Monsoon: Flood preparedness plan reviewed

ISLAMABAD:

The Rawalpindi district administration on Friday reviewed flood preparedness and contingency plan ahead of monsoon. 

Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer Dr Abdur Rahman gave a presentation on the “flood preparedness plan” at a meeting held to evaluate the functioning of an early warning and forecasting system that has been installed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said a press release.

Officials of Rescue 1122 Rawalpindi, emergency officer headquarters, Rawal Town, Potohar Town, Murree, control room in charges, station coordinators and heads of all wings participated in the meeting.

Preparation for flash floods in Naulla Lai, which is prone to flooding, also came under discussion.

Rescue 1122 Punjab Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer emphasised on timely identification of trouble zones and testing of equipment, early warning systems, response mechanism and flood response exercises.

He also directed the district emergency officer to maintain a close liaison with neighbouring districts and departments to ensure timely backup and assistance in case of emergency.

Dr Rahman said that the flood preparedness plan will be active from July 1 and mock exercises have also been conducted to ensure effective response in case of any emergency situation.

The director general also emphasised on public awareness about siren patterns (alert level, evacuation level and all clear level) and relief centres in vulnerable areas to ensure prompt response.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2014.