SWAT: Commissioner Shahidullah Khan said on Thursday that climate change was a big threat to Malakand division and all the institutions had to work under a proactive plan to reduce its negative impacts.

He was presiding over a meeting at his office in Saidu Sharif to review preparations for monsoon rains during the summer by the district administration and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

Administrative and relief officers from all the districts of Malakand division participated in the meeting through a video link. He said that Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, and other hilly areas faced severe climate change threat.

“In case of any sudden calamity, people look towards institutions. In such a case, only good planning helps the institutions to play a better role,” he said.

Commissioner reviews preparations for monsoon rains

The commissioner issued orders to PDMA, district administration and other relevant departments to plan vigorously in that regard. He said that plans based on actual data should be sent to the relevant forums to ensure availability of resources.

“People should avoid spreading rumours during any emergency situation and the relevant district administrations should devise a comprehensive plan to take a coordinated action in this regard. People should only accept trusted information provided by the relevant institutions,” said the Malakand commissioner.

He said that all the relevant district administrations needed to activate an early warning system to deal with any emergency situation. The administrations should ensure availability of heavy machinery to avoid any untoward incident.

OUTAGES: Swat Bar Association president Advocate Saeed Khan on Thursday asked the government end unscheduled power loadshedding in the district.

He said that power loadshedding had adversely affected businesses. He added that people suffered owing prolonged power outages.

Mr Khan said that Mingora was the financial hub of the entire Malakand division but the worst power outages paralysed the businesses in the city. He said that the majority of businesses were run by electricity.

“These days, we are facing unannounced and prolonged loadshedding, which has become a routine. It has badly affected the life of people. Nearly all the businesses have come to a standstill,” he said.

He said that people would take to streets if government failed to end power loadshedding.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2023