ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province said on Wednesday they had gathered data from tens of thousands of residents and farmers hit by the recent monsoon floods, with compensation to be distributed through special ATM cards once the information is verified.

Heavy rains and excess water released from Indian dams caused Punjab’s rivers to swell in late August, inundating more than 4,700 villages in the country’s agricultural heartland, destroying crops and homes and forcing millions to flee. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the province reported 304 deaths out of a nationwide toll of 1,006 during the monsoon season that began with downpours on June 26 and lasted until mid-September.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said 1,314 survey teams were active in 27 districts, adding they had so far collected data from 41,735 residents, compiled details of crop losses from 28,632 farmers, identified 49,510 acres of flood-damaged land and recorded damages to 12,500 houses.

“After verification by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), financial assistance to the affected people will begin,” the PDMA said in its statement.

It added flood-affected residents will be issued special relief ATM cards to access compensation.

The PDMA said officials also logged information from 603 livestock farmers who lost animals and 2,459 dead cattle.

The Punjab administration announced last month it had launched the survey to assess damages caused by the devastating floods, with the provincial relief commissioner, Nabeel Javed, saying citizens’ losses would be compensated.

The Punjab government had also set up 363 relief camps and 446 medical camps in flood-hit districts, while 2.6 million people were relocated to safer areas.