Govt takes all necessary flood management and preparatory measures for Monsoon: Faisal Vawda      

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda on Friday said that the government had taken all necessary flood management and preparatory measures in a wake of ongoing Monsoon season. Chairing a 2019-Monsoon flood coordination meeting here, the minister directed the provincial Irrigation Departments to ensure removal all the encroachments from the river beds and flood plains.

The meeting was informed that the Federal Government approved 13 flood protection schemes for all the four provinces during the last year, said a press release issued here.

To manage the floods during the current monsoon season, Faisal Vawda urged the provincial governments to legislate for stopping encroachments in the floodplains. The Federal Government has already facilitated the provinces by providing a Model River Act for enactment.

At the Federal level, Pakistan Met Department has made its Flood Forecasting Division, Lahore functional which is disseminating daily weather and flood situation and forecasts to all the federal provincial and district level stake holders besides hosting on its website regularly.

To facilitate provision of river discharges, reservoirs data and flood related information to higher government offices, a dedicated flood communication cell has also been made functional in the Federal Flood Commission.  The Minister stated that according to Met Dept, this year normal to above normal rains were expected in Northern half of country.

The government has ensured complete overhaul of Flood-telemetry stations which would be fully operational in upper river catchments to improve flood forecasting and reaction time. He added that. Federal Flood Commission being the apex flood management agency was fully geared up and operational to oversee all mandated responsibilities. Further, Indus Commissioner was in liaison with the Indian Commissioner to obtain on daily basis flood discharge data relating to eastern rivers, he said.

The Minister said that the government believed in cooperative spirit for implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty and expects the same from India. In this regard, the federal minister hoped that Indian government would maintain the past practice of sharing of flood information with Pakistan to save precious lives from the likely menace of flood.

According to Met Dept, Seasonal Weather Outlook, this year there were chances of extreme weather events and hence high to very high floods might be experienced besides urban flooding for which utmost and fool proof inter agency and inter provincial coordination needed to be ensured as top most priority, the Minister concluded.