The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has purchased machinery worth above Rs 920 million and mobilised its entire management hierarchy to meet any untoward situation during the monsoon season and to ensure "the safety of people and property".
Official sources in municipal department of City District Government Karachi (CDGK) told Business Recorder here on Friday that an "updated rain emergency plan with systematic approach" under the title of "Rain and Flood Management Plan 2007 City District Government Karachi" had been prepared to cope with the hovering monsoon season.
The sudden outburst of clouds on Thursday evening disturbed the normalcy as long traffic jams and road mishaps were reported from different parts of the metropolis while some casualties in the interior Sindh.
When asked whether the monsoon would deteriorate the situation on roads, where ditches-like big holes have already paralysed the flow of traffic, they replied the developmental projects had been initiated with all these problems in view therefore there would be no such problems.
Sources said new machinery worth Rs 750 million had been bought while a Storm Water Drain costing Rs 170 million was constructed at Gulshan-e-Faisal, Bath Island, Clifton.
Sources said the new plan was aimed at providing safety to the people and property, countering flood like situation in Lyari River, Gujar Nallah, Malir Nadi and others linked to them and to have a co-ordinated, comprehensive and updated rain emergency plan.
A "Command Control Room" connected with the 18 emergency centres (EC) established in towns. KESC, KWSB, PTCL and Sui gas departments would monitor the situation and issue directives to the concerned EC round the clock, they said.
To clear rainwater standing on the thoroughfares 18 dewatering pumps (also called sucking pumps) have been handed to the town municipal administration (TMAs), sources said.
They said that all executive district officers (EDOs) and town municipal officers (TMOs) were asked to activate control rooms in their respective towns while priority was given to the safety of low-lying areas and vital infrastructure.
Besides establishing special monitoring co-ordination cell in the office of district co-ordination officer at Club Road, water drainage facility has also been provided on the all newly constructed flyovers and underpasses, sources said.
The CDGK under a long-term "Rehabilitation Plan" would remove encroachments along the Nullahs besides channelising the latter to restore their water carrying capacity and would also construct service roads on both sides of the river and Nullahs.
To avoid traffic disturbances and other unfortunate incidence, they said, detours, yellow tapes and cones have been installed on the required places.
To contain outbreak of epidemic diseases after the rainy season CDGK would conduct fumigation and aerial spray and had issued directives to the health group of offices on designating medical teams besides procuring the required medicine, sources said.
FOLLOWING ARE THE PHONE NUMBERS, SOURCES SAID, THE MASSES COULD USE IN CASE OF ANY EMERGENCY:
-- Control Room: 9205634, 9205639, 9203443.
-- Control Room 134: 9230060, 9230062.
-- Control Room 16: 9232455
-- Control Room Fire Head Quarter: 9215007-8.
-- Control Room Gulistan-e-Mustafa Fire Station: 9246268,9246316.
-- Control Room Landhi Fire Station: 5015988,5015888.
-- Control Room Lyari Fire Station: 25275721, 25280890.