Pakistan Defence Minister Says People Should Store Floodwater In Container: ‘It’s God’s Blessing’

<p>In a bizarre remark amid devastating floods in Pakistan, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested that people should store excess floodwater and take it to their homes, calling it a “form of blessing.”</p>
<p>&ldquo;Now this water, someone should store it. The people who are sitting blocking the road should take it to their homes and store all this water there,&rdquo; Asif said in an interview with a local news channel on Tuesday.</p>
<p>”They should put it somewhere, in some container. This water…we should give it the form of a blessing by storing it. For this, big dams should also be built, which may take 8&ndash;10 years to complete,” he added.</p>
<p>The unprecedented flooding has affected around two million people, with the Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi rivers carrying record-high levels of water. Punjab, which is Pakistan&rsquo;s most populous province and its key wheat-growing region, has been hit hard.</p>
<p>The National Weather Centre said Punjab received 26.5% more monsoon rainfall between July 1 and August 27 compared to last year. Pakistan&rsquo;s disaster management authority reported that since June 26, rain-related incidents have killed 849 people and injured 1,130 nationwide.</p>
<p>The 2022 floods had already wiped out large swathes of farmland, prompting fears of food shortages, and officials are warning of similar risks this year.</p>