Civil, military officials briefed about likely monsoon challenges

LAHORE: Both civil and military establishments are receiving briefings from meteorological department, irrigation department, water and sanitation authorities and district administrations on the intensity of the upcoming monsoon rains and compatible arrangements to deal with them, said sources.

According to the sources, Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz took a detailed briefing on the issue at the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) the other day. Chief Met, along with Chief Secretary Punjab, Secretary Irrigation and other concerned departments briefed her on the upcoming monsoon rains and the arrangements to avoid losses.

Similarly, they added, special briefings have also been organized at the General Head Quarters (GHQ) one after another. Besides, officers from various Corps have also visited provincial offices of Pakistan Meteorological Department to get briefings on a dashboard set up at the office.

According to the sources, all the high-ups are explained difference between the seasonal forecast and weather forecast with a request not to intermingle both of them. Furthermore, it was briefed both the sides that 40 percent of the monsoon rains would downpour during the month of July this season.

The sources said the Chief Minister Punjab had expressed worries over the information, saying that it may play havoc with urban and rural populations. However, she was briefed that this trend would be good for the season, as any delay in rains would reduce the period for heavy rains in case of a late start. She was further informed that there was no major threat of floods out of the rains in the month of July.

The irrigation department requested her to give approval for closing down breaching section of Shahdrah, as the lingering delay in this respect was causing burden on the provincial exchequer.

Sources further pointed out that both Pakistan and India have witnessed less than normal rains in the month of June, which means a sufficient capacity in the dams to absorb water from the catchment areas ahead. It would also be beneficial to the rice crop, set to cultivate in the month of July, they added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024