KARACHI, May 22: During monsoon rains the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) will provide temporary shelter to those people living near drains and in need of help and will shift them to KMC-administered schools.

Metropolitan commissioner Matanat Ali Khan said this while addressing a meeting of officials of the district municipal corporations(DMCs), the police, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, the Karachi Electric Supply Company and the Sui Southern Gas Company, said a statement issued here.

The metropolitan commissioner said that a campaign for cleanliness of big drains in the city should be expedited and all necessary machinery put in proper condition before the upcoming monsoon.

He directed officials of DMCs to concentrate on works of drainage of water in underpasses and cleanliness of drains and repair of drain line walls.

He directed all organisations providing basic facilities to coordinate with each other and make a combined strategy for overcoming any emergency in the city.

He said that uninterrupted electricity supply should be ensured for draining out rainwater accumulating on big roads during rains through pumps.

He said that arrangements for standby generators for provision of uninterrupted electricity supply should be ensured and the SSGC put its emergency squad in proper condition for any emergency situation.

The KMC and all DMCs should prepare a report with reference to machinery, labour and other facilities, he added.

He said that during rains the municipal services department should put all its de-watering pumps in proper condition.

Mr Khan directed municipal services department that staff of fire brigade, rescue emergency squad and emergency response centre should remain on duty during the monsoon season.

He said all city organisations providing basic facilities in the city should be in contact with each other under the command and control system providing 24-hour services to the people where representatives of the KESC and the KWSB would also remain present.

Important telephone numbers should be published in the newspapers for benefit of the people, he added.

The KWSB officers said that provision of electricity to pumping stations that often went off during heavy rains should be ensured.

They said that due to electricity outages, water drainage works also became halted and uninterrupted power supply should be ensured.

Director general of technical services Niaz Ahmed Soomro, senior director of municipal services Dr Shaukat Zaman, director of machinery pool Noman Arshad, director of education Afaq Mirza, KWSB’s Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, XEN Dr Mukhtar A. Palijo, Zaheer H. Rizvi from the KESC, Syed Masroor Naqvi from the SSGC and other officials attended the meeting.—APP