HYDERABAD, June 26: Commissioner of Hyderabad Division Ahmed Bux Narejo has declared rain emergency in the division after forecast of pre-monsoon rains and cancelled leaves of officials of the departments concerned.

Addressing a meeting held about rain emergency on Monday evening in Nawabshah, he directed DCs of the division to prepare flood-fighting plans, using all resources to minimise expected losses in case of heavy rainfall.

He said that a fool-proof relief and rescue mechanism should be put in place at the district and taluka level. He directed irrigation officers to identify vulnerable points of banks of canals and ensure availability of heavy machinery, bulldozers and flood-fighting material there to strengthen the banks.

He asked irrigation officers to learn lesson from the rains of the last year that played havoc with public and private properties because of defects and blockage in the Left Bank Outfall Drain network. He directed them to remove blockages and strengthen banks to save people and properties.

He directed taluka municipal officers to ensure desilting of sewerage lines and arrange de-watering pumping machines in advance to avoid inundation of low-laying areas.

He issued directives to establish relief camps with required facilities, arrangement of transport and boats in each district to provide prompt relief and rescue to rain victims, provision of fixed and mobile medical camps with life-saving drugs at the union council level and establishment of control room in districts and talukas to receive people complaints.

He directed the irrigation officers and assistant commissioners concerned to ensure vigilance over the embankments of River Indus and identify vulnerable point of dykes so that they could be strengthened in advance.

The commissioner directed DCs to ensure close co-ordination among the departments concerned and that precautionary arrangements were finalised.

DC of Shaheed Benazirabad, Rasheed Ahmed Zardari told the meeting that arrangements for rain emergency had been made. A control room had been established in his office to receive complaints and ensure co-ordination among the departments concerned. Emergency had been declared in the district, he said.