PM Vows Crackdown on Illegal Construction in Flood-Prone Zones of Pakistan

As Pakistan continues to grapple with the aftermath of catastrophic floods that have ravaged the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken decisive action to address the root causes of the destruction. During a visit to the flood-affected Buner district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last week, Sharif directed federal and provincial authorities to immediately formulate policies to ban construction in flood-prone zones.

The prime minister's visit came as the death toll from the floods surged past 700 nationwide, with 385 fatalities reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. Sharif described the floods, triggered by heavy rains and mountain torrents, as a "doomsday of sorts" for the affected communities, and stressed that lessons from past disasters had not been learned, particularly regarding unregulated construction in hazardous areas.

Sharif criticized the building of hotels and houses on riverbanks and floodplains, terming it a "human blunder" that had exacerbated the scale of destruction. "There is no law anywhere in the world that allows construction in such dangerous places," he said, warning that further spells of heavy rains were expected before September 10.

To address the crisis, the prime minister announced plans to convene a meeting of all chief ministers and their chief secretaries to make joint decisions on disaster preparedness, reforestation, and regulation of construction. "If we continue to allow influence and corruption to dictate building permits, then neither the people nor the governments will be forgiven," he remarked.

Sharif also directed authorities to restore electricity in flood-affected districts, with 37 of the 47 damaged feeders in Buner and Swat already made functional. He emphasized the role of deforestation in worsening the floods, urging strict action against indiscriminate tree-cutting and calling for a "national movement" to protect natural resources.