Flood warning centre to be operational from June 15

Helpline 1129 set up, warehouses for storing relief items constructed.

LAHORE:

A flood warning centre will start working from June 15, a committee that met on Thursday to review flood preparation arrangements was told.

The meeting was presided over by Senator Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa. The government has also set up a helpline, 1129 for people threatened or displaced by floods. The meeting was told that the federal government had released Rs10 million for the Punjab for providing relief to possible flood affectees. Rs5 billion was allocated to Sindh, Rs3 billion to Balochistan and Rs2 billion to Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.

The Finance Department has released Rs50 million to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. As many as 850 boats have been distributed among 14 districts. Sirdar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa directed officers of departments concerned to liaise with each other, warning them that negligence won’t be tolerated.

The Education Department and divisional and district administrations were directed to identify sites where relief camps could be set up in case of a flood. Irrigation Department was ordered to complete fortification of bunds on all rivers and canals before the monsoon season starts.

A warehouse has been constructed in Harbanspura, Lahore for storing edible items for flood affectees. Tents worth Rs50 million have been purchased whereas 1,300 tents have been stored in the warehouse. The meeting was told that the Home Department has set up a wireless system and provided walkie talkies and base radio station for improving communication system in flood-prone districts.

Secretaries of various departments gave briefings about the steps taken by their departments.

Provincial Minister for Prisons Malik Iqbal Channar, Special Assistant to chief minister Manshaullah Butt, senior member of the board of revenue, secretaries of the Communication and Works Department, Irrigation Department, Agriculture Department, Information Department, Energy Department, Housing Department, Development and Public Health Engineering Department, Livestock and Dairy Development Department and Planning and Development Departments, Additional IG of Police Punjab and divisional commissioners as well as district coordination officers were among
those who attended the meeting. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2012.