KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said that floods have thoroughly devastated Kharif crops in the province. Murad Ali Shah was talking with a delegation of UAE headed by Hamoud Abdullah Al Junaibi, Secretary-General of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC). “We have to save the people from the natural calamity but to rehabilitate them,” chief minister told the UAE delegation. “We want to drain the water out of the agriculture lands immediately to get them prepare for cultivation of Rabi crop,” Shah said. “We have to face food problem if we fail to sow the wheat crop in time,” he said. The UAE delegation assured full support to the people of Sindh including providing tents, food items and extending help in rehabilitation of the flood victims. “A charity programme is being organized in Dubai on September 10 for the help of the flood victims of Pakistan,” Hamoud Abdullah Al Junaibi said. The UAE delegation later went for an aerial view of the province to see the devastation wreaked by calamitous flooding. Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah talking to a high-power delegation of UAE led by Hamoud Abdulla Aljeibi, DG Secretary UAE Red Crescent regarding Relief & Rehabilitation work in Sindh said that along with rehabilitation of affected people he has to dewater agricultural lands so that wheat crop could be sown to avoid the famine-like situation in the province. “We have to rehabilitate over 1.5 million people, restore 3,172,726 acres of land for rabi crops, particularly wheat, otherwise food shortage would emerge,” he said and added this was a gigantic task for which the international community would have to support the provincial government. The UAE delegation includes Ambassador of UAE in Pakistan Hamad Obaid Alzaabl, Bakheet Ateeg Alremeithi, UAE Consul General Bakheet Ateeg Alremeithi, Head of International Communication UAE Red Crescent, Rashed All Alhammadi, Director Int’l Communication, UAE Red Crescent Saeed Suhail Almazrouei, Head of UAE Red Crescent Hamad Bakheet Alremeithi. The CM was assisted by provincial ministers Nasir Shah, Mukesh Chawla, Advisor Rehabilitation Rasool Bux Chandio, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Special Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, and Secretary Rehabilitation Asif Memon. Mr Shah said that agricultural machinery, fertilizer, seed, and technology would be arranged to provide growers to start sowing wheat. “Our wheat is the most important rabi crop, and it was badly needed to meet the wheat requirement of the province,” he said. The Chief Secretary giving a briefing to the UAE visiting delegation said that over one million tents, three million mosquito nets, kitchen sets, mosquito nets for animals, ration bags, and drinking water were needed. The UAE Secretary Red Crescent, Relief & Rehabilitation Hamoud Abdullah Aljeibi told the chief minister that their government was ready to support the people of Pakistan, particularly Sindh who have suffered a lot, He said that on September 10 a program was being organized in Dubai to raise funds for the flood-affected people of Sindh. Mr Aljeibi said that different consignments of relief goods for Support of flood affected people. “We are arranging more tents, mosquito nets, medicines, and other required material so that the original need can be met,” he said. The chief minister said that the water coming down the hills of Balochistan was still wreaking havoc in various districts of the province, particularly Shahdadkot, Dadu, and Jamshoro. He added that due to breaches in Manchhar Lake and other drains the number of people being rendered homeless was increasing day by day. The CM said that the drains like LBOD, RBOD, and various embankments have to be reconstructed once the catastrophe is over. “We are still working on rescue and then would start rehabilitation in which the International community would have to come over,” he said. UNHCR: In another meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Assistant Representative (protection) for Pakistan Ms. Leyla Nugmanova signed an agreement to receive goods for rain-affected people. The goods being revived include 310,000 Blankets, 76.000 Buckets, 56.500 Jerrycans, 18,800 Family Tents, 67.500 Plastic Tarpaulins, 112.000 Sleeping Mats, 150.000 Mosquito Nets, 140.000 Solar Lamps, 24,700, Kitchen Sets, 32,000 Sanitary Napkins, 4,500 Soap, 3,500 Dignity Kits. On behalf of the Sindh government, DG PDMA Salman Shah and UNHCR Assistant Representative Ms Leyla Nugmanova signed the agreement. The UNHCR assistant Representative told the chief minister that they were assessing the situation and would further support the provincial government to meet the humanitarian crisis.