City braces for another rain spell

CM says rehabilitation of flood victims top priority after deadly downpour

LAHORE:

The provincial capital is bracing for another spell of monsoon rains a week after roof and wall collapse incidents amid downpour claimed the lives of 11 citizens.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has issued a flood warning in view of forecast by the Pakistan Meteorological Department of a spell of heavy rains. At least 11 people died and 13 were injured in six incidents of roof and wall collapse during the previous week.

A 55-old-man and a 12-year-old boy died and a teenage girl was injured after the wall of a marriage hall on Band Road in Shahda Town collapsed on Monday night. The victims were in a vacant plot adjacent to the building when the wall collapsed, burying them under the debris. The deceased were identified as Danish Iqbal, 12, and Kausar Zahid, 55.

The same day, a man was killed and four others injured when the roof of an iron workshop collapsed near Sukh Nehar Akhri Mint Stop.

A day earlier, 40-year-old Dilawar Ameer and 12-year-old Usman Rasheed died and 10-year-old Nimra was injured when the roof of their home in Canal View Society collapsed. On last Friday, four people were injured in an incident of roof collapse of an under-construction building. Heavy rain lashed the city for seven hours the previous day, leaving six people dead and three others injured in two incidents of roof collapse.

Azeem Hafeez, 44, and Fiaz Sattar, 45, were killed when the roof of a rickshaw workshop near Daroghawala Chowk collapsed.

In the other incident, Farhan Yaqoob was killed and Ahmed Ali injured when the roof of a house in dilapidated condition collapsed in Salamatpura.

The city received rain for two days during the week, including one day of heavy downpour.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has directed to speed up relief activities for flood affectees in Rajanpur, Rojhan and Taunsa.

In a statement issued on Friday, the CM said that no effort should be spared in providing relief to the flood victims.

The food and other needs of the flood-affected people should be taken care of, he said adding the administration should ensure the provision of all possible facilities to the victims in the relief camps.

The line departments have been mobilized for relief activities in the flood-affected areas and necessary items should be available in abundance in the relief camps, he stressed. The CM also directed to set up the medical camps in the affected areas and assured that the affected villages will not be left alone as providing relief to the victims is a top priority.

The chief minister has asked the line departments to remain fully alert in the wake of rains in different cities including Lahore and directed WASAs, rescue 1122 and the Provincial Disaster Management Agency (PDMA) to take steps to deal with the situation arising from the heavy rainfall.

The CM said organised work should be done for the timely drainage of water by utilising the required machinery. He ordered concerned officials to monitor water disposal in the field and asked the traffic police to ensure the smooth flow of traffic to ease the citizens' movement.

The CM also ordered a round the clock monitoring of water flow in the Chenab River and added that the administration of the concerned districts should take necessary measures for the safety of the local population. Timely evacuation of people from the villages around the Chenab River should be ensured for shifting them to safer places; he said and concluded that best arrangements should be made to avoid any untoward situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2022.