Murad declares Friday as a half working day due to rain emergency
Imran
Murad declares Friday as a half
working day due to rain emergency
CM puts civic agencies on high alert
all over province
KARACHI In view of the rain emergency
in Karachi, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has declared Friday as a
half day for all government and private offices. In addition, all local bodies,
hospitals, water board, Karachi Electric (KE), and cantonments have been
instructed to be prepared to handle any situation.
He took this decision while presiding
over a rain emergency meeting at CM House. The meeting was attended by Chief
Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Secretary Local govt
Manzoor Shaikh, Secretary Finance Kazim Jatoi, SMBR Zahid Abbasi, Secretary
Irrigation Niaz Abbasi, MD Solid Waste Management Imtiaz Shah, Secretary Health
Mansoor Abbas, COO Water Board Asadullah, Commodore Mohammad Akram, Brig Inamul
Haq of 5 Corps, and others. Mayor Karachi and divisional commissioners attended
the meeting through video link.
The Pakistan Meteorological
Department has issued a forecast stating that there will be rain and
thunderstorms from the night of February 29, 2024, until the morning of March
2, 2024. This rainfall could be heavy, so residents are advised to prepare themselves
accordingly. In Karachi, the rain is expected to start on Friday afternoon
after 2 pm, and with different spells, it could cause urban flooding. The DG
PDMA, Salman Shah, informed the CM that the city should expect between 16 to 32
mm of rainfall within a 12-hour period on March 1.
Karachi: The Chief Minister expressed
his concern over the traffic congestion issue on Shahrah-e-Faisal during last
month's rains. He has also highlighted the inconvenience caused by the
construction of BRT Red Line on the university road. To tackle the situation,
the Chief Minister has announced that Friday will be observed as a half-day in
all government and private institutions, including educational institutions
across Karachi. In addition, he has advised the citizens to stay indoors and
take care of their children during this period.
Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab told the
meeting that there were 28 points in the city where rainwater accumulates. The
KMC and water board have prepared their plan to dewater such areas if it rains
so heavily.
The CM directed all the town chairmen
to be alert in their respective areas look after their stormwater and sewerage
systems and look after their people. He directed Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam
to issue a directive to the police to help the district administration in case
the heavy rain was received.
The PDMA DG told the CM that he has
provided the necessary machinery for the disposal of rainwater to all the
commissioners, deputy commissioners and local bodies. He said that he would provide more machinery
and other materials if and when they needed them.
Murad Ali Shah also put the Rescue
1122 on high alert so that they could
KE: Syed Murad Ali Shah directed K
Electric to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the pumping stations of the
water board. He added that it has been observed that KE switched off
electricity when it rained heavy but this time this practice must be avoided.
Northern Sindh: It was observed that
heavy rains have hit various of Balochistan, therefore there was a possibility
that hill torrents may cause flooding in Kamnbar down to Jamshoro. At this,
secretary Irrigation Niaz Abbasi said that the water level in Manchar was 110.1
and it had ample space to receive more water from hill torrents.
The CM directed Commissioner Larkana
to personally monitor the situation and remain alert to face any situation.
Urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar: The
chief minister also observed the Urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar has started and in
case of heavy rain there would be serious problems for the pilgrims. He
directed Commissioner Hyderabad Khalid Hyder Shah to make necessary arrangements
for the protection of pilgrims and direct the HESCO to supply uninterrupted
electricity to Sehwan, particularly during the Urs days.
The chief minister stated that while
the thunderstorm predicted by the meteorological department may not be severe,
the ongoing rain havoc in some areas of Balochistan due to climate change
necessitates preparedness.
Other divisions: The chief minister
directed all the divisional commissioners of Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, and Shaheed
Benazirabad to take necessary measures to meet the requirements of the rain
emergency.
