RAWALPINDI:Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Rawalpindi has been put on high alert to deal with any emergency and flash flood in Nullah Leh during monsoon season.
According to a WASA spokesman, Umar Farooq, under rain emergency enforced for the period of June 15 to Sept 15, WASA staff on the directives of Managing Director WASA, Raja Shoukat Mehmood, would remain alert and heavy machinery would also remain in the field during monsoon season.
The authorities concerned had finalized a plan which included cleaning of sewerage lines, annual cleaning of Nullah Leh as well as inspection of WASA machinery and monitoring possibility of floods, he said adding, the agency had completed first phase of ‘Nullah Lai’ cleanliness project besides finalizing all the arrangements for monsoon season.
He said that the agency had completed the cleanliness project to protect the city areas particularly low-lying from flash flooding. The Nullah from ‘Katarian to Rialto’ Bridge Murree Road had been cleared and all critical points of the nullah were especially focused under the dredging and de-silting project, he said.
The cleaning of small and big drains and nullahs of the city was being completed by the Municipal Corporation and Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC).
He also appealed to the residents living along Nullah Leh to avoid throwing and dumping solid waste into the nullah as it creates a hindrance in the flow of water, resulting in floods during heavy rains. However, he made it clear that strict action would be taken against those who would be found involved in this activity.
The agency on the directives of the MD WASA had completed the operational preparations for monsoon season, he said.
WASA had finalised a monsoon plan and all necessary arrangements were completed to cope with flash flooding during monsoon season, he added.
WASA had established the Field Offices as Flood Response Units which were made functional at five different places in Rawalpindi at Moti Mahal, Liquat Bagh, Bagh Sardaran, Commercial Market Satellite Town and Khyaban-e-Sir Syed.
Heavy machinery of WASA including six sucker machines, five jetting machines, five sewer cleaning rodding machines, 28 dewatering sets and 24 water bouzers are in working condition and deployed at these Flood Response Units, he added.