ISLAMABAD: As monsoon rains mark the start of the rainy season, Water and Sanitation Agency chairman Tariq Mehmood Murtaza Sunday said the agency was put on high alert to meet any emergency-like situation due to urban flooding in the Lai drain in Rawalpindi.
Talking to a news channel, Murtaza expressed hope the people would be responsible in conduct and cooperate with the agency’s officials at the time of evacuation.
He said the agency was prepared to face a potential flash flood in the coming days and all arrangements have been finalised for the relocation of the affectees.
Responding to a query, he said the drain passed through a congested neighbourhood and widening of its corners was also a challenge for the agency.
He added that about 1,600 people living around the drain were also to be saved from any potential damage. He said WASA had already provided compensation to affectees and had removed many encroachments from there.
As far as low-lying areas around the drain were concerned, we had dug wells to resolve the water issue, he said.
Talking about his future plans of action, he said planning was being done to deal with urban flooding threats during monsoon season.
He said due to unplanned town structures, nearby drains were causing blockage of floodwater and after a restructuring of drains, especially Leh drain which was the only watercourse of the floodwater in twin cities, the problem could be solved permanently.
To avoid any unpleasant situation he said, the authority launched a pre-monsoon cleanliness campaign of the main drains in the city.
