RAHIM YAR KHAN:
Ten Rescue 1122 teams on Wednesday visited low-lying areas in Rahim Yar Khan to inspect the topography and identify suitable sites for setting up relief camps in case of a flood.
The visit follows provincial government’s decision to transfer flood relief and rescue operations from Civil Defence Department to Rescue 1122.
Rescue officials said more such visits would be arranged in the coming days to familiarise the relevant officials with the region.
Forty Rescue officials were accompanied by representatives of district administration, several non-governmental organisations and National Rural Support Programme on Wednesday’s visit.
District Emergency Officer Dr Abdul Sattar Babur said the teams visited river embankments and inspected the repair work underway at several dykes. He said more such visits would be organised in the coming days to finalise a flood relief plan. He said Rescue 1122 would work in cooperation with district administrations, NGOs, NRSP and International organisations.
Babur said a part of the planning was identifying the routes for efficient evacuation from low-lying areas and sites for setting up relief camps.
He said the priority at present was to repair dykes. He said dykes had already been worn out when floods struck the region last year. After the flood, he said, they further weakened and needed immediate repairs. He said more Rescue officials would visit the same sites.
On Wednesday, Rescue teams visited Chachran Sharif, Head Hajipur, Ahsanpur, Hamidpur, Habibpura, Dera Musheer, Abadpur and Dolatpur areas. Rescue teams also organised mock relief operations in these areas. District Social Welfare Officer Yasin Baloch and Rescue 1122’s Dr Aqil Rahman watched these exercises.
Briefing media about its preparations for the flood season, the Health Department on Wednesday announced that it had secured medicines worth Rs3 million for flood relief operations.
A Health Department team examined the stock along with the district coordination officer, Qazi Ahmed Javed, on Wednesday. Executive district officer (Health) Muhammad Jameel said the stock was sufficient to take care of 500,000 people.
He said the department had also arranged 19 ambulances for relief work. He said 23 teams of doctors and paramedical staff had been directed to stand by for any emergency.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2011.
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