ISLAMABAD, Jul 24 (APP): Acting Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Brigadier (Approved Major General) Naiknam Muhammad Baig on Monday presided the special National Emergencies Operations Centre (NEOC) session with key stakeholders on current monsoon situation.
The session was attended by DG Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), representatives of Federal Flood Commission (FFC), provincial disaster management authorities (PDMAs), State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA), Armed Forces and PCIW, a news release said.
The Acting-Chairman NDMA reviewed restoration of roads and bridges, monsoon-related incidents and rescue & relief operations in parts of country including Chitral, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in the past two days.
He instructed relevant departments to prepare resource contingency plans, implement early warning systems and disaster mitigation interventions in hazard-prone areas by learning from the experiences of Floods 2022. He noted that proactive measures are essential in mitigating disaster impact and called for tangible actions before disaster strikes.
The DG PMD briefed on rainfall data in last 24 hours and upcoming monsoon spell. He informed that next monsoon spell is expected to bring heavy rains in the upper parts of the country from July 31st to August 6th, triggering urban flooding in major cities, flash flooding and landsliding in hilly regions.
He apprised of major reservoirs including Tarbela and Mangla which are nearly full at 79% and 74% respectively. It was mentioned that two Indian dams Pong & Thein are also close to capacity and there is a possibility of flood flow from India into River Indus, which may affect Lahore adversely. The FFC informed that all major rivers are currently within normal limits.
The PDMAs, GBDMA, and SDMA presented details of rescue and relief operations and restoration work of blocked communication infrastructure in their respective regions.
The Acting-Chairman NDMA directed Provincial Authorities to undertake public awareness on all media channels and social media to maximise general public’s knowledge on risk associated with monsoon season and make arrangements for allocation of their resources according to PMD’s weather projections.
