Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday said that the government has nominated MNAs and MPAs as focal persons in each district for the immediate rescue/relief and rehabilitation of rain/flood affected people.
He expressed these views while talking to media persons after inspecting Manchar Lake near Sehwan, adding the government was making efforts to deal with the situation arising from the recent rains, and would not abandon their people in this testing time. He further said that for the last 10 days he and his cabinet members were continuously visiting Sindh, while he personally came here thrice before. He said that the decision regarding water discharge has to be taken by technical persons/engineers as the government cannot take such decisions.
“The government wants to save people’s lives and property because the situation was bad across Sindh,” the CM said, adding that at present, the water pressure was high on the side of the river and there was a crack in the dyke, which he called a serious threat to Juhi town.
The chief minister said that the water level in Manchar Lake was currently 121 feet and in 2010 this level had increased to more than 118 feet. He said he had spoken to the chief of the Pakistan Navy as two helicopters were reaching Dadu for the rescue activities. He thanked the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for visiting Sindh and said the PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was personally monitoring the situation in Sindh by postponing his trip to Europe.
On this occasion, while giving a briefing to the CM, Irrigation Department SE said there was 500,944 cusecs of water flow at Guddu barrage, while at Sukkur barrage water flow was recorded at 530,750 cusecs.
Earlier, on arrival in Dadu, MNA Sikandar Rahputo, MNA Rafique Jamali, Commissioner Nadeem Rehman, DIG Pir Muhammad Shah and others received him. Various organizations have also set up relief camps to collect donations, general commodities, medicines, clothes and other things for flood-affected people in Rawalpindi city.
President Pakistan People Party Rawalpindi chapter Raja Kamran Hussain told APP that five camps had been established at Raja Bazaar, Committee Chowk, Rehmanabad, Sadiqabad and Shakrail Bazar to help the catastrophe-hit people.
Meanwhile, President Markazi Anjuman Tajraan Punjab, Sharjil Mir said that trade bodies of the city had organized many camps at all city bazaars, including Saidpur road, Gawalmandi, Murree Road, Saddar and others to help the flood affected. He said that the business community would leave no stone unturned for the help of the flood victims.
Mir said that a massive disaster had hit the country, and it was our prime duty to utilize all resources for the help of those who were sitting helplessly in the flood-affected areas. In addition, Pak Army, District Administration, Jamat Islami, Tehrik Labaik, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also established relief camps in the city to support flood victims.