HARIPUR: A disaster preparedness plan for Haripur district was approved here on Tuesday.

The development occurred during a meeting chaired by district nazim Akhtar Nawaz Khan and attended by deputy commissioner, additional deputy commissioner, medical superintendent DHQ hospital, district health officer, tehsildars of all three tehsils, tehsil municipal officers, DFO, and representatives of Rescue 1122 and communication and works department.

The DC briefed participants about the frequent wildfires in different parts of district and the damage caused by them to forests, the problems facing departments and volunteers in combating wildfires, and future strategies to prevent them.

He also shared the weather forecast and preparedness for the coming monsoon season.

The departmental heads informed participants about the available resources for combating disaster-like situations.

Meeting approves measures against wildfires, floods

On the occasion, assistant commissioner Dr Mujtaba Arfat was made the district disaster management officer, while his office was declared the sub-control room.

The DC’s office will serve as the main control room gathering information from the relevant authorities before disseminating to all concerned.

Additional deputy commissioner Baidullah Shah was made the inquiry officer for the recent wildfires.

For the prevention of wildfires in forest areas, the participants approved creation of public awareness of manmade fires, the people’s education through mosques, establishment of fire lines in fire-prone areas, allocation of funds for firefighting equipment, training of 20-30 volunteers in firefighting, and deployment of volunteers for vigilance in fire-prone areas and updating the control room in case of a fire.

For combating flash floods during the monsoon season, they approved removal of encroachments from rainwater courses, streams, irrigation channels and drains, cleanliness of drains in urban limits, and development of an early flood warning system.

District nazim Akhtar Nawaz Khan asked the government departments to follow the disaster preparedness plan to protect public life and property.

He said a coordinated effort on part of all departments was direly needed to prevent disasters and that he won’t tolerate any negligence in that respect.

SENTENCED: The Haripur model criminal trial court on Tuesday handed over death sentence and Rs200,000 fine to a resident for killing a schoolgirl.

According to the prosecution, Azra Bibi, a 10th grader from Hattar village, was gunned down by villager Adnan as she was on the way to her school on Sept 8, 2015.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2019