Three months on, NA panel laments lack of flood data.

ISLAMABAD -- More than three months after unprecedented floods devastated almost one-third of the country, a parliamentary panel on Wednesday bemoaned that the federal and provincial disaster management agencies had operated in a vacuum of data about actual needs of affected people and provision of relief and rehabilitation support.

The committee expressed dissatisfaction over non-availability of accurate data regarding flood survivors, said a terse statement issued by the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue.

Presided over by Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh, the PML-N MNA from Chiniot, the committee meeting expressed displeasure over the absence of NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik.

The committee, comprising members of all coalition partners in the absence of opposition PTI, criticised the government for its failure in controlling the currency depreciation and other economic challenges.

While discussing the post-flood relief and rehabilitation activities, PPP lawmaker from Sindh Dr Nafisa Shah said a lot of aid material was pouring in from NDMA, PDMAs, charities and armed forces, but it was in a hotchpotch manner and without proper assessment as to who and how many needed shelter, food or medicines and how to provide them with required things and support.

She said there were people who might be getting tents, food and other support multiple times, but at the same time many still awaited supplies. 'Now dumping (of material) is going on,' she said, adding that the federal and provincial agencies should coordinate relief and rehabilitation efforts.

PML-N member and former federal minister Birgis Tahir said Dr Nafisa's constituency should be taken up as a test case to ascertain if government's relief machinery was able to reach out to the affected people. He said large swathes of land were still under water in Sindh where people were looking for water pumps...