LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed relevant departments to ensure the rapid drainage of rainwater from all urban areas of the province in anticipation of the upcoming monsoon season.
During her visit to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority’s (PDMA) head office, she has called for the development of a comprehensive evacuation plan to relocate residents to safe areas in case of flooding. Additionally ,she also ordered the evacuation of animals from the flood-affected areas.
The chief minister ordered the cleaning of all nullahs in the province. “Remove all encroachments from the banks of nullahs and streams,” CM Maryam directed.
She was given a detailed briefing by the secretary irrigation, chief meteorologist and the PDMA DG, in which she was told that normal to above normal rains had been forecast for different parts of the country during the three months of the rainy season, starting from July.
She expressed surprise that while elsewhere in the world there was an early flood warning system, same was not the case here in Pakistan.
The chief minister also visited the PDMA’s central control room.
Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, other provincial ministers Khawaja Salman Rafique, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Kazim Pirzada, MPA Sania Ashiq, chief secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, PDMA DG Irfan Ali Kathia and other concerned officials were also present during the meeting.
