ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Minister for Water Resources Ahmad Irfan Aslam has stressed that a strategic plan for flood management is a must to move forward and grow the economy.

Addressing an event here in Islamabad on Tuesday, he noted that water related disasters cannot be wisely managed without forecast.

Alluding to the devastation caused by floods in recent years, he said the fourth National Flood Protection Plan has almost been updated on the basis of lessons learnt from last year’s floods with the support of Asian Development Bank.

He said its umbrella PC-1 stands approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) at an estimated cost of 194 billion rupees. He said this is a reflection that we are beginning to commit resources towards flood management.

Ahmad Irfan Aslam emphasized that we need to divert more resources to ensure lesser disruptions in the lives and livelihoods of people due to floods.