Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed local government department to install small pumps to drain out rainwater from the streets and simultaneously start patch work of the damaged roads and restore Korangi Causeway.
He said this while presiding over a meeting on rain emergency and repair of damaged infrastructure on Tuesday.
The meeting that was held here at CM House was attended by provincial ministers, Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah, Zia Abbas shah, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon, Additional IG Karachi Javed Odho, Secretary Local Govt Najam Shah, Secretary Rehabilitation Asif Memon and other concerned officers.
The chief secretary told the chief minister that he had visited various localities of the city and found water had been drained out, but still some portions of Tower, Memon Masjid, KMC building, Kharadar, Wazir Mansion and their connecting streets were submerged.
The chief minister was told that the underpasses of district South and East have been cleared of rainwater and they would be opened for traffic by the evening. The chief minister directed the Local Government to get small pumps installed at the streets where rainwater was still accumulated and clear them. “A forecast for another spell of heavy rain has been issued, therefore we not only have to restore all the roads and streets but have to get ready for the upcoming spell,” he said.
Shah said that the Korangi Causeway has been damaged; therefore an alternate route to Korangi from the industrial area was under pressure. He directed Minister Local Government Nasir Shah and Minister Transport Sharjeel Memon to personally visit the causeway and hire a contractor on emergency basis and start work from tomorrow. Meanwhile, the CM directed Additional IG Karachi Javed Odho to ensure traffic management. The meeting was told that the heavy rainfall has damaged sewerage lines at six different areas, including at CM House, Metropole, Sindhi Muslim Society, Qayumabad. At this the chief minister directed the water board to immediately start work on them so that they could be restored within the next two days. Murad Ali Shah directed the local government department to start patch work of the roads damaged by heavy rain.
Disaster-hit
Meanwhile, the Sindh government has decided to declare Khairpur district a disaster-hit area in view of the damage caused to palm orchards by the recent monsoon rains.
Advisor to CM for Agriculture Manzoor Hussain Wassan said that recent monsoon rains in Sindh have damaged up to 50% of date orchards in Khairpur district.
In Khairpur district, production of dates is seven lac tons, with a cost of ten billions. On the demand of growers and farmers, Khairpur is being declared a disaster-hit area.
Manzoor Wassan further told in his statement on Tuesday that Deputy Commissioner Khairpur has directed to issue notification declaring Khairpur district a disaster area.
He further added that affectees will be compensated, as the people of district wholly depends on dates.
Manzoor Wassan directed the Director General Research of Agriculture Department of Khairpur to send teams to protect the date palm orchards in Khairpur district from further damage and said that at the request of the date growers, they would also be provided solar plates, motors, tarpaulins, baskets and other machinery. Manzoor Wassan further said that the recent monsoon rains have caused a loss of Rs5 billion.
Unprecedented rain
Separately, Murad Ali Shah said that the city has witnessed an unprecedented record rainfall of 136mm or 5 inches within 12 hours (8 pm to 8 am) and then after a brief break it started again till 11am.
“Our storm water disposal system is not designed for such a heavy downpour; therefore, the system could not cater to the situation and top of it the Arabian sea was in a state of high tide, therefore our storm water drains could not discharge the accumulated rainwater into it.”
This he said on Monday while talking to media at the CM House just after visiting different areas of the city. Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Chief Secretary Mohammad Sohial Rajput, Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon were present on the occasion.
Shah said that the metrological dept had released the forecast for the rains, therefore he had assigned rain emergency duties to his cabinet members in different districts of the city. “My ministers/advisors and special assistants are on the roads, but it was so heavy downpour (of 136 mm or 5 inches) that our storm water system could not cater to such a huge urban flooding,” he said and added last night the sea was in a state of high tide, therefore our nullahs failed to discharge rainwater in the sea.
Shah said that he has visited different areas of the city where civic agencies were busy in disposing of the accumulated water from roads. “The water board has engaged its over 80 cesspool vehicles for draining the accumulated water,” he said and added the Clifton pumping station was also working round the clock to dispose of accumulated water into the sea.
To a question, the chief minister said that in the city, various government offices, media houses and various private establishments were constructed on the storm water drains. “This is unfortunate that we do not realize the results of such constructions,” he said and added the local government department was constructed on the storm water drain and he did not know when it was built.
Murad Ali Shah said that almost all the natural waterways of the city have either been encroached or allotted to housing societies, as a result their construction has blocked disposal of water. He urged people of the city to voluntarily remove their constructions blocking the smooth flow of the water.
“I am admitting that the situation has become serious, but it is not as much serious as it was in 2020,” the CM said and added during the heavy rains of 2020 he had visited the city and his vehicle had submerged at Shahrah-e-Faisal and he could not move ahead but this time the main arteries of the city were clear.
To a question, the chief minister said that he has directed the chief secretary to assess the losses of life, property, and others so that relief could be provided to the affected people. “The current heavy rains have claimed 29 valuable lives – I express my sympathies and condolence with the aggrieved families,” he said.
Shah said that he has also directed the SSU urban Flooding unit to move their heavy vehicles to evacuate the people stuck up in the flooded areas. “The police along with the district administration are also helping people in the flooded areas,” he said.
Shah said that the Met office has also predicted another spell of heavy rains for which he has issued instructions to the concerned civic agencies to get ready accordingly. He also urged people of the city to stay home until water was disposed of. “During my visit to the city I witnessed the children playing in the puddle of rainwater and people taking their families on their bikes were roaming unnecessarily,” he said and added it was dangerous to allow the children to play in the puddles and travel with the entire family on bikes in such a rainy situation.
The chief minister thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for calling him on telephone and asking him about the situation in the city, adding that he had offered him every kind of help needed from the federal government institutions.
