Third monsoon spell becomes stronger, Maryam Nawaz puts Punjab on high alert

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered all the concerned departments to stay on high alert as the third spell of monsoon rains continues in the province and to take complete preparations for preparedness to meet any emergency.

Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has directed the commissioners, deputy commissioners and field officials all over Punjab to remain watchful and said there is no tolerance for negligence and recklessness. She urged all the agencies to make advance plans as per the alerts given by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

Maryam Nawaz urged all the concerned agencies to ensure rapid drainage of rainwater and continued supervision and competent monitoring of WASA operations. She also ordered the PDMA Control Room and District Emergency Operation Centres to remain fully functional while Rescue 1122, WASA and other emergency services were asked to keep their people and machinery on standby.

She also urged the authorities to speed drainage of water from low lying regions, clear water accumulated at choking sites and ensure constant monitoring of rain drains and stormwater channels. The Chief Minister further directed that all manholes in urban and rural areas should be adequately covered, and safety measures should be enforced at construction sites during rain and structurally vulnerable buildings be continuously monitored.

Maryam Nawaz said that all preventive measures should be taken amid the ongoing rains especially efforts should be made to avoid water collection in urban areas and smooth traffic on important roads and highways. She also ordered all necessary institutions to be fully active to save lives and property and appealed to parents to keep children away from rivers and canals.

“Don’t stay in weak, badly constructed or mud-built houses,” the chief minister said, appealing to the public to be careful during severe weather.

PDMA’s recent notice stated that Lahore, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan cities are at risk of urban floods. Most districts of Punjab recorded rainfall during the last 24 hours.

The PDMA recorded 105mm rain in Sargodha, 77mm in Hafizabad, 73mm in Okara, 63mm in Bahawalnagar and 61mm in Sahiwal. The authority further said that Lahore has received total rainfall of 400 millimetres and the city was experiencing heavy downpour for the fifth consecutive day.