PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has released Rs8 billion so far for flood-affected districts, provincial finance adviser Muzammil Aslam confirmed on Tuesday.
He said Rs1.5 billion was disbursed yesterday alone for relief operations, while Rs1 billion has been allocated for food stamps. Each affected family has also received Rs15,000 for dry rations.
In addition, Rs500 million has been earmarked for merged districts, Rs1.56 billion allocated to the Communication and Works (C&W) Department for road clearance and repair, and Rs61 million provided to Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs) as support.
Chairing a video-link meeting with officials from flood-hit areas on Monday, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed authorities to accelerate compensation payments and rehabilitation efforts. The meeting was attended by the provincial finance adviser, chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home), relief secretary, DG PDMA, and deputy commissioners of the affected districts.
Officials briefed the CM that the recent floods had claimed 411 lives, with compensation already disbursed to families of 352 victims. Data collection of damaged homes has been completed, and compensation has been provided to owners of 367 fully destroyed houses and 1,094 partially damaged houses.
The CM stressed that deputy commissioners must personally oversee infrastructure restoration once compensation is finalized.
It may be recalled that Gandapur had earlier announced of compensation amounts being doubled. Families of deceased victims will now receive Rs2 million (up from Rs1m), while compensation for the injured has been raised to Rs500,000 from Rs250,000. Owners of completely destroyed houses will be given Rs1m instead of Rs400,000, and partially damaged houses will be compensated at Rs300,000, up from Rs100,000.
For the first time, financial aid has also been approved for small businesses: shopkeepers whose establishments were destroyed will receive Rs500,000, while those affected by floodwater inundation will get Rs100,000 for cleanup.
Gandapur had said the government will also cover agricultural losses, including crops, orchards, and livestock, with the Relief Department finalising modalities. To facilitate payments, Rs6.5 billion has already been transferred to the Relief Department, with another Rs5 billion to follow soon, bringing the total allocation to Rs11.5 billion.
The CM has assured that all payments will be made in a “transparent and hassle-free” manner through a digital payment system. Special accounts are being opened for children orphaned by the floods to ensure timely support.
