Secretary, Emergency Services Department (ESD) Dr Rizwan Naseer said that Rescue 1122 conducted a timely day & night massive flood rescue operation in the River Sutlej this year, in which 1,632 rescuers and 414 rescue boats along with boat operators participated. Dr Rizwan Naseer expressed these views while presiding over a review meeting on flood and rescue operations in flood-prone districts held at Emergency Services Headquarters.
The District Emergency Officers of flood prone districts like Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Lodhran, Bahawalpur and Multan participated through video link and provincial monitoring officer, deputy director operations along with all head of wings of rescue headquarters and academy took part.
Dr Rizwan Naseer added that Rescue 1122 provided timely rescue services to 310,383 flood affectees including 17,874 animals by shifting them from inundated catchment areas of Sutlej River to safe areas from July 6 to September 3, 2023.
In the second onset of high flood in the River Sutlej on August 16, no significant deaths were reported due to timely evacuation in coordination with the District Government and restricting unnecessary movement in inundated areas where only six people died. The secretary ESD appreciated rescuers who worked day & night risking their lives to rescue flood affectees from inundated areas. On this occasion, the provincial monitoring officer briefed that the highest number (165,002) of evacuation and transportation were carried out in Kasur, 30,992 in Pakpattan, 23,246 in Okara, 19,610 in Vehari and 53,659 people were evacuated and transported to safer places from flood-prone areas.
During this flood 7,048 animals were shifted from inundated catchment areas of Sutlej River to safe places in Kasur, 3,261 in Bahawalpur, 2,109 in Vehari, 1,007 in Pakpattan and 4,449 animals were shifted to safer places from flood-prone areas in the remaining districts. On the instructions of Inspector General of Police Punjab, Dr Usman Anwar, the security plan for the mourning processions and Majalis across the province.
