Authorities told to take emergency measures in view of rain forecast in Sindh

The Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has requested all the deputy commissioners and line departments to ensure the availability of de-watering machines and staff in the wake of the rain forecast by the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

In a letter, the PDMA said the Met Office had forecast a westerly wave under whose influence dust storm along with moderate rain was likely to occur in Jamshoro, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Larkana, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Ghotki, Naushahro Feroze, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Matiari, Umerkot, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Sujawal, Sanghar and Badin districts as well as isolated areas in the Karachi division.

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) has also imposed a rain emergency in the corporation on the instructions of Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab.

In this regard, KWSC Chief Operating Officer Engineer Asadullah Khan said that in view of the expected rains, all the staff of the water corporation were on high alert.

He explained that suction machines and other machinery, including de-watering pumps, were available for use following orders of the Sindh chief minister and the Karachi mayor.

He added that 30 suction machines had been delivered to various roads of the city and de-watering pumps would also be delivered to low-lying areas of the city. Khan said the water corporation’s vehicles would remain on the roads until the drainage of rainwater was complete.

Meanwhile, the Karachi commissioner issued an administrative order regarding dust thunderstorm prediction in western and southern parts of the country, including Karachi and its outskirts.

The commissioner said that precautionary preemptive measures should be taken to prevent loss of human lives, and damage to public and private property and infrastructure. For this purpose, he said, all relevant departments, such as the provincial health department, Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, Sindh Building Control Authority, KWSC, Karachi Development Authority, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, town municipal corporations of the Karachi division, Malir Development Authority, Lyari Development Authority, all cantonment boards, K-Electric, Sui Southern Gas Company and other relevant authorities and departments should impose a rain emergency.

He asked all these departments to take necessary measures to provide relief to the general public in case of rain.

Meanwhile, the citizens have been asked to avoid coming out from homes during dust-thunderstorm or rainfall, stay away from electric and telephone poles as well as trees, keep children at home and not allow them to swim in the stagnant rainwater, avoid motorcycling or driving in the stagnant water, and keep some distance from storm drains.

The commissioner also directed all the deputy commissioners of Karachi to establish control rooms in their offices and cancel all leaves of their staff to keep liaison with all the relevant authorities.