Minister reviews flood preparedness in Jalalpur Pirwala

LAHORE: Provincial Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Disaster Management Khawaja Salman Rafique on Tuesday visited flood-prone areas and protective embankments in Jalalpur Pirwala to review flood preparedness and mitigation measures.

Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Saif Anwar Jappa, accompanied the minister during the visit. Khawaja Salman Rafique inspected flood embankments, rescue arrangements, evacuation plans and relief preparedness, and directed the authorities to ensure the timely completion of all protective projects and the availability of required resources.

Addressing officials, the minister said the protection of human lives and property remained the Punjab government’s top priority and directed all relevant departments to remain on high alert throughout the monsoon season. He said the Jalalpur Pirwala and Nooraja Bhatta protective embankments had been constructed at a combined cost of nearly Rs2 billion to safeguard vulnerable areas from flooding. He added that Rescue 1122 and other emergency departments had been equipped with modern machinery and rescue equipment worth billions of rupees to strengthen disaster response capacity across the province.

The minister said the Punjab government had already provided all necessary resources to Multan and other districts for effective flood management and appreciated the performance of the Multan commissioner, district administration and line departments for further strengthening flood management based on lessons learnt from last year’s floods.

During the briefing, Multan Commissioner Amir Karim Khan informed the minister that the 7.2-kilometre protective embankment at Jalalpur Pirwala had been completed and would protect the area from Chenab River backflow. He said the flood contingency plan, evacuation plan and rescue plan had been fully implemented, while evacuation points and relief camps had been established separately for the first time this year to improve emergency response.

The commissioner further said digital mapping of flood-prone areas had been completed, along with comprehensive data on focal persons and available resources. He added that rescue drills had been completed, the control room and all relevant departments were on high alert, and although the current river situation remained normal, complete preparedness had been ensured to deal with any emergency.

Members of the Punjab Assembly Lal Muhammad Joiya and Nazak Karim Lang, Deputy Commissioner Multan Dr Faisal Saleem, Additional Commissioner (Revenue) Akhlaq Ahmed, Director Emergency Dr Hussain Mian and Chief Engineer Irrigation Muhammad Azeem were also present during the visit.

Meanwhile, according to a handout of the PDMA Punjab, monsoon rains were recorded in most districts of Punjab during the last 24 hours. Due to the instructions and prior arrangements of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, drainage was ensured in the shortest possible time despite the record rains. Due to timely planning, preparation of relevant institutions and advance availability of machinery, immediate drainage of rainwater in urban areas was made possible.

According to the PDMA spokesperson, the highest rainfall was recorded in Faisalabad. DG PDMA Muhammad Saif Anwar Jappa has said that the current monsoon rains are likely to continue till August 5. He appealed to the citizens to take precautionary measures during the rains, avoid unnecessary travel, be careful near low-lying areas, rivers and power installations and follow the instructions of the relevant institutions in any emergency.

PDMA Punjab is continuously monitoring the monsoon situation across the province and all district administrations and relevant institutions are on alert so that all possible facilities and timely assistance can be provided to the citizens.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026