Sindh seeks army help in tackling flood emergency

Government demands release of Rs400 million to fortify ramps

KARACHI: The Sindh government has sought assistance from the Pakistan army to help fend off possible damages to life and property as the spectre of flood looms large. According to Sindh chief minister, 52,000 cusecs of water has already entered the province after wading through Punjab.

This emerged during a special meeting of the Sindh cabinet held on Saturday. The meeting set up district-level committees to avert possible devastation by flooding. The committees comprising provincial ministers and advisers and relevant officers have been assigned the task to closely monitor the situation.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah told the meeting that a letter has been written to the Pakistan Army seeking their help to avert the possible damage to life and property. He said that the flood has entered Punjab after playing havoc in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The flood has inflicted widespread damage in Punjab and will enter Sindh in the next two to three days. He pointed out that 52,000 cusecs water has already entered Sindh.

Shah said that some senior analysts and experts have warned that 900,000 cusecs of water will enter Guddu Barrage while 52,000 cusecs have already entered. The meeting was told that 1,300,000 cusecs of water has passed the Guddu Barrage in the past while Sukkur Barrage has a capacity of 900,000 cusecs. In the past, 1200,000 cusecs of water has passed through it.

The Sindh chief minister recalled that during the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto era, an artificial breach was made to save the structure of the Sukkur Barrage and some experiments were carried out to control the situation. He directed that all possible steps be taken immediately and warned that no negligence will be tolerated. He directed the DCOs to evacuate the people living in kutcha areas and on the riverbeds so that any possible loss of life could be averted.

The CM advised provincial ministers to keep in touch with the flood information cell and visit districts to monitor safety ramps so that they could discharge their duties in any emergency situation. The meeting was told that the repair work at sensitive points of possible leakages of these safety ramps is being done apace.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2010.