HYDERABAD: Provincial Minister for Irrigation and Food Department Jam Khan Shoro and Provincial Minister for Local Government, Housing Town Planning and Public Health Engineering Sindh Saeed Ghani chaired a meeting regarding rain emergency in Shehbaz Hall Hyderabad.
While talking to the meeting Provincial Minister for Local Government, Housing Town Planning and Public Health Engineering Sindh Saeed Ghani said that this meeting has been called to review the situation and management of rains after the latest warning by PDMA.
He said after the recent rains in Sindh including Hyderabad, the affairs are under control, but if there will be more rain, some problems may arise and to resolve these issues employees and officials of all the concerned departments, will remain present in the field to protect the people from these problems.
He said that WASA is asking for grant every month, WASA will get a grant during the current rainy season, but it is not possible to provide a grant every month. Provincial minister said the local government representatives are also available so their services should also be acquired. He said a backup plan should be made where Hesco and electricity problems persist.
Speaking in the meeting, Provincial Minister for Irrigation and Food Jam Khan Shoro said that the water in the canals will be reduced during the rains, wherever machinery was installed in the flood of 2022, that plan should be repeated and additional points should also be supplied under that plan. The provincial minister said that WASA should be ready, express feeders should be started at some sensitive pumping stations. Some pumping stations in Hyderabad are not on natural gravity so generators should be arranged for these. Jam Khan Shoro said that WASA should improve its recovery and all the government Institutions are paying bills of WASA.
Speaking in the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Syed Khalid Hyder Shah said that most of the rain water is disposed in the canals and the Indus River. He said that earlier meetings have been called to solve the problems of WASA and this time even in an emergency situation, we will meet the needs of WASA. Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad Zainul Abidin Memon while giving a briefing in the meeting said that Hyderabad has the total capacity to drain one hundred millimeters of rain, if it rains more, more machines will be needed and the situation of emergency will be established. He told the meeting that there are 118 disposal stations in Hyderabad, some of them have generator backup and the rest are on electricity, whereas 243 pumps have been installed and 641 staff are deployed at the pumping stations. NDMA predicts that the current year’s rains are similar to 2022. We are taking steps to protect the Protection Bands.
The holidays of all department including officials and staff have been cancelled. He said that the biggest problem is desilting, houses have been built above the Nalas, but we have de-silted all the Drains. Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad further informed that there are 29 sensitive points in the city where machinery will be available for rainwater drainage. MD WASA speaking in the meeting said that WASA has done desilting of 9 main drains and WASA is looking at 118 pumping stations and 4 sewerage treatment plants whereas WASA needs 24 crores of grant. Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Department Syed Khalid Hyder Shah, Secretary Public Health Engineering Syed Ijaz Shah, Mayor Hyderabad Kashif Shoro, Commissioner Hyderabad Bilal Ahmed Memon, Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad Zainul Abideen Memon, officials of various departments and town chairmen participated in the meeting.
Later, Provincial Ministers Saeed Ghani and Jam Khan Shoro held a press conference. Speaking to the press representatives, Provincial Minister for Local Government, Housing Town Planning and Public Health Engineering Sindh Saeed Ghani said that today’s meeting was held to review the arrangements for the upcoming rains. He said that there is a forecast of heavy rains in the province and preparations are being made since May. Briefing was taken from Commissioner Hyderabad, MD WASA, Mayor Hyderabad and Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad and they have also given them suggestions to fulfill it.
He said that there are some institutions including WASA which are not fulfilling their responsibilities and those will not be corrected in few days but we are making efforts for their improvement. He said that there is full preparation to deal with the rains that have been falling so far, but if the rains are heavy, it will be difficult, but the institutions have been alerted.
While talking to the press conference Provincial Minister for Irrigation and Food Jam Khan Shoro said that the government of Sindh has given him the responsibility of Hyderabad district for that he has organized this meeting in this regard, alerted all the institutions and given them important suggestions. While answering a question, he said that the NOCs of the housing schemes being constructed in Indus River have been cancelled.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024