WARNING: FLOOD AHEAD!

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  • 0.65 million cusecs of water to hit Sindh after Sept 15
  • Floods likely to displace 3.4m dwellers of slums along Guddu, Kotari and Sukkur barrages
  • Administration in six districts, 13 divisions ordered to stay alert

The Sindh government has put Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy on high alert as flash flood is likely to hit the lower riparian province anytime next week after September 15.

About 0.65 million cusecs of water is expected to flood and displace at least 3.4 million residents of slums located along Guddu and Sukkur barrages.

The PPP-dominated Sindh government has released a special grant of Rs 20 million to the district administrations to cope with the natural calamity, the impact of which is being downplayed by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

“Sindh’s rivers, this year, are expected to get up to 0.65 million cusecs of flood water that would affect the katcha areas,” Secretary Rehabilitation Roshan Ali Shaikh told a briefing at Sindh Secretariat Tuesday. He rejected reports of 0.8-0.9 million cusecs water in Sindh as incorrect.

The floods, Shaikh claimed, would pose no danger to the dams and river banks in the province. He said the flood would hit 0.8 million residents of slums stretching over a vast area alongside Guddu to Kotari and Guddu to Sukkur barrages.

Shaikh said all concerned district commissioners had been directed to evacuate people from vulnerable areas to safer places. The affectees would not be evacuated days before the flood’s arrival in the province. “The district administration of Larkana has been asked to start evacuation from Wednesday,” he added.

Urging the masses not to fear, DG PDMA Salman Shah downplayed the impact of floods.

“Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy is in contact and have been put on standby,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the provincial government on Tuesday directed Commissioners of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Shaheed Benazirabad and DCs of Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan, Kashmore, Ghotki, Thatta, Sajawal, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Jamshoro, Kambar, Daddu, Khairpur and Nausheroferoz to ensure immediate stand-by arrangements facilitating timely and safe evacuation of low lying areas’ residents and their movable property, particularly livestock.

The concerned authorities have been urged to ensure incorporation of evacuation and transportation of high risk communities to higher elevation – as and when conveyed, at shortage possible notice in their respective contingency plans.

“Maximum mobilization of transport must be therefore ensured to achieve safe evacuation well in time as and when requested,” the authorities were directed by the higher echelons of the government.

The administration pertaining to high risk districts have also been urged to ensure activation of Emergency Operation Centres round the clock in their respective districts.

“These centres must be necessarily manned by well trained and equipped staff so as to ensure effective response mechanism,” the authorities were directed.

It was reiterated that early warning dissemination be ensured and appropriate flood fighting resources such as de-watering pumps are repositioned and deployed at low lying areas.

Also, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah left the city for a two-day emergency visit of Larkana and Sukkur divisions to review the flood-related protective measures.

The chief minister, along with secretary irrigation and other officials of local administration, was scheduled to visit the banks of River Indus Tuesday and Ulrajagir Band, Qadir Pur Bank, K.K Band, Tori Band on Wednesday.