ISLAMABAD, Jul 13 (APP): Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif Wednesday directed the concerned departments to remain vigilant throughout the flood season and further improve the already made preparations.
Chairing a meeting of Federal Flood Commission, he instructed Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) to improve weather forecast to give ample time to deal with any emergency situation.
The meeting reviewed arrangements made by provinces and
Federal Agencies for the Monsoon Season 2016.
The meeting was briefed regarding preemptive measures taken to minimize effects of flood damages in the event of occurrence of floods, said a press release.
The preparedness of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) were also discussed in detail with regard to relief and rescue preparations.
The Pakistan Army informed that they were ready and vigilant for rescue operations in case there were floods.
The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of Mangla and Tarbela Dam were also presented to inform all stakeholders about their operation during the flood season.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) presented the forecast for 2016 Monsoon Season.
In view of forecast of rains and expected urban flooding,
provinces were asked to be vigilant and ready.
Secondly, encroachments restricting free flow of rivers which may result in floods were discussed and relevant authorities were asked to remove these bottlenecks.
Additionally, desilting and removal of encroachments of
Nullahs passing through urban areas including Rawalpindi, Multan, Sialkot, Lahore and Faisalabad was stressed.
The flood plain maps, prepared by consultants NESPAK have
already been distributed to the Provinces wherein the level and extent of inundation are clearly marked with respect to various scenarios of water flows in rivers.
It was stressed that now the onus lied with provincial and
Federal Agencies to cope with any flood situation arising during the 2016 Monsoon Season.
