Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has directed all its licensed Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) to send free SMS flood alerts to the public in the affected districts of the Punjab. In the wake of heavy floods in various districts of the Punjab, the Federal government as well as the Punjab Government approached PTA to run SMS broadcast messages for the timely awareness of residents in the flood-hit areas.
PTA directed all mobile operators to carry out SMS based campaign to enable the people of affected areas to timely vacate their places and take refuge at safe locations.
Disaster Management Authorities would provide relevant information for the SMSs to mobile operators keeping in view the changing situation of each and every flood-hit area. The area-specific SMS would help public in getting accurate and in time information and warnings about the flood in the area of their residence. Today, messages about flood warnings were sent in districts Sialkot, Narowal, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Jhang, Jehlum, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur and Khanewal.-PR