Peshawar – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has pledged that every home destroyed in the recent floods will be rebuilt, assuring victims that the government will not leave them to fend for themselves.
Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar on Sunday, Gandapur emphasized that families displaced by the floods will be moved to safer areas. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and federal ministers had personally reached out, promising support, and added that the province “fully expects the federation to play its part.”
The chief minister also announced plans to introduce modern technology for cloudburst monitoring and early warning systems, saying that stronger disaster preparedness was now a top priority.
Crackdown on Encroachments Tied to Flood Losses
Gandapur highlighted that illegal encroachments along riverbeds had made flooding worse, a problem that, according to him, had been ignored for years. He warned that his administration would show “zero tolerance” for those involved.
He cited a recent anti-encroachment operation in Dera Ismail Khan as a model, which he vowed to replicate across KP. Buner district, he added, had witnessed the heaviest destruction from the floods.
River Demarcation in Swat to Reduce Future Risks
Later in the day, the chief minister chaired a high-level meeting at the Malakand Commissioner’s office to assess the scale of damage. Senior provincial officials, including cabinet members and the chief secretary, briefed him on relief efforts and rehabilitation work.
To mitigate future disasters, Gandapur ordered the creation of a committee led by the Swat deputy commissioner to clearly mark the riverbeds of the Swat River using revenue records and consultations with local representatives. “This step will help reduce human and financial losses in the future,” he noted.
On the long-debated proposal to split Swat into two districts, Gandapur said the decision would rest with elected representatives from the region, who would forward recommendations to the provincial government.
Mingora Among Worst-Hit Areas
Officials reported that Mingora city had suffered the most severe damage, with homes, infrastructure, and public property heavily affected. Relief and rehabilitation surveys are already underway.
Gandapur instructed authorities to move additional machinery from other districts to speed up debris removal and ordered immediate assessments of damaged properties to ensure compensation reaches families without delay.
The provincial government has already released Rs. 3 billion to the Communication and Works Department and the Relief and Rehabilitation Department, he said. Food, medicines, and other essential supplies would also be prioritized for victims.
“Every Promise Will Be Kept”
Reaffirming his government’s stance, Gandapur said the victims of this disaster would not face the same neglect experienced in past calamities. “The provincial government will fully compensate the losses suffered by the people. Unlike before, we will prove that every commitment made to flood victims will be honored,” he declared.
