Sindh put on monsoon war footing till mid-Sept

Districts told to ensure round-the-clock readiness; five deaths from rain incidents reported

KARACHI:

Sindh's top bureaucrat has directed authorities to ensure round-the-clock monsoon preparedness at town and district levels across the province, with full operational readiness maintained until mid-September.

Chairing a high-level meeting on rain emergency arrangements, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah stressed that preparedness must not remain limited to provincial or district tiers, but should extend down to town and union council levels, with all necessary arrangements in place and fully functional.

He also instructed HESCO and SEPCO to ensure uninterrupted power supply to drainage pumping and disposal stations during rainfall, and to restore electricity immediately in case of any faults.

The meeting was attended by the additional chief secretary (local government), secretaries of livestock, irrigation, rehabilitation, health and information, the director generals of PDMA Sindh and Rescue 1122, and the secretary of the Local Government Board. Divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, district health officers, mayors, and representatives of HESCO and SEPCO joined via video link.

PDMA Sindh officials informed the meeting that five people lost their lives in rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours. In Tharparkar, three children and one man drowned, while in Badin, one person died after a roof collapsed. Since July 3, a total of 10 people, including five children, have died and eight others have been injured in rain-related incidents.

The highest rainfall in the last 24 hours was recorded in Kot Ghulam Muhammad taluka of Mirpurkhas, where 112mm of rain was reported.

Expressing grief over the loss of lives, the chief secretary directed district administrations to provide all possible assistance to affected families and ensure an immediate response to any emergency situation.

PDMA officials said 300 truck-mounted dewatering pumps are available across the province, along with sufficient relief supplies. The meeting was also informed that around 436,000 cusecs of water is passing through Guddu and Sukkur barrages.

The chief secretary directed the irrigation department to keep all field machinery fully operational and ensure continuous monitoring of protective embankments, canals and other vulnerable points. He stressed timely identification of weak spots to prevent breaches.

He further instructed the local government department to ensure preparedness at the town level, directing all town municipal officers (TMOs) to remain present at their stations and personally supervise rain emergency arrangements. Absence, negligence or dereliction of duty would not be tolerated, he warned.

HESCO and SEPCO officials were directed to remain in constant coordination with district administrations, mayors and local bodies, and to prioritise restoration of electricity to pumping and disposal stations.

Mayors of various cities briefed the meeting on preparedness.