Possible flash floods: District governments devise Monsoon plans

All departments have been told to ensure regular coordination.

SARGODHA/ LAHORE:

City district governments in the province have devised measures to control possible flash floods, especially in the known vulnerable areas, in the province.

Sargodha district has been divided into seven sectors and 20 sub-sectors where flood relief centres will be set up, District Coordination Officer Saqib Manan announced on Saturday. He said the relevant departments had been issued instructions to prepare for possible flooding.

A meeting was held in this connection at the DCO’s office on Saturday. Additional District Collector Farooq Manzoor, several assistant commissioners, Health EDO Dr Nazeer Aaqib Naikokara, Education EDO Zaffar Rehan, Irrigation Exen Mirza Muhammad Aslam and District Emergency Officer Dr Mazhar also attended the meeting.

The additional district collector will be the emergency officer at the district headquarters. Participants at the meeting said that 1.1 million cusecs flow was recorded at Qadirabad in 1992. The level of water recorded at Rasul Barrage recently was 0.9 million cusecs and rising fast.

He said district flood relief committees had been formed and arrangements for timely floods warning had been completed. ADC Dr Farooq Manzoor said the district flood controller would coordinate between departments for flood control and relief. An assistant commissioner will be assigned to each tehsil (sector). Revenue officers will be responsible for sub-sectors and other departments will assist the revenue officers. The Irrigation and Drainage Departments have been issued orders to repair dykes as soon as possible. Health, Livestock, Food, Highways Departments and Railways have also been issued orders to coordinate in case of an emergency.

Dr Manzoor said there were five government and nine privately owned evacuation boats in the district but 24 boats might be required to rescue people living along the river in Kot Momin, Bhera, Shahpur and Sahiwal tehsils.

He said there were 18 dewatering sets and six bulldozers with the Agriculture Engineering Department. Around 16 boats, 483 life jackets, 118 life rings, 350 tents, 21 tractors, 10 water bowsers, 20 dewatering sets, seven jeeps, three helipads, eight ambulance and 24 emergency lights were also available in the district.

Preparations in Lahore

The district administration plans to install cameras at 27 points as part of preparations for the monsoon.
The city government will establish a command and control centre by June 15.
Notices would be sent to private housing and cooperative societies regarding monsoon preparations by May 20.

The control room would monitor drains and tank sewers. There are six primary drains 55.70 kilometres in length and 12 secondary drains 43.63 kilometre long. The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has started di-silting them.

There are 24 unattended points in WASA-controlled areas and 47 in town control areas of which 27 points have been declared critical.

Installation of cameras on these points is meant to ensure monitoring movement of machinery and human resources.
A joint action plan at city district government, the WASA and the town municipal administrations is being prepared in this regard.

The workers concerned with the operation would get training regarding the pre and post monsoon arrangements from May 13 to May 23.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2014.