Punjab has finalised a comprehensive strategy to protect the province from the effects of an intense heatwave and possible flooding, with all relevant departments placed on alert and district administrations directed to complete advance preparedness measures.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting to review preparedness for heatwave and flood-related risks arising from climate change. She was given a detailed briefing by all concerned departments on preventive arrangements. During the meeting, the chief minister unexpectedly connected with the entire provincial administration through a Zoom link and issued directives to commissioners, deputy commissioners and field officers across Punjab.
Addressing the district administrations via video link, CM Punjab said the essence of good governance lay in preventing disasters rather than responding after damage had occurred.
She said a seven-kilometre-long embankment at Jalalpur Pirwala, where severe flooding had occurred in the past, was nearing completion and had been designed with a height of 10 feet. Referring to Alipur, which had also suffered extensive flooding, she recalled that the entire provincial cabinet had remained in the field during the emergency and said the Chandar Bun embankment had now been completed to eliminate the previous gap.
The chief minister said the Noor Raja Bhatta embankment, measuring 12.6 kilometres in length and 16 feet in height, had been completed, while the safety of all hydraulic structures of the irrigation department had been ensured before the onset of the monsoon season.
She said flood-damaged irrigation infrastructure had been restored in a record period, with projects normally requiring two years completed within four months. She added that the province’s irrigation monitoring system had also been modernised.
CM Pubjab Maryam Nawaz said a new 48-kilometre embankment was being constructed in the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda) area, which had been inundated during the previous floods, while all flood-prone areas of Lahore had now been secured.
Praying that Punjab would never again face devastation caused by floods, she said the Livestock Department had completed mapping of animals across the province, identifying vulnerable areas, fodder requirements and livestock populations. She said no epidemic had broken out among humans or animals despite the worst floods in the province’s history due to effective management.
She said the government had ensured the availability of clean drinking water, medicines, “Clinic on Wheels” services and mobile livestock hospitals in affected areas. Livestock vaccination had been completed before the monsoon, fodder stocks had been pre-positioned in all districts and 710 modern vaccine storage units had been established.
The chief minister said the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) central control room and district control rooms were fully operational and that, in any emergency, the entire government would respond collectively under a “whole-of-government” approach.
She said an integrated coordination system had been established across all districts and warned that no negligence or delay would be tolerated, as even a moment’s delay could result in the loss of precious human lives. She directed deputy commissioners and field officers to remain fully in control of the situation at all times and ensure an immediate response as soon as rainfall forecasts were issued.
The chief minister instructed the secretary for primary healthcare to strengthen monitoring and oversight across districts and urged all departments to remain prepared for every possible situation.
Referring to a briefing by the Prime Minister’s team and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), CM Punjab said Punjab was expected to receive below-normal rainfall this year while experiencing a prolonged heatwave.
She warned that temperatures in southern and central Punjab could rise between 52 and 55 degrees Celsius, while northern Punjab, Potohar and Rawalpindi Division could face localised heavy rainfall and cloudburst incidents, raising the risk of urban flooding. Reduced rainfall, she said, could also adversely affect the kharif crop.
Describing climate change as an undeniable reality, she referred to recent fatalities caused by heatwaves in Europe and France and stressed the need for constant preparedness.