HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abideen Memon visited various protective embankments on Sunday to review flood preparedness measures. At the Jamshoro Front Bund, irrigation officials briefed him on the latest situation regarding possible flooding.
He said Hyderabad had three important protective embankments — Ghullian Front Bund, Jamshoro Front Bund in Qasimabad, and Gudomal Front Bund in Latifabad — and if the Indus River carried more than 600,000 cusecs of water, the settlements located along these embankments could be affected.
The real situation, he added, would become clear once the floodwaters reached Panjnad. Officials from the irrigation and livestock departments, and Rescue 1122 accompanied the deputy commissioner during the inspection.
He said that on the directives of the Sindh chief minister and chief secretary, advance arrangements were being made to cope with any emergency. Memon explained that the overall plan had been shared with the Sindh government and was prepared on the basis of a flow of up to one million cusecs.
Hyderabad district has a 25-kilometre stretch of protective bunds covering 27 union committees and 28 villages, with a population of around 14,500 people. As part of the plan, eight relief camps are being established in Hussainabad, Sehrish Nagar, Latifabad and other areas, where displaced families will be accommodated if evacuation is required. Alongside these, 12 medical camps, five veterinary camps and 10 mobile rescue teams will be available to assist the affected population.
The deputy commissioner assured that food, drinking water and other necessary facilities would be provided at the camps. He stressed that maximum efforts were being made to prevent any loss of lives or property.
He also mentioned that strict steps must be taken to maintain sanitation and prevent disease outbreaks, noting that the Civil Hospital Hyderabad alone had reported around 5,000 malaria cases in recent days. He urged all the departments to remain fully prepared so that in case of flooding, people could be safely relocated to secure places and provided with all essential relief support.
