Shoro For Advance Measures To Save People From Expected Urban Flooding

The Focal Person for rain emergency and provincial Irrigation Minister, Jam Khan Shoro has directed the local administration to take all required measures before rains so that people could be saved from adverse effects of the expected urban flooding

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2021 ) :The Focal Person for rain emergency and provincial Irrigation Minister, Jam Khan Shoro has directed the local administration to take all required measures before rains so that people could be saved from adverse effects of the expected urban flooding.

Chairing a meeting with the officials of the district administration, Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA), Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and other departments, the minister asked the officials to be prepared in dealing with the impending rain emergency.

Shoro told that Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah had appointed him as the focal person for the rain emergency and in that regard he was taking all possible steps to prevent rain triggered flooding.

Addressing the meeting Commissioner Hyderabad Muhammad Abbas Baloch informed that WASA had spent Rs.30 million on desliting of stormdrains while more funds were required for complete cleaning of drains.

He told that the PS-1 and PS-2 were the main pumping stations in Hyderabad where 24-hour power supply was needed.

But, he added, unfortunately as soon as a drop of rain fell Hesco tended to shut down all the electricity supply feeders and WASA had to run all the pumping stations on the power generators.

Responding to the Commissioner's complaint, the provincial minister said HESCO had always been negligent, adding that if the power supply company continued the same practice of blackout during rain the citizens of Hyderabad would suffer.

He directed Deputy Commissioner Fuad Ghaffar Soomro to form committees headed by the concerned Assistant Commissioners to deal with the situation of possible rains at the taluka level.

The additional DC I and II should be given the responsibility of monitoring HESCO's grid stations for better coordination.

The DC Soomro apprised that all arrangements had been made by the administration to deal with the possible rain situation.

The Managing Director of WASA Zahid Hussain Khemptio said the Southern Disposal Scheme was almost completed adding that it would help in the discharge of rainwater from Latifabad taluka.

The Pakistan Peoples Party's leader Aajiz Dhamrah said long term projects should be formulated for a permanent solution to the drainage problem in Hyderabad.

The officials of HESO briefed the meeting that leaves of officers and staff had been canceled owing to the rain emergency while a plan had been formulated to deal with any kind of situation.

Administrator of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) Altaf Hussain Sario informed that the corporation had a total of 70 pumps for drainage of rainwater out of which 27 pumps had been installed at designated places.

The Special Assistant to Chief Minister Saghir Ahmed Qureshi, MPA Abdul Jabbar Khan, Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Abass Baloch, Deputy Commissioner Fuad Ghaffar Soomro, SSP Sajid Amir Sadozai, HMC Administrator Altaf Hussain Sario, ADC-I Lal Dino Mangi and other officers were present in the meeting.

Provincial minister also directed that arrangements should be adopted to ensure operationalization of all pumping stations and generators be provided at the stations for dewatering of accumulated rain water from residential areas.

Shoro said all taluka officers should ensure their presence in the field and personally monitor rain situations in city and rural parts of the district.

He warned that no negligence would be tolerated and action would be taken on any violation.