KARACHI: The city administration on Wednesday reviewed at a meeting the arrangements for the implementation of contingency plans made to cope with the expected tropical cyclone and heatwave.

The contingency plan was made jointly by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), district administrations, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, DMCs, Pakistan Navy, cantonment boards, and other relevant departments.

Official sources said that a senior official of the Met department briefed the participants in a high-level meeting on the weather situation, telling them that the tropical cyclone Vayu was expected to hit Thatta and other parts of the province on June 16-17.

The weatherman also told the meeting that Karachi might have a spell of rain and heatwave under the influence of this system.

A PDMA representative told the meeting that in view of the expected heatwave, an alert had been issued to all the departments concerned, including the deputy commissioners of Karachi.

The meeting, held with Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani, decided that all deputy commissioners, representatives of the PDMA, KMC, DMCs and Pakistan Navy and other relevant departments would finalise their contingency plans as soon as possible to provide relief and protection to the citizens.

It was decided in the meeting that all deputy commissioners would activate heatwave first response centres in their jurisdictions with the help of the relevant organisations and departments.

It was decided in the meeting that all district municipal corporations would remove the billboards installed in their district violating the Supreme Court orders.

It was also decided in the meeting that the SBCA would ensure that the builders as well as the owners of under-construction buildings take steps for the protection of citizens during rains.

The KMC representative assured the meeting that the desilting and cleaning work of the drains would be completed by June 30.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2019