Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said Sunday that the rain spell beginning on August 11 requires preparedness from all relevant departments, including the local government in urban areas and the irrigation department in rural areas to ensure the protection of lives, property, and crops through timely and precautionary measures.
This he said while presiding over a meeting here at CM House on Sunday.
The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Sharjeel Memon, Saeed Ghani, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Commissioner Karachi Hassan Naqvi, PDMA DG Salman Shah, and Karachi Chief Meteorologist Dr Sardar Sarfraz. Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Minister Relief & Rehabilitation Makhdoom Mahboob, and the divisional Commissioner attended the meeting through Zoom.
At the outset of the meeting Dr Sardar Sarfraz briefed the CM about the weather.
He said there was a 50 per cent probability of above-average rains over Sindh and Balochistan in August.
While predicting heavy downpour, he also confided that so far rainfall has been nine per cent below average across Pakistan from July 1 to August 4.
Sindh received 44 per cent less and Balochistan 48 per cent less rain in July as per the historical averages, he said.
However, with the onset of August, there was a spike in precipitation, particularly in upper Sindh. Sarfraz told the CM that the heavy spell of the rain would subside by August 6 and the next spells are expected from August 11 to 13.
Overall August and September are expected to wetter than normal, he said.
Mayor Murtaza Wahab told the CM that there were 207 vulnerable points in the city. They include 56 in District South, 17 West, 22 Central, 32 Malir, 16 Korangi, 26 Keamari and 38 East.
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