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Karachi, July 25, 2015 (PPI-OT): Sindh Chief Minister has directed Irrigation department, all the commissioners and local bodies to taken emergent measures to cop up the heavy rains expected from next Monday to Thursday which may turn into flash floods.
These directives he issued while presiding over a meeting held in the light of fresh weather forecast released here today. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, Principal Secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo, Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Siddiqui, Secretary Finance Sohail Rajput, deputy commissioners of different districts of the city and other concerned officers.
Chief Secretary reading the fresh forecast released by the Met department said that from next Monday to Thursday heavy rains were expected. “The Met department has requested all the concerned departments to take necessary emergent measures because the heavy rains can turn into flash floods,” he said.
The chief minister said that he had visited major the storm-water drains and found that illegal public settlements and encroachments have emerged inside and along the nallas. “How these nala could be cleansed in such state of encroachments,” he questioned.
The chief minister directed Commissioner Karachi Mr Shoaib Siddiqui to conduct a survey of illegal public settlements inside and along the storm water drains and suggests measure to remove them. “We are left with two options either to remove public settlements from Nalas or let the citizens be flooded. The clear and loud decision is to remove illegal encroachment from the nala,” he said and added this must be done within 15 days.
FLOOD SITUATION REPORT
Principal Secretary to CM Mr Alamuddin Bullo told the chief minister that he had received flood situation report from the irrigation department. “The report says that upstream discharge at Guddu Barrage is 499,910 cusecs and 479,018 cusecs downstream discharge. This is a medium flood, he said and added that Sukkur Barrage upstream discharge is 366,500 and downstream 325,130 cusecs. It is also a medium flood while at Kotri Barrage upstream is 144,170 cusecs and downstream 129,645 cusecs. It is normal,” he said.
Mr Bullo told the chief minister that the Irrigation department was expecting that upstream Guddu Barrage discharge would between 505,000 to 535,000 cusecs on July 26. The chief minister directed the chief secretary to make all local bodies, irrigation and water and sewerage boards alert and take precautionary measures to face heavy rains starting from Monday. The chief minister also directed PPP divisional and district leadership all over Sindh to mobilise party workers to help people in case of heavy rains.
SPEAKER’s BRIEFING ON PARLIAMNTARIANS’ RESIDENCES
Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durani called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at CM House today and briefed him about the construction of Parliamentarians’ residences at the site of MPA hostel. He said that there would be two towers. One tower of hostels while other towers have family residences. The project would cost Rs4.5 billion. The chief minister urged the speaker to start the project and would provide him more funds so that it would be completed in time.
For more information, contact:
Mr. Allah Bachayo Memon
Press Secretary
Chief Minister House
Tel: +92-21-99202019
Cell: +92-300-3524057 (Ext: 336)