Pak defence minister Khawaja Asif tells citizens to treat floods as a ‘blessing,’ says, ‘Store water in tubs’

Apparently completely unaffected by the misery and troubles of the population battling floods, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has offered a bizarre solution to tackle the situation: he has urged people to see the flooding as a “blessing” and said he wants Pakistanis living in low-lying areas to “store” the floodwaters in containers, rather than letting it go to drains.

Khawaja Asif went on to suggest that Pakistan should build small dams that can be constructed quickly, rather than waiting 10-15 years for mega projects.

Over 2.4 million people in Pakistan have been hit by floods, and over a thousand villages have been submerged. The record-breaking monsoon rains have unleashed devastating floods across Punjab province of Pakistan.

In an interview with Pakistan’s Dunya News, Asif said, “People who are protesting against the flood-like situation should take the floodwaters home.”

“People should store this water in their homes, in tubs and containers. We should look at this water in the form of a blessing and hence should store it,” he added.

Asif also suggested that Pakistan should build small dams quickly, rather than wait 10-15 years for mega projects. “We are letting water go down the drain. We must store it,” he said.

854 Pakistanis died due to floods

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said over 2 million people have been impacted by floods in his province.

The data of Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) shows that from June 26 to August 31, as many as 854 Pakistanis have died due to floods, while over 1,100 have been injured.

Authorities warned that the Chenab River is rising menacingly, and its water is likely to reach the Multan district in Punjab on Tuesday, merging with inflows from the Ravi River.

Officials cautioned that two more days of monsoon rains have been predicted across Punjab and could disrupt relief operations and further raise the water levels.

UN warns flooding could trigger food crisis, inflation in Pakistan

The United Nations has warned that the flooding of farmland and the destruction of ready-to-reap crops across Pakistan have triggered concerns of a food crisis and inflation in the country.

Punjab’s senior minister Maryam Aurangzeb said at a press conference on Sunday, “This is the biggest flood in the history of the Punjab. The flood has affected two million people. It’s the first time that the three rivers—Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi—have carried such high levels of water.”