Hushing up the hue and cry about a possibility of 'super-floods' in Sindh, relief minister Makhdoom Jameeluz Zaman said on Saturday that the province may witness 'moderate' floods by September 12.
"There is no need to panic," he said, addressing members of the media. "Hardly three to four hundred thousand cusecs of water will pass through the Guddu barrage."
He also announced that the government has nominated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Taj Haider, Haji Muzaffar Shujra and relief commissioner as 'focal' persons to deal with the situation.
Rain emergency
Meanwhile, the government has declared a rain emergency in Sindh and asked the officials of irrigation and local government departments to get ready for heavy rains and flood-like situation in the province.
Presiding over a meeting on expected rains and floods, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah directed the provincial disaster management authority (PDMA), the commissioners and the deputy commissioners to prepare a rain contingency plan for each district. He also directed them to mobilise human resources with drainage and flood protective machinery to ensure efficient and safe passage of flood or storm water to avoid devastating situation.
Moreover, he formed a four-member committee comprising information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, chief secretary Sajjad Salim Hotiyana, commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator Rauf Akhtar Farooqui. He instructed them to sit together to work out a mechanism to remove obstacles such as encroachments from drains, and make them functional. He also asked them to take serious measures for efficient disposal of garbage and conduct surveys to identify old buildings and bill boards that may pose a threat to lives during the monsoon season.
He directed them to make sure that such buildings are evacuated and billboards removed.
The chief minister directed the relevant authorities to ensure that all the embankments of the Indus River, including the 'Torri bund' that developed a breach in the 2010 floods, must be strengthened to sustain the pressure of the expected floods.
PDMA director-general (DG) and the Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Larkana commissioners briefed the meeting about the contingency plans for each district of their divisions.
However, Hyderabad commissioner Syed Jamal Mustafa Shah stressed the need for the early completion of two on-going drainage components at Qasimabad. He also called for introducing a mechanism for landfill sites for effective disposal of garbage.
Speaking at the meeting, PDMA DG said that Rs20 million has been released to each district to meet any rain emergency.
Representatives of Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy assured that they were ready to provide full support in case of any emergency of torrential rains and floods.
Meteorological department representative said that while there was no likelihood of rain within the next two to three days in Sindh, it may rain heavily after September 9. As far as the volume of flood water in the Indus River was concerned, he said that they will calculate the actual volume of water after the flow reaches Panjnand. This was because the water flow was rising at Chenab, Sutlej and Ravi rivers at the moment, he explained.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2014.
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Can the relief minister tell if there is a massive hole in Punjab somewhere, in which the flood waters will drain into. Since he is saying "hardly three to four hundred thousand cusecs will reach Guddu" If Chenab river is flowing at nine hundred thousand and Jhelum flowing at two to three hundred thousand cusecs in addition to over a hundred thousand coming from the Indus, as far as the math I was taught in school that amounts to more than a million cusecs. This is without taking into account water flows of sutlej and Ravi. So the relief minister should tell us how we 9+2+1 is equal to 3 or 4. One can only count our blessings that under the esteemed leadership of Bilawal and Asif Zardari Sindh province will progress rapidly and soon overtake western Europe in all aspects of development due to the exceptionally talented team they have assembled to carry out their vision.
According to PMD website and almost every (reputable) weather forecast available online, there is no chance of rain, let alone torrential rain in Karachi or sindh in the near future (at least for 10 days)... so how come there is this report of heavy rain?? Is it just to get to distribute 20m to friends in each district? ET should look into it.
After reading the rain forecast for Karachi Sindh , in your newspaper , we , the residents of Frere Town are filled with apprehension This town is probably the most neglected township in Karachi and the dirtiest. The storm drains built by the Chinese were opened and the garbage was taken out and stayed there for weeks together, till the winds blow it back to the drains and onto the roads but it was not picked up by the authorities. No sweeper ever picks up or sweeps the roads behind the Rimpa building ,Parsa , Bridge Apts and Prince Apts and the plastic bagsan garbage can be seen flying in the winds on the prestigious Main Clifton Road, We , the residents shudder to think what chaos will take place incaseof torrential rains. No hope from the authorities concerned.