‘Make district-level plans for monsoon rains’

Chief secretary tells administration, civic bodies to set up control rooms

KARACHI:

Preparations for the monsoon season should be made keeping in view last year's rains, said Sindh Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah chairing a meeting on monsoon rains at the Sindh Secretariat on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Secretary Rehabilitation Nasim-ul-Ghani Sahito, Administrator Karachi Laeeq Ahmed, Provincial Disaster Management Authority DG Salman Shah, Commissioners of divisions of Sindh, deputy commissioners, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board managing director and officials of K-Electric.

In the meeting, Shah said that control rooms should be set up from where focal persons of all departments would be connected. Instructing the cleaning of nullahs and drains in Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities, he said that cleaning of all small and big nullahs should be completed as soon as possible.

Briefing the meeting the PDMA DG said that preparations are being made keeping in view monsoon rains. He said that there is a threat of urban flood in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, MirpurKhas and Larkana cities.

Read More: City experiences first monsoon rain

DG Slaman reminded that monsoon rains in Pakistan occur from July to September. He further said that according to Meteorological Department, rains with strong winds are likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Tharparkar, MirpurKhas and Dadu.

Salman further said that control rooms have been set up at all divisional and district levels and training of KMC and DMK staff has been completed with the help of Pakistan Army. The DG PDMA said that authority has 8845 tents, 57,000 blankets, 3,000 life jackets and 231 dewatering pumps. "The district administrations also have rehabilitation equipment with them," he further informed.

Instructing the PDMA, the chief secretary said that the number of dewatering pumps should be increased. PDMA should provide its staff and vehicle along with the dewatering pumps when required. He said that all departments should formulate contingency plan at district level to deal with the situation.

The PDMA and the administration should be ready to deal with any situation during the rains.

The chief secretary directed the officials of K-Electric, HESCO and SEPCO to ensure power supply for pumping out rainwater. During the meeting, K-Electric officials offered the pumps available with the company for drainage of rainwater from the city.

They said that steps are also being taken to protect K Electric substation from the rain water.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2021.