KARACHI: PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has asked the party’s government in Sindh to keep an eye on the flood threat in the province and ensure protection of life and property of people living in vulnerable areas.

He directed provincial ministers and PPP leaders to visit embankments along Indus River and seasonal streams and submit by Monday evening a report to him about the state of preparedness to meet the possible flood challenge.

He issued the directives during a meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at Bilawal House on Sunday.

Mr Zardari said he would himself monitor the flood situation from a cell being set up in Bilawal House. He warned that no lapse in dealing with the flood challenge would be tolerated.

The chief minister informed the PPP leader about the measures taken so far to face the flood threat. He said that a state of emergency had been declared in the province two days ago and leaves of officials of the district administration cancelled.

Mr Zardari asked the chief minister to utilise all resour­ces to meet the challenge and regularly seek reports from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

The ministers and MPAs and leaders asked to visit vul­­­­nerable areas are Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani (Kandhkot-Kashmore), Nisar Ahmad Khu­­hro (Larkana), Syed Murad Ali Shah (Dadu), Makhdoom Jameeluzzaman (Matiari), Jam Khan Shoro (Hyderabad), Nasir Shah (Sukkur), Mohammad Ali Malkani (Thatta), Dr Sikan­der Mandhro (Badin), Mir Munawwar Talpur (Mir­pur­khas), Dost Mohammad Rah­i­­m­oon (Tharparkar), Jam Mehtab Dahar and Ali Nawaz Mahar (Ghotki), Gay­a­­n­­chand Israni and Malik Asad Sikander (Jamshoro), Manzoor Wassan (Khairpur), Ghulam Qadir Chandio (Bena­­­­­­­zirabad), Imdad Pitafi (Tando Allahyar) and Shahid Thaheem (Sanghar).

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2014