Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman Saturday directed the authorities concerned to complete all arrangements for dealing with the possible floods. He said that implementation of the flood emergency plan in the districts is the responsibility of the administration and no negligence would be tolerated in this regard. He gave this instruction while presiding over a meeting here at the Civil Secretariat.
The meeting reviewed preparedness to cope with possible floods and urban flooding due to monsoon rains. The chief secretary ordered the officials to fully monitor the water flow in the river Chenab and its associated nullahs.
He asked the deputy commissioners to personally inspect the embankments along with the officers of the Irrigation Department and deploy teams of health and livestock departments in the areas likely to be affected by floods.
The chief secretary emphasized that the administration, police and relevant departments should work as a team to effectively deal with natural calamities like floods. He issued instructions to the Director General of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to visit Sialkot, Wazirabad and Dera Ghazi Khan to review on-ground situation.
He said that special measures should be in place to drain rainwater from low-lying areas during downpour and all machinery and dewatering pumps should be kept functional at the full capacity. He added that cleaning of drains and sewage lines should be continued regularly to prevent urban flooding.
He also appreciated the work of WASA and district administration for drainage during the recent rains in Lahore.
The secretaries of departments of irrigation, and housing and the DG PDMA gave briefing at the meeting. The secretary irrigation said that last year hill torrents badly damaged the infrastructure of irrigation department in DG Khan.
He said that the construction and repair work of 32 structures had been completed. The DG PDMA said that at present the water flow in all the rivers is normal. However, there is a risk of flooding in Ravi and Chenab rivers if India released water, he added.
