Monsoon: emergency services on high alert
A girl carries her sibling as she walks through stranded flood water, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Nowshera. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
The recent rain spell has triggered an alert among emergency services in the city’s areas nearing rain drains.
Emergency service Rescue-1122 has adopted special measures to tackle any untoward situation during the monsoon. Rescue personnel deployed to perform duties in the vicinity of the low-lying area have been issued an emergency advisory to remain on high alert.
According to Muhammad Usman, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, the personnel have joined their special duties in risky areas, including Nullah Leh and its adjacent areas. He appealed to the citizens to avoid unnecessary visits to low-lying areas, drive at slow speeds, refrain from staying under short-height roofs and stop their children from visiting deep drains during these days.
On the other hand, the RCB has also intensified its draining campaign. CEO Syed Ali Irfan Rizvi on Wednesday visited various cantt areas to review the ongoing rain drains cleaning drive and directed for early completion of cleaning all deep drains.
He instructed all officers to stay in the field attentively to avert any emergency.
A spokesperson for the RCB also requested the residents to avoid visiting low-lying areas and to cooperate with RCB personnel engaged in the campaign.
MET Office has forecast heavy rains during the monsoon in July. National Disaster Management Authority has already intimated on possible torrential rains in Punjab province. The district administration is also continuously monitoring the situation in the city.
Meanwhile, on the directives of the Rawalpindi Commissioner Engineer Aamir Khattak, Rawalpindi Development Authority Director General Kinza Murtaza along with Water and Sanitation Agency Rawalpindi Managing Director on Wednesday visited different city areas to inspect rainwater drainage from low-lying areas.