Minister orders rain emergency measures
As rain led Karachi into disarray on Friday, Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah ordered emergency measures to deal with the downpour’s consequences.
He said that an emergency had been declared in all districts of the city, with municipal and deputy commissioners ordered to take required measures to deal with rain emergencies, particularly in choking points, bottlenecks and low-lying areas.
The minister further said that emergency monitoring units had been made fully operational. Besides, he ordered all local government officials to continue the cleaning of drains and directed the local government secretary and other relevant officers to take pre-emptive measures, such as appointing staff for solid waste management, cleaning drains and installing dewatering machines at key points, ahead of the next rainfall.
Shah stressed the need to take measures to avoid the pooling of rainwater in underpasses and instructed municipal commissioners to personally monitor the situation in their respective districts.
Claiming that administrative measures regarding rainfall had been taken earlier, he expressed hope that the situation would return to normal after the current spell of spell ended.
This is the second monsoon spell to have wreaked havoc in Karachi this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 18th, 2020.