July 05, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 1, 1429

KARACHI, July 4: Rain emergency has been announced in several towns of the metropolis following Met Office forecast of moderate to heavy rains in the monsoon that has set in with the advent of July.

Malir Town, which has proved to be the most vulnerable to flooding during monsoon rains, announced rain emergency measures on Friday and cancelled leaves of the municipal staff.

Issuing directives to all the officials concerned, acting Town Nazim Sharafat Ali and TMO Wasim Mustafa Soomro asked the KWSB staff to ensure their presence at their places of duty during the rains.

A rain emergency complaint centre has also been set up with phone numbers 4512232, 4515803 and 4512029 and fax number 4516724 for general public to seek help round the clock.

Nazim of Korangi Town Mohammad Arif Khan declared rain emergency in the jurisdiction of the town and cancelled leaves of sanitary staff. The emergency centre set up in the town to lodge rain-related complaints round the clock can be approached by dialling 5075522, according to an announcement.

Mr Khan, along with Naib Nazim Mohammad Asghar Qureshi and TMO Mushtaq Ahmed Memon, inspected cleaning of rainwater drains and removal of encroachments on Friday, and said that a strategy was chalked out to tackle any situation created by rains and flooding during the monsoon.

Acting Nazim of Shah Faisal Town Mr Karimuddin on Friday declared rain emergency in all union councils of the town and asked all the officials and employees concerned to ensure their attendance at their places of duty.

Accompanied by TMO Syed Faisal Ahmed Bukhari, UC nazims and naib nazims, he visited various areas of the town and declared that all UC offices would work as rain-related complaint centres. He instructed all departments to remain alert during the monsoon and advised citizens to contact the town administration at 9248648 for any assistance regarding rain emergency.

KESC advisory

The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) has cautioned the general public to be extra-careful during rains to avoid electrocution or electrical shock.

A KESC spokesman on Friday advised people, especially children, not to get close to electrical poles or any other KESC installation during monsoon.

He recalled that precious lives were lost in the past due to the hooks (kundas) that were fixed for drawing electricity illegally. “This can be a proper occasion for the people using such hooks to desist from this practice to avoid risk of electrocution,” he said.

He suggested measures to seek immediate help from KESC in case of the following incidents:

(a) Wire break: Dial 118 or on the nerve centre numbers 9218340-41. If it is busy, lodge a complaint at the local centre’s window. The broken wire may be live and may cause a fatal accident.

(b) Do not get close to or touch a broken wire.

(c) Do not use a ‘kunda’ connection during rain.

(d) Keep away from electricity installations like poles, PMTs and substations.

(e) Generator should be installed with an independent line separate from a KESC line as hooking a generator wire to a KESC wire (even neutral) may be dangerous for the KESC staff at work during power failure.

(f) Keep away from the accumulated water around an electrical pole or installations.

(g) Don’t touch switch of a streetlight while it is wet or it’s raining.

TV cable operators have also been warned not to climb over a pole during the rains for any sort of repair or installation work.—APP/PPI