Flood warning system to be installed on 8 rivers

The government of NWFP in assistance with the meteorological office of Pakistan and water & power development authority (Wapda) is going to install 'Flood Warning System' on eight rivers in the province, Incharge Flood Warning System NWFP Engineer Abdul Wali Yousafzai told Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
He said that eight rivers have been identified for installation of the flood warning equipment.
The identified sites are including Haro River, Kanhar River and Saran River in district Abbottabad, Khawazakhela (River Swat), Zulam Pul (River Panjkora), downstream Kabul River at Warsak, Tochi River Miran Shah (North Waziristan), Kurram Ghari and Speen Waam (Kurram River).
The senior official of the irrigation department informed that high frequency (HP) radio would be installed at these sites and the operations would be supervised under the auspices of the hydrology division of the provincial irrigation department.
Similarly, he disclosed that the provincial government in co-operation with federal government has also started work on the establishment of three more snow recording centres in the province.
The new centres would be established in Dir Upper, Para Chinar and Kalam. The earlier two snow recording centres were established in Shangla and Chitral. "These projects would be completed with the assistance of federal flood commission, met office and Wapda and would be active within a short period of three months," hinted Yousafzai.
Furthermore, Wapda is also planning to establish a rain and snowfall-recording centre at Besham in district Shangla, which would help in getting three-time automatic gauge of the water level in rivers Shah Alam, Naghuman, Adezai, Khiali and Bara.
Abdul Wali Yousafzai said that the met office is also working on the establishment of a met office, which would be useful in an area of 400 kilometre radius.
The centre, he said would enable Pakistan to get information regarding forecast of Afghanistan and river situation, particularly the situation of upstream River Kabul and Tochi would be available and the flood control agencies would be in position to make prior prevention arrangements of the floods, rains and snowfalls in the province.
The government of NWFP during the current calendar year had witnessed worst natural calamities of rains, snowfall and flood affecting hundreds of people and damages to the standing crops and loss of human life and cattle in the province.