Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif made a telephone call to the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), briefed on the flood situation and relief operations.
According to Dawn News, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the NDMA Chairman from Beijing and briefed him on the flood situation in the country and the ongoing relief operations.
The NDMA Chairman informed the Prime Minister about the increasing flooding in the rivers Rawai, Chenab and Sutlej, on which the Prime Minister directed to complete the preparations for rescue and relief operations ahead of time.
The Prime Minister directed the NDMA to cooperate fully with the provincial governments and expedite safety measures and relief operations.
In addition, the Prime Minister also directed the Chairman NDMA to inform the public in advance about the increasing flooding in Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej.
It may be recalled that the Prime Minister had also held a review meeting in Beijing yesterday on the flood situation and ongoing rescue and relief activities, in which he was informed about the recent flood situation in the country and the progress of relief operations.
According to a report by Pakistan Television, the Prime Minister chaired the review meeting after temporarily abandoning his busy schedule to supervise the preparations and relief operations of the NDMA and other rescue and relief agencies during the ongoing monsoon spell in the country.
In the meeting, the Chairman NDMA, the Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the relevant agencies for relief operations informed the Prime Minister about the recent flood situation in the country and the progress of relief operations.
The Prime Minister directed the NHA and the Ministry of Power to take steps to restore the flood-affected communication and power transmission systems on a priority basis.
The Prime Minister directed the concerned authorities to focus specifically on restoration and relief operations in view of the flood situation in Punjab and Sindh and directed the Chairman NDMA to remain in full contact with the provincial disaster management authorities and provide all kinds of assistance to the provincial governments.
In addition, the Prime Minister also directed the early completion of the search for citizens missing due to the flood.
More rain in the next 24 to 48 hours, NDMA warns
On the other hand, the national agency National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that the ninth spell of monsoon is likely to continue for the next 24 to 48 hours, during which more rains will continue in the upper parts of the country.
According to the NDMA, under the influence of the spell, heavy rains are likely in the southern parts of the country, including South Punjab and South Sindh, from September 6.
The authority said in a statement that Narowal, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujarat, Lahore received heavy rains in the last 24 hours.
Under the influence of this spell, rains are likely to occur in the southern parts of the country, including South Punjab and South Sindh, from September 6. Heavy rains are likely in the coastal areas of the country, including Badin, Sujawal and Tharparkar.
According to the NDMA, the flood situation has arisen due to unusual rains and inflow of water into the rivers in the country. During September 4-5, the water relays of Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej will accumulate at Panjnad.
The statement further said that due to the inflow of the relays from the three rivers, there is a possibility of severe flood situation at Panjnad.
The NDMA said that the areas potentially affected by the flood situation have been identified in advance and the concerned PDMAs have also been informed in advance in this regard.
It was further stated that residents of sensitive areas should follow the instructions of the relevant institutions and ensure their safety, and avoid unnecessary travel to areas at risk of flood situations.
The National Disaster Management Authority said that on the special instructions of the Prime Minister, all relevant institutions are ensuring timely and proactive measures, and about 5,700 tons of relief materials have been provided to the flood victims.
It was further stated that all government institutions, welfare organizations and the Pakistani Armed Forces are jointly working to provide essential supplies to the victims, while the best strategy and procedures are being adopted to ensure the provision of relief materials to the needy.
