Before the rain: ‘WASA well prepared for monsoon emergencies’

LAHORE:

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has formed 26 mobile teams to deal with any emergencies in the city in the coming monsoon season.

Wasa Managing Director Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad told APP on Sunday that 72 generators have been installed at major disposal stations and sensitive lift stations to keep pumping sets at 35 lift stations operational.

He said major low lying areas have been identified where heavy machinery would be deployed for prompt drainage of rain water. All drains had been cleaned under the supervision of XENs and SDOs.

He said that Wasa caters to 7 million of the 11 million population of the district.

Disposal pumps have also been provided to mobile teams so they can work round the clock in shifts in their respective areas. He said special complaint centres supervised by SDOs have been set up in all major localities to meet any emergency arising out of torrential rains forecast for the city.

He said both deputy managing directors have been directed to monitor the performance of staff in their areas to ensure prompt redress.

Deputy Managing Director Asghar Ali Bhalli said the staff has been put on high alert and Wasa will utilise all available resources in the coming season. He said the Lahore Waste Management Company and the Town Municipal Administration staff have been told to work alongside Wasa in case of an emergency.

Ahmad said a special monitoring team, headed by a director, has been formed to check staff attendance, mobility of machinery and response time.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2015.