Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare and Population Welfare Dr Jamal Nasir has said that the Rs 300 million amount provided by the Federal Flood Commission will be helpful for averting urban flooding.
The minister told APP that Chairman Federal Flood Commission Ahmed Kamal had assured him in a meeting that to deal with the challenges of urban flooding the federal flood commission would provide an amount of Rs 300 mln to the Rawalpindi administration for the cleanliness of Nullah Leh and adjacent areas.
He said that the timely accommodating funding of the federal government would be utilized as per SOPs.
Dr Jamal informed that proper desilting of Nullah Leh had been completed during the ongoing monsoon season while heavy machinery was continuously working at the site. He said that strict action was being taken against those throwing building materials in Leh Nullah and regular police patrolling had also been started for this purpose. He said that special attention was being paid to the cleaning of tributaries of Nullah Leh and the teams of WASA, RWMC and Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation were doing their part.
He said that an operation had also been started to eliminate encroachments around the drains and a zero-tolerance policy was being implemented in this regard. Dr Jamal said that Rawalpindi will be protected from the dangers of urban flooding through preventive measures.
The minister added that dewatering machines have been mobilized for the immediate release of water from residential areas while all kinds of resources were being provided to WASA and other departments. He said that apart from repairing the old equipment, new equipment was also being given to enhance efficiency.—APP
