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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday announced waiving power bills of flood-affected households for the month of August as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted fresh rains in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province between Sept. 15 and Sept. 19.

Rains, floods, land and mudslides have claimed 985 lives nationwide since late June, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The deluges have raised fears of a repeat of 2022 cataclysmic floods that killed more than 1,700 people and damaged crops, roads, bridges and rail infrastructure worth over $30 billion.

Citing the PMD on Sunday, the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) predicted fresh rains in the province between Sept. 15 and Sept. 19, requesting authorities to take all precautionary measures in order to minimize human and livestock losses and damage to infrastructure.

“As you know, due to the recent heavy rains and landslides, there has been a lot of destruction in different parts of Pakistan,” PM Sharif said in televised comments on Sunday evening.

“In this context, I have taken the final decision that the electricity bills of all household electricity consumers in the flood-affected areas for one month, i.e. August, are being waived off, and thus, household consumers will no longer have to pay the bills for August.”

The prime minister said he understood the difficulties of flood-affected people and the federal government will pay the electricity bills for the month from its own resources.

“Household consumers who have paid their August bills will have the amount refunded in the next month’s electricity bills and clear instructions have been issued in this regard,” he added.

Similarly, an estimate of the losses of electricity consumers in the agricultural, commercial and other sectors in affected areas is being made, according to the prime minister. Therefore, the collection of their electricity bills for the month of August is being delayed and postponed.

“If the estimate of the losses of these consumers turns out to be higher, further steps will be taken to provide them with more relief,” he said.

“I once again reiterate my commitment to the complete rehabilitation of the flood-affected areas and assure you that we will not rest until every flood-affected person is resettled in their home.”

FRESH RAIN FORECAST

The development came shortly after the KP PDMA said more rains, thunderstorms were expected in Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Kolai Pallas, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Kohat, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Hangu, Karak North and South Waziristan districts of the province.

“Heavy falls/windstorm and lightning may damage weak structures like roof/wall of Kacha houses, electric poles, billboards, vehicles and solar panels etc., during the forecast period,” it said in an advisory on Sunday evening.

“It is therefore requested to kindly take all precautionary measures in order to avoid/minimize human losses and/or any damages to infrastructure and livestock.”

The latest rain forecast has raised fears of renewed floods in Punjab where heavy rains and India’s release of excess water have swelled Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers since late Aug., killing 104 people, affecting another 4.5 million and inundating more than 4,700 villages in the breadbasket province.

On Sunday, the Punjab PDMA said the M5 Multan-Sukkur Motorway has been closed for all types of traffic at Jalalpur Pirwala.

“There is a risk of breaching the motorway due to road erosion by flood water,” PDMA DG Irfan Ali Kathia said. “The Punjab PDMA and NHA [National Highway Authority] and the concerned administration are taking steps to save the motorway.”

HIGH INFLOWS IN SINDH

The southern Sindh province remains wary of high flows in the Indus river as the floodwaters rush downstream from Punjab.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the provincial government is keeping a close watch on the water levels at the province’s barrages, saying authorities were carrying out relief and rescue operations there.

“There is a high-level flood at Guddu Barrage and a medium-level flood at Sukkur Barrage,” Memon was quoted as saying by the provincial information ministry.

Guddu and Sukkur barrages are the two main structures that channel water into central and southern Sindh.

Memon said the upstream flow of water at Guddu Barrage has been recorded at 612,269 cusecs and the downstream flow at 582,942 cusecs. The barrage is designed to hold up to 1.1 million cusecs of water.

At Sukkur Barrage, the upstream flow has been recorded at 488,820 cusecs and the downstream flow at 438,390 cusecs, the minister added.

The total number of people relocated to safer areas in Sindh has reached 163,364, and the provincial government has set up 177 fixed and mobile health sites, where 84,118 patients have so far been provided medical facilities, according to Memon. The number of livestock relocated to safer areas has reached 438,835.

US DELIVERS FLOOD AID TO PAKISTAN

Meanwhile, the United States (US) embassy in Islamabad voiced Washington’s support for the people of Pakistan whose lives have been uprooted by widespread, catastrophic flooding.

“The US Department of State is delivering food, shelter, and other forms of lifesaving disaster relief to impacted communities. In addition, the US military delivered essential supplies to the Pakistan Army, which arrived at Nur Khan Air Base,” it said in a statement.

“US Mission to Pakistan Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker was on site as the first C-17 and C-130 aircrafts arrived and unloaded this equipment. She extended her deepest condolences to the people of Pakistan.”

The Chargé d’Affaires said they were profoundly saddened by the loss of life and destruction of homes and livelihoods, according to the statement.

“In response to a request from the Government of Pakistan, the Department of State and the US military approved foreign assistance funding and critical supplies and equipment to augment national response efforts in the most affected areas,” Baker was quoted as saying. 

On Saturday, a top International Monetary Fund (IMF) official in Pakistan also said his organization is assessing damages caused by the deluges and will use its next review mission to evaluate appropriate policy responses to support affected people and strengthen national resilience.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of Pakistan as they endure the devastating floods,” said Mahir Binici, Resident Representative of the IMF in Pakistan. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life.”

“An assessment of the flood damage caused by torrential monsoon rains is still ongoing, as the situation continues to evolve,” he continued.

“The upcoming EFF [Extended Funds Facility] review mission provides an opportunity to discuss the appropriate policy response to support flood-affected populations and protect the most vulnerable.”

Binici also noted that both the EFF and the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) provide frameworks crucial for external and financial stability amid these natural calamities.

The RSF, approved in May, offers Pakistan around $1.4 billion to help build economic resilience against climate vulnerabilities and disasters, though its disbursement depends on successful reviews under the S7 billion EFF secured last year.