Faiza Tehseen

 The recent devastating floods destroyed the cycle of socioeconomic activities in Pakistan curtailing production and revenues and increasing the production cost. There is a dire need for an urgent government intervention in the rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructure, reports WealthPK.

The mining sector, being one of the significant sources of income generation for the skilled/nonskilled workforce, also suffered the worst.

Talking to WealthPK, Principal Geologist at the Islamabad-based Global Mining Company, Islamabad and former general manager geology at the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) Muhammad Yaqub Shah said, “The recent floods in Pakistan have badly destroyed the infrastructure, which is the backbone of every industry and even domestic logistics. In the mining sector, almost all activities concerning logistics stand totally frozen causing the least exports and almost disrupting the supply of raw material to the processing units. Mining outcrops are not reaching the market. As a result, the circle of economic inflow and outflow is disturbed badly.”

Mineral-based industries are near partial or have completely shut down. The mining cost has also increased and labour-intensive activities have become too expensive. Mining companies and other value-adding processing units have also stopped their operations because they are not receiving payments and are not able to pay the employees. This factor is creating joblessness and poverty, requiring the government to address this situation as early as possible.

Talking to WealthPK, Haroon-ur-Rasheed, Director Mining (South region) Mohmand Dada Minerals Mining Company, said the mining infrastructure, especially in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan was widely destroyed, affecting the livelihood. While the companies are striving to compensate them, winning daily bread has become a nightmare for the skilled/nonskilled workers, he said.

“The outcrops stand dumped in the warehouses due to the broken supply chain causing shortage of capital to keep the processing units and workforce on track. The loss at mines is equal to nothing but the damaged infrastructure has made the situation worse,” he added.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk