Prepared for crisis: Chief minister reviews flood arrangements

Says nearly 124,000 people rescued, 360 relief camps set up in Punjab.

MULTAN/CHINIOT:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday appealed to citizens to cooperate with district officials and Pakistan Army in their efforts to evacuate villages in high-risk areas.

The chief minister visited flood-hit areas of Basti Qadirabad of Mandi Bahauddin, Bhowana and Lalian. He later presided over a meeting in Multan to review flood arrangements.

Sharif visited Suleman village by boat and met with the flood victims there. He also distributed food.

He said nearly 124,000 people had been shifted to safer places. He said 360 relief camps and 704 health camps had been set up in flood-affected districts. He said the government would take action against those living in villages near rivers who did not shift to safer places.

He said nearly 8,000 people were living at the camps.

Sharif said nearly 55,000 food hampers and 100,000 water bottles had been provided to them.

He was told at the meeting that nearly 60,000 people in Multan and its adjoining areas had been evacuated to safer places over six days.

The chief minister said no settlement along River Chenab should be missed. He said nearly 20 villages near the village had been submerged as water level rose.

“There must be no loss of life on account of floods,” he said.

He said shifting people to safer places was the top priority.

He said evacuation from 90 per cent such villages had been completed.

Sharif said the government had released Rs100 million for each of the affected districts for relief activities.

He said Pakistan Army had prepared a rescue strategy for floods in Multan. He praised Rescue 1122 officials for their services and said efforts of Pakistan Army should also be lauded.

The chief minister said two helicopters each for Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan should be arranged so that administration could transport food items and medicines. Relief goods were delivered via by helicopter at Salman village, Haveli Mubarrak Shah, Thatha Muhammad Shah, Ram Din Khooh of Bhowana and Dawar, Pathankot, Thatha Mian Lala and Thatha Umar.

The chief minister said provincial assembly members should personally take seriously ill flood victims to hospital.

He said compensation for losses would be paid to the flood affected before water was drained.

Public schools were closed in all flood-affected districts of the province.

In Mutlan, sand bags were placed outside schools and universities.

Explosives were installed at Head Muhammad Wala and Sher Shah dyke in case of an emergency.

Multan Commissioner Asad Ali Khan told the chief minister that water would be diverted towards Haagra Kachor area from Sher Shah dyke.

An Inter-Services Public Relations statement said Multan Corps Lieutenant General Abid Pervez monitored final arrangements in Multan and said more troops should be despatched to Dera Ghazi Khan and Shujabad.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) urged people of riverine belt of Chenab to vacate high risk areas as high flood approached Multan.

Villagers of Muhammadpur Ghota, Qasim Bela, Basti Jhok Shajra, Nawabpur, Ponta (Shujabad),Tahirpur and Basti Shahpur (Jalalpur Pirwala) were asked to move as soon as possible.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority officials said that nearly 509,400 cusecs water was flowing at Trimmu headworks.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2014.