NAROWAL: The purpose of Rescue 1122 drills is to improve the capabilities of the Rescue 1122 personnel and to make up their deficiencies so that in the hour of the need their abilities may be used to avoid the loss of life and property.

Narowal Deputy Commissioner Waheed Asghar said this at a function of Rescue 1122 at MR Link Canal (Dheli Canal) on Tuesday. He said, “People face great difficulties during the monsoon and ensuing flooding but the district administration is arranging measures to save the people from possible flooding in the upcoming rainy season,” Mr Asghar said.

“The district administration is capable of coping with possible rains and flood; we’ll try our best that there is no or minimum loss.”

District Emergency Officer Adnan Nawaz said that whenever roofs caved in due to rains and flood or acres came under under flooding, Rescue 1122 personnel worked selflessly and rescued injured people from collapsed houses and shifted them to the Narowal District Headquarters Hospital.

He said, “The brave Rescue 1122 personnel shifted the people to safe places from flooded villages and houses and did not care for the fast flow of the River Ravi and Nullah Dek,” Mr Nawaz said.

He said the drills would improve the performance of the personnel so that rescue work is done in a better way in the face of eventualities.

Rescue 1122 personnel conducted exercises at MR Link Canal; they demonstrated rescuing flood-hit and drowning people and shifting them to safe places.

Officials and volunteers of Rescue 1122 participated in the exercise while the officers and officials of health, education, civil defence, roads, buildings and live stocks attended the exercise.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2019