LAHORE: The City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) is likely to issue eviction notices soon after July 15 to those residing along the bank or on the bed of the River Ravi as a preemptive measure to deal with monsoon rains and expected flood.

The objective behind notices to the residents is to save them from any untoward situation by shifting them to safer places, according to an official of the CDGL.

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, the official said that in a meeting held here recently to review the arrangements and precautionary measures to deal with the monsoon and flood-like situation in the Ravi, the participants were unanimous to take all the possible steps in this regard.

“It has been decided to deeply assess the existing capacity of the river’s banks, spurs/dykes, etc. and strengthen them through certain measures as per experts’ recommendations,” the official said.

He said separate standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the CDGL, Civil Defence, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), 1122, police, Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) and other departments concerned were also finalised in the meeting. The directions to the departments were also issued to get their respective SOPs implemented by the field staff.

“A control room has also been set up at the DCO office where the representatives of departments concerned have been assigned various tasks to monitor the situation,” the official added.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2015

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