PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan has said that monsoon rains have started across the province, with reports of flash floods received from several districts and government is fully prepare to deal with any emergency.
In a statement issued he said all relevant departments are fully mobilized in the field to deal with any emergency situation. He urged the public to avoid rivers, streams and other waterways and to follow precautionary instructions issued by the government.
According to Shafi Jan, a comprehensive contingency plan is in place on the directives of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to deal with any emergency during the monsoon season. Emergency plans for all 37 districts and 12 frontline departments are complete and active. Teams are mobilized in northern districts for floods and glacial lake outburst floods, and in southern districts for heat waves. Command and Control System, Emergency Response Plans and Control Rooms are operational in all districts.
42 water rescue points, 185 relief camps and relief supplies were arranged before the monsoon. 4,164 km of routes along rivers and water channels have been fully mapped for rescue operations. Leaves of Rescue 1122 staff have been cancelled and personnel have been deployed in the field. Water rescue points equipped with modern equipment have been established in 17 vulnerable districts. Rs 505 million in relief funds have been allocated for 5 districts at risk of glacier melting. An effective monitoring system has been set up in 8 valleys to deal with glacial lake outburst risks.
A special response mechanism is fully active in 14 districts to tackle emergency 503 heavy machines have been deployed in the field and cleaning of 87.4 km of urban waterways has been completed. Encroachments have been removed from 2,433 kanals of waterways. Special teams have been deployed at 38 urban flood hotspots in Peshawar. A modern telemetry system is active at 22 locations to monitor rivers. Flood monitoring, alternate route planning and emergency access arrangements have been completed on 55 highways. Cleaning of drains and storm drains has been completed in all urban centers and de-watering machines are already in place in major cities including Peshawar.
The minister said an integrated communication system has been established between all relevant institutions and that protecting public lives and property is the provincial government’s top priority. He also urged citizens in tourist areas to cooperate with police and administration.
Meanwhile Landikotal tehsil of Khyber district, a van carrying Afghan families returning to Afghanistan was swept away by flash floods on the Pak-Afghan Highway at Sultan Khel. According to Rescue 1122 Khyber officials, divers and local volunteers recovered the bodies of one woman and one man from Jabba Khwar Qadam in Jamrud. The body of a child was recovered from the Prang Sang area by local people and rescue teams. Search operations are ongoing and the bodies have been shifted for legal formalities.
Rescue 1122 has once again appealed to the public to stay away from streams and rivers during rains and flood conditions.
Read also:Monsoon outlook issued for Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Himalaya, flood risk flagged
