Sindh Senior Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon stated that the provincial government and local administration have been actively responding to the rain situation across the province.
He stated this on Friday while speaking at a press conference. In Karachi, Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab stayed awake all night to oversee drainage efforts, while the mayors of Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas are also present on-site, Memon said, adding that our MPs and MNAs are on the ground, and as long as the situation persists, they will continue to be present on the ground.
The chief minister has been visiting the rain-affected areas, and the irrigation minister is also on duty at this time, he said, maintaining that the government machinery is active in all districts, including Karachi, with ministers, chairmen, councillors, and mayors all fully engaged in the drainage work.
Memon said that when natural disasters occur, it is not the job of governments to sit back; rather, governments were obligated to be in the field. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari had given special instructions to the Sindh government that everyone had to be present on the field. The entire situation was being monitored by PPP leader Faryal Talpur herself and she had assigned duties to MPAs and MNAs in all the districts to remain present in the affected areas.
Stating the data, he said that the highest rainfall in Sindh has been recorded in the Badin district. Shaheed Fazil Rahu of Badin recorded the highest rainfall of 190mm, followed by 168mm in Badin, 164mm in Matli, 118mm in Talhar, 101mm in Hyderabad city and 96 mm in rural areas of Hyderabad, 101mm in Latifabad and 168mm in Qasimabad, 157mm in Mirpurkhas, 159mm in Digri, 155mm in Hussain Bakhsh Murree, 145mm in Shujaabad, 136mm in Sindhri, 127mm in Pithoro Umarkot, 120mm in Kunri, and 115mm in Umarkot.
He said that there is no positive response from Hesco and Sepco to our efforts to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to deal with emergencies during rains. “I have also spoken to the federal government, and the chief minister of Sindh has also issued instructions. Drainage is possible when the pumping machines are running, we have most of the drainage machines running on electricity, and there have been problems due to the absence of electricity,” he said.
The senior minister stated that the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari distributed solar panels yesterday, marking a significant turning point in Pakistan’s history. This provision of this relief is not just a temporary measure; it is a long-term commitment. The late leader of the Peoples Party, Benazir Bhutto, had envisioned the Thar Coal project, which was halted after her government ended.
Memon said Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is providing free electricity to 200,000 families through solar panels. According to BISP data, these 200,000 deserving families will receive free solar electricity for life. This initiative by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is revolutionary, as no other province in Pakistan has provided free solar energy the way the Sindh government is doing under his vision.
He stated that the Benazir Income Support Programme continues to this day; governments have come and gone, and the name of the programme hasn’t been changed, but the project was so effective that no one could stop it. Memon mentioned that under the vision of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, houses for 2.1 million families are being constructed across Sindh, providing shelter to those affected by floods. He expressed confidence that the day is not far when the PPP forms the federal government.
