Control rooms set up as Sindh braces for flood
Technicians monitor data flow in the control room of an internet service. PHOTO: REUTERS
Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah has ordered the establishment of control rooms and round-the-clock monitoring to deal with the looming flood threat in the province.
He directed on Thursday that all flood preparedness measures be completed on a war footing.
With heavy rains in Punjab raising the risk of major flooding downstream, the provincial administration has placed all deputy commissioners on high alert.
Control rooms will be established at the chief secretary's office, as well as at divisional and district levels, to ensure continuous monitoring and swift redressal of public complaints. All leave for essential service departments has been cancelled.
Emergency plans are being drawn up with a focus on safeguarding people and livestock.
The health department has been tasked to ensure stocks of medicines and vaccines for waterborne diseases, snakebites and rabies, while the livestock department has been directed to complete vaccination of animals against flood-related infections.
The chief secretary stressed the need for close coordination among civil administration, armed forces, navy and rescue services to enable timely rescue and relief operations.
KMC to repair 106 roads in 60 days, says mayor
City Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Thursday announced that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) will launch repair and resurfacing work on 106 damaged roads across the metropolis from Monday, with a budget allocation of Rs750 million.
The project is expected to be completed within 60 days.
Speaking to reporters, the mayor said that Karachi had successfully weathered the recent spell of rains, and the administration's focus was now shifting to restoring the road network.
Of the total outlay, Rs150 million has been earmarked for district-level schemes The mayor said citizens could access details of the budget, schemes and scope of work on the KMC's official website, which also provides information about contractors, engineers and even the concerned executive engineers' WhatsApp numbers.