Minister Launches Flood Risk Management Survey Of DG Khan, Rajanpur

Punjab Minister for Health and Chairman Cabinet Committee on Disaster Management Khawaja Salman Rafique on Monday formally inaugurated Flood Risk Management (FRM) Survey of areas annually hit by floods from hill torrents to improve response mechanism and mitigate sufferings of the people

DERA GHAZI KHAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th May, 2025) Punjab Minister for Health and Chairman Cabinet Committee on Disaster Management Khawaja Salman Rafique on Monday formally inaugurated Flood Risk Management (FRM) Survey of areas annually hit by floods from hill torrents to improve response mechanism and mitigate sufferings of the people.

FRM survey and the overall mechanism would be utilizing satellite based modern technology for accuracy. It was formally kick-started at a ceremony at the arts council hall with DG PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia, Commissioner DG Khan Ashfaq Ahmad Chaudhry, DC Usman Khalid, DPO Syed Ali, urban unit officials besides those from other departments in attendance.

A team of around 180 enumerators has been engaged which would move from door to door to collect data. The minister also distributed contract certificates among the enumerators.

Khawaja Salman Rafique said that previous survey reports were already available but Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif wanted accuracy beyond any iota of doubt and decided to use modern technology to obtain error free data.

The survey reports would be instrumental in helping officials come up with better planning and efficient rescue operations in low lying areas in case of water spillover from hill torrents or rivers.

It will also help officials decide where to set up relief camps besides compensating the losses of the affected communities.

On the orders of chief minister, a flood mapping survey has also been launched encompassing rivers Indus, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Jhelum, the minister disclosed.

He said that the DG Khan survey has a timeline of two months, however, the overall Punjab survey encompassing areas facing flood threats from rivers or hill torrents would be completed in two phases each comprising nine months.

First nine months would be utilized to survey areas at risk of flooding around hill torrents while the remaining nine months for the rest of the areas in Punjab.

Minister Salman said that MHVRA survey opened Monday would gather data about vulnerable people including elderly persons, children and differently-abled persons. At rural level, contact numbers of Imams of Masajid, Lunberdars, and other persons would be collected.

Property ownership data that is linked to PLRA system would get updated daily.

The whole set of data so obtained would be helpful in improving further the Artificial Intelligence based early warning system and make it a comprehensive solution to helping communities in the best way. The minister said that these facts and figures would also help in evacuation of people, damage assessment and where and how to extend help.

He said that evidence based zoning would help plug chances of encroachments and check population increase. It will also help decision making at suitable time which Spur Bund needed strengthening and would also monitor river erosion to pave way for information based decisions.

DG PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia said that PDMA was carrying out survey with help from urban unit, adding that nineteen (19) most important places, and all big nullahs including thirteen (13) hill torrents would be mapped.

He said, real time data would be collected through mobile phone application and flood trends of past two decades would also be collected through satellite. He said that mapping of areas prone to floods would be completed in two phases. Exactly 180 enumerators would complete the survey in Rajanpur and DG Khan district by mid June 2025.

Commissioner Ashfaq Ahmad Chaudhry also spoke on the occasion while Urooj Saeed from urban unit gave detailed briefing on methodology of FRM survey.

Later, the minister visited the areas near Wadoor hill torrents in DG Khan where he met with the people and informed them about survey. Senior civil and police officials besides those from PDMA and urban unit accompanied him.