Urban flooding feared in monsoon

Islamabad: The National Disaster Management Authority has asked the relevant authorities to take measures ahead of the monsoon season to prevent urban flooding in Sindh and Punjab provinces.

In a letter issued to the provincial chief secretaries and disaster management authorities, the NDMA said during the 2019 monsoon season, many shortfalls were observed during the handling of urban flooding situation in Sindh and Punjab, especially in Karachi (Lath Nadi and Gujjar Nullah), Hyderabad, Thatta, Lahore and Rawalpindi (Leh Nullah).

It added that those issues should be addressed before the onset of the upcoming monsoon season.

The NDMA said the Pakistan Meteorological Department had forecast above normal monsoon rainfall in Sindh, upper parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab in the current year.

It said monsoon rains could trigger urban flooding, which merited cleanliness of waterways of problematic nullahs and tributaries, clearance of drainage system, placement of available resources and proactive coordination mechanism and response at all levels to prevent the worst situation.

The NDMA asked the relevant authorities to formulate strategies for urban flooding response and produce them for necessary action.