GUJRAT: Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain has said Gujrat city’s new sewerage system will be designed keeping in view its requirements of the next 50 years, on the demand of the PML-Q.

Talking to reporters at the Zahoor Elahi Cricket Stadium, after presiding over a meeting held to review the situation of urban flooding in Gujrat, as well as the relief and rehabilitation efforts being made in the affected areas.

Gujranwala Commissioner Naveed Haider Sherazi and Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Nurulain Qureshi briefed the minister about the causes of urban flooding and the efforts of civic agencies to resolve the issue.

The minister said that the drainage capacity of the civic agencies would be enhanced further, adding that the administration did a tremendous job by draining out the rainwater in record time.

He said the city’s old sewerage and drainage system needs to be upgraded as per the future requirements so that such a massive urban flooding could be averted.

He urged the people to act responsibly by not throwing garbage into the sewerage and open drains to prevent choking of the system.

The commissioner told the minister that timely and swift action by the district administration averted any major loss during the urban flooding.

Mr Hussain was also briefed by the DC on the relief operations in the rural areas affected by the recent flooding in the river Chenab as at least 83 villages of Gujrat tehsil were adversely hit by the floodwaters in the last week of August.

SCHOOLS: Educational activities in Sialkot will be fully restored from Sept 15, as 26 government schools — closed down until Sept 12 due to stagnant floodwaters — are set to reopen on Monday.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Saba Asghar Ali.

The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Ayub Bukhari, Sialkot district education authority CEO, development deputy director and other concerned officials.

Earlier, all public and private educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities, had been closed until September 5, with Saturday and Sunday observed as weekly holidays, in view of the flood situation. Universities, however, were subsequently exempted from the closure order.

During the meeting, the DC directed the relevant departments to immediately complete a real-time assessment of the infrastructure, furniture, educational materials, and facilities of the flood-affected schools so that rehabilitation measures could be undertaken without a delay.

She also instructed the education department and the buildings department to ensure cleaning, repair, and safety arrangements of all schools within the stipulated time.

She reaffirmed that the uninterrupted provision of education remained the top priority of the government.

It may be recalled that earlier, 80 public schools had been closed until Sept 10, while the closure of 26 of these schools was further extended until Sept 12.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2025