Sindh chief minister declares emergency

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Friday declared rain emergency in the province and has directed Irrigation as well as Local Government departments to be well prepared to meet any flood-like situation. Chairing a high-level meeting in his office, he also directed the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), all the commissioners and deputy commissioners to prepare a rain-cum-emergency contingency plan for each district.
The officials were asked to mobilise human resources with drainage and flood protective machinery so as to ensure efficient and safe passage of flood / storm water and avoid any sort of devastation with equal attention towards safety of infrastructure in case of heavy rain fall during current monsoons.
Sindh CM has also formed a four-member committee with Provincial Minister for Information and Local Government Sharjeel Inam Memon, Sindh Chief Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiyana, Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Siddiqui and Administrator KMC Rauf Akhtar Siddiqui to chalk-out ways for removal of all sorts of encroachments from rain drains. He sought efficient disposal of garbage besides an updated survey of buildings that may be in dilapidated condition and thus dangerous for occupants or people living around those.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah also directed the officials to ascertain the safety status of different bill boards and ensure removal of those that might pose threat to human lives during current monsoon season. The high-level meeting chaired by the CM was also connected to all Divisional and District headquarters of the province through video link.
It was also attended by Minister for Relief Makhdoom Jameel Zaman, Minister Local Government Sharjeel Inam Memon, Advisor to CM for Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Chief Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiyana, Senior Member Board of Revenue Malik Israr Ahmed, Additional Chief Secretary (P&D) Mohammad Wasim, Principal Secretary to CM, Alamudin Bulo, Secretary Agriculture Babar Afandi, Secretary Finance Sohail Ahmed Rajput, Secretary Health Iqbal Durrani, Director General PDMA, representatives from Pak Army, Navy and other officers of relevant departments. The CM on the occasion also said that the co-chairman PPP Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were very much anxious for ensuring all precautionary measures in such a way that loss of life and infrastructure could be minimised in case of heavy and very heavy rain or a flood-like situation.
The CM said the provincial government had invested a huge amount to protect the river embankments after flood in 2010 and also had strengthened the civil and local government administration to cope with such situation with success. Qaim Ali Shah directed the authorities of Irrigation Department to mobilise its all resources, and ensure that all embankments (including old Torri bund) were strong enough to sustain the pressure of upcoming flood.