China announces 410mn-dollar assistance for Pakistan flood victims

ISLAMABAD - China has announced a ten-million-dollar grant for the citizens compensation programme for Pakistan flood victims, and a 400-million-dollar concession loan to help meet their needs.

Speaking at the National Disastrous Management Authority (NDMA), Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said China would continue to help Pakistan in the post-disaster phase of the floods, the Dawn reported.

China would also provide resources and technical support to Pakistan for disaster prevention and forecasting technology that would help in better handling of such situations in future, he added.

Jiabao said the major areas to be covered in his Pakistan visit included the repairing of damaged infrastructure, roads and the rehabilitation of the flood victims.

He said China had the expertise in dealing with situations like the expanding of Attabad lake, and would send its experts to address the perils arising from the lake along the Karakoram Highway.

Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani thanked the Chinese government and people for helping Pakistan in the critical hour.

Gilani said that twenty million people were left homeless due to the unprecedented floods that affected the entire country, and that the government was giving 1,250 dollars to each affected family whose house had been damaged in the floods.

He also appealed to the world to contribute to the government’s national programme for cash compensation. (ANI)