process is still ongoing. So far, 125 trucks of relief materials have been delivered to the affected areas. 70 medical camps have been set up in these areas.

After providing immediate relief to the victims, work has been started on paying compensation for life and property losses to the victims. The provincial government has increased the compensation for deaths from Rs 1 million to Rs 2 million per person, compensation for the injured from Rs 2.5 million to Rs 5 million, compensation for completely destroyed houses from Rs 4 million to Rs 1 million, and compensation for partially damaged houses from Rs 1 million to Rs 3 million.

For the first time, Rs 5 million was allocated for the owners of damaged shops, while Rs 1 million was allocated for cleaning the shops where floodwaters had entered. Similarly, it was decided to provide compensation for losses to crops, gardens, and livestock in the province.

So far, a total of Rs 654 million has been paid to the families of 350 deceased persons. Only those payments are pending whose relatives are minors or have not yet been traced. Accounts are being opened with the concerned Deputy Commissioner for payment of compensation to such minors. So far, Rs 19.5 million has been paid to 18 injured persons at the rate of Rs 500,000 each. The verification process of the remaining injured is underway.

4,432 persons have been paid Rs 66.5 million as food stamps at the rate of Rs 15,000 each. Rs 28 million has been paid as compensation for shops. Another Rs 1 billion will be paid. Rs 79 million has been paid as compensation for houses so far. Another Rs 1.3 billion will be paid.

We have introduced a digital payment system to make the payment of compensation to the victims clean, transparent, and easy. The relevant authorities have been given a deadline of next Sunday for the payment of all types of compensation to the victims, by which time the payment of compensation to all the victims will be completed. Two secretary-level officers have been given special responsibilities in Hazara Division and Malakand Division to provide timely relief to the victims and effectively monitor the rehabilitation works, while additional officers and officials have been deployed at the district administration level to expedite the rehabilitation and relief works.

Additional medical staff and mobile medical units have also been deployed in these areas, while the supply of essential medicines has been ensured in health centers. The provincial government has decided to donate the salaries of cabinet members, members of the assembly, and government employees for the rehabilitation of the flood victims and has opened a special account in the PDMA to reach the beneficiaries and ensure transparency. The provincial government has so far released Rs 6.5 billion to the relief department for compensation, relief, and rehabilitation works, and another Rs 5 billion will be released soon.

To monitor the relief activities, the cabinet members visited the affected areas, while I myself visited the affected areas of Buner, Swat, and Swabi to review the damage and relief works. I and the Chief Secretary are continuously monitoring the relief and rehabilitation works in the affected districts.

Our efforts are to get the victims back on their feet in the shortest possible time and restore the damaged infrastructure as soon as possible and normalize the routine of life. We will not rest until the flood victims are fully recovered. We will rebuild their houses, rebuild their houses, and compensate those who have suffered 100 percent of their losses.

We are also trying to permanently shift two or four populations from the dangers of floods to safe places so that such accidents can be prevented in the future.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is responsible for the children whose parents have died in this natural disaster because the government is a mother. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will bear all the expenses of these children. We stand with our sisters and brothers affected by the floods in Punjab, and if any kind of help is needed, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is ready for it.