Met department asked to enhance capacity

Met department asked to enhance capacity

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani directed the Met department on Tuesday to enhance weather forecasting capability by establishing a link with the European Satellite System and using international data.

Presiding over a meeting on disaster preparedness, the prime minister ordered the ministry of water and power, National Highway Authority, Pakistan Railways and National Disaster Management Authority to expedite the removal of encroachments in the waterways and strengthening of the embankments along Sher Shah Bridge, Akbar Bund, and Shahdra Railway Bridge before the start of monsoon to minimise the effects of any flooding.

Mr Gilani directed the finance ministry and the economic affairs division to arrange funds required for enhancement of weather forecasting capacity. “It will be worthwhile not to follow the approach of ‘penny wise, pound foolish’,” he said.

He appreciated the idea of disaster risk insurance to cover possible damages in the disaster-prone areas and asked the finance ministry and economic affairs division to examine the case in detail and work out options with the ministry of disaster management and NDMA.

He directed capacity enhancement of NDMA, PDMA and DDMA on priority and asked the provincial chief secretaries to ensure budgetary allocations for disaster management. The prime minister asked the ministry of finance to provide funds to the NDMA to enhance its capacity.

The chief secretary of Punjab apprised the meeting that most of encroachments in the waterways had been removed and the provincial government was maintaining a revolving fund to cope with the aftermath of heavy rains and floods.

The chief secretary of Sindh informed the meeting that with the passage of the ‘encroachment bill’ by the provincial assembly, the administration was fully geared up to eliminate encroachment of natural waterways which caused colossal losses in the province last year.

The chief secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan said the GB suffered losses of Rs8 billion in 2010 when floods cut off and the region from the rest of the country for 45 days. He requested provision of early flood warning system and suggested aggressive forestation to cope with heavy rains and floods and demanded release of remaining Rs3 billion.

The representatives of Wapda informed the meeting that they had found local indigenous solution by digging a canal which would divert Indus floodwater to Tharparkar and Mithi deserts making a large area fit for cultivation.

The chairman of the Federal Flood Commission said that because of installation of early warning system at Nullah Leh in Rawalpindi, the loss of life and property had significantly reduced. The prime minister said the system should be replicated on the seasonal water passages throughout the country.

Mr Gilani instructed the ministry of finance and economic affairs division to mobilise domestic and international financial resources for completion of flood control projects and include these projects in the next Public Sector Development Programme on a priority basis.