Karachi:
As Punjab faces a serious flooding situation, Sindh is also preparing for the possible effect of a larger wave of water that is expected to affect hundreds of thousands living in riverbed areas, while residents of mainland regions are likely to remain safe.
Sindh -Art Waming Minister Jam Khan Shoro, who spoke at a press conference in Sukkur on Thursday, along with Provincial Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, confirmed that the irrigation department and district administrations have been placed on a high alarm.
“Without a doubt, riverbed areas in Sindh will be affected, just as we have seen a sudden rise in the water level in Punjab’s rivers,” said Shoro.
Although there are no updated figures available, the Sindh government in 2015 estimated that about 414,000 people lived in flood-covered villages. The minister pointed out that Punjab had witnessed a sudden increase of 700,000 CuseC in only 13 hours, although he did not reveal the estimated volume that is expected to reach Guddu barrier in Sindh.
The flood water from Punjab’s rivers – Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej – is expected to converge at Chahran Sharif, about 60 kilometers downstream of Panjnad before entering Sindh. Shoro said that only when the torrents converge at Panjnad will the authorities be able to calculate the exact volume heading to Sindh. Deluge is expected to reach Guddu between September 2nd and 3rd.
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The irrigation department monitors all river readings to determine the potential influence. River societies will be informed of the expected water flow at least two days before it reaches Guddu, although officials acknowledged that many residents of such areas often resist evacuation and trust their own assessments of official warnings.
Shoro noted that the SUKKUR barrier with a maximum capacity of 960,000 CUSERCS has undergone significant upgrades. Sixteen gates have been replaced this year and twenty more is scheduled for replacement next year. Chinese engineers are currently monitoring operational control as part of the ongoing rehabilitation project.
Minister Nasir Hussain Shah added that if they expected 700,000 CuseC’s water enter Sindh, many residents of riverbed areas may begin self -development. He confirmed that chief minister Murad Ali Shah has appointed focal people throughout the province to coordinate relief efforts.
“At present, there is no alarming situation in Sindh, but CM has ordered precautionary measures,” Shah said, adding that the current water level is manageable. However, he warned that complacency is not an option, especially with unpredictable rain and potential flood releases from India.
Control spaces created as sindh -harnesses for flooding
Meanwhile, SINDH chief secretary Secretary Asif Hyder Shah has ordered the creation of control rooms and monitoring around the clock to tackle the threatening flood threat in the province.
He was chairman of a high -level meeting on Thursday, attended by irrigation officials, local authorities, health, livestock and public health departments, and instructed that all flooding measures should be finalized on a war foot.
With heavy rainfall in Punjab and raises the risk of the large flooding downstream, the provincial administration has placed all the high alarm vice commissioners.
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Control spaces will be set up in the Chief Secretary’s office as well as at division and district levels to ensure continuous monitoring and rapid complaints of public complaints. All leave to important service departments has been canceled.
Emergency plans are prepared with a focus on protecting humans and livestock. The health department has been tasked with ensuring warehouses of medicines and vaccines against waterborne diseases, snake bites and rabies, while the livestock department has been directed at complete vaccination of animals against flood -related infections.
The main secretary emphasized the need for close coordination between civil administration, armed forces, fleet and rescue services to enable timely rescue and relief operations. He also instructed regular media briefings to keep the public informed of government preparations and relief efforts.
