SUKKUR, Aug 7: The army has been put on high alert in the wake of high flood which is expected to reach the Sukkur Barrage on August 11-16. Besides army personnel, officials of the civil defence department will also be ready to handle the flood situation in the district.

Speaking at a meeting here on Monday, DCO Shafiq Khoso directed officials of the irrigation department and taluka municipal administrations to shift people of the katcha area to safer places.

The area is likely to be affected by the flood.

The DCO asked officials to keep vigil on embankments and ensure round-the-clock patrolling at vulnerable places and carry out stone dumping at such places to avert any eventuality.

He directed officials to ensure availability of heavy machinery and other related equipment.

He asked the EDO (health) to ensure availability of snake bite vaccine and set up medical camps along embankments.

He also asked the EDO (education) to make arrangements for setting up relief camps in schools situated near the river.

The DCO directed the agriculture department to provide bulldozers. The forest department was asked to provide wood for the purpose.

The meeting asked the revenue department to arrange 33 motorboats.

The meeting was told that the irrigation department had identified some embankments which were in vulnerable condition and required special attention, stone pitching and stone dumping.

The vulnerable points are: Ali Wahan to Gemro (44 miles area), Jind Pir to Garang (7 miles area), and inside the protection wall within the city limits (2 miles area).

He said that the flood control rooms had already been set up in offices of the EDO revenue and at the taluka level in offices of Mukhtiarkar concerned.

He said that officials at control rooms would collect reports in liaison with all departments and transmit the information to the higher authorities.