After an advisory of heavy rainfall of monsoon’s fresh spell for the area including Thatta, Thatta DCO, Mohammad Jaffer Abbasi, called upon the officials of concerned departments to work in close collaboration to face and avert any untoward situation.
Abbasi, while presiding over a high level meeting of district heads at Darbar Hall Makli in Thatta on Monday, said that the Sindh chief minister has issued directives to prepare a contingency plan to save people from any devastating disaster like previous year’s floods. He said that last year, flood wreaked havoc in the area rendering thousands homeless and inundation of thousands of acres standing crop including submerging of the district’s two main towns Sujawal and Jati.
During the meeting, the officers of Irrigation Department urged the need of complete stoppage of water flow in to the canal system as this can cause flood in the shape of breaches. However, the EDO Revenue, Abdul Hafeez Sayal opposed the idea on the grounds that paddy crop is cultivated in the area which needs constant supply of water and complete occlusion can cause cry in public at large level. In this regard the meeting decided to maintain flow of water in the canals of paddy crop areas at minimum level and as per needs and wants.
In the meeting, the Thatta DCO told the heads of Irrigation and Drainage departments to chalk out a contingency plan by establishing system of patrolling over the RBOD drains flowing out water into the sea and entire irrigation system along with camps at all vulnerable points and deployment of staff at these points. He further asked Revenue officers to make surprise visits to the drains and canals for vigilance.
Abbasi said that rainfall of last week has already caused breaches in RBOD’s Karo Ghonghro and Nangan drains, resulting in the inundation of huge area in Thatta.
He called upon the departments concerned to make heavy machinery including Excavators available at all vulnerable points. He said that only a system of close liaison between all governments departments can save people from heavy losses in case of heavy downpour which is expected as per the forecast issued by the Met office.
The DCO expressed dissatisfaction over the preparedness of Irrigation & Drainage departments and PPHI Unit of Health department and directed the heads of both agencies to improve their working by ensuring establishment of medial camps on need basis. Abbasi further called upon the officials of Revenue Department to prepare a separate plan in working with Education, Health departments and TMAs to establish relief camps in case of any emergency during the coming days.
