ISLAMABAD, June 14: Provinces have been asked to take effective flood control measures, train emergency staff and ensure completion of flood protection projects by the end of this month.

Presiding over the 41st annual inter-provincial meeting of the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) here on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi directed the provinces to finalise arrangements to combat floods well ahead of the monsoon season that normally started in mid-July.

The minister directed the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) to accelerate the setting up of a radar network covering the entire country to provide accurate weather information during flood season to minimise flood damage besides giving early warning to people, providing them ample time to prepare.

Provinces were also directed to prepare a comprehensive long-term flood protection plan for effective protection of people’s lives and property.

The meeting decided to set up a flood communication cell in the FFC, which would work from July 1 till October 15, to obtain data from National Flood Forecasting Division (NFFD) in Lahore and other flood warning centres being set up in all provincial headquarters.

Secretaries of provincial irrigation departments told the meeting that work on all emergency flood protection embankments was under way and they would be completed before the start of the flood season.

They said the provincial irrigation and power departments were constituting teams for pre-flood inspection of all flood embankments, protection works and sections prone to breaches.

They said representatives of Pakistan Army and flood relief commissioners are also associated with these inspection teams. Special arrangements, they said, had been made for vigilance and flood fighting material would be stocked by provincial irrigation departments at important locations to ensure the safety of embankments.

The meeting was informed that provincial flood warning centres would also be set up in the NWFP and Balochistan.

The meeting was informed that commissioners of Pakistan and India for Indus Waters would also discuss modalities of communicating flood data from India during the next meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission likely to be held in the last week of the current month.

The office of the Pakistan’s Commission for Indus Water will establish its own Flood Data Monitoring Cell to be manned round-the clock. The cell, after obtaining and monitoring the flood information from India, would pass on the information to Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) and Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in Lahore.

The Met office’s representatives said that they had forecast normal rains during the monsoon season.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of Indus River System Authority (Irsa).