HYDERABAD, Sept 8: More than 1,500 rain-affected people of Latifabad, Qasimabad and City talukas took shelter in relief camps set up by the district government in different government school buildings on Friday.

DCO Mohammad Hussain Syed said the arrival of displaced people was continuing in the relief camps and food and other necessity items along with medicines were being provided to them.

He said that a majority of people who had been shifted to the camps belong to different parts of the Latifabad taluka.

He said the district administration with the help of Pakistan Army and Rangers had been engaged to evacuate people of low-lying areas who were stranded in their homes following inundation of their areas.

Contingents of Rangers were sent to rain-hit areas on the special directives of the director-general of the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, Maj-Gen Javed Zia.

In this regard specialised units of Qasim Rangers have moved to low-lying areas which are inundated by rains.

Stranded families are being evacuated and shifted to various relief camps where they are being provided medical assistance and free meals.

Water tankers have also been sent to various parts of the city to provide drinking water to rain-hit people with the prime aim to control any outbreak of diseases arising out in the wake of such deadly wet spell.

A control room has been established at the Qasim Rangers Headquarters in Hyderabad where the situation is closely being monitored. District Naib Nazim Zaffar Rajput said that all available resources of the district government and Wasa will be utilised to cope with the situation arising from heavy rainfall.

Talking to people during a visit to different parts of City, Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas, Mr Rajput termed the heavy downpour a natural disaster and beyond existing capacity of Wasa but expressed the hope that the agency would manage the situation as it did during last rains.

He said that the installation of stand by generators at each drainage and water supply pumping station, de-silting of main drains and technical strengthening of Wasa by the district government, officials concerned and institutions were in a position to meet challenges.

He said the patience and cooperation of people was needed to meet havoc caused by recent disasters.

He said that an effective strategy was being formulated to solve post-rain problems of citizens. Mr Rajput said that about 40 relief camps had been set up in all three urban talukas of districts where besides all lodging and boarding facilities, medical facilities were also being provided to rain victims.

MQM ministers and advisers on the directives of party leader Altaf Hussain reached the city to monitor rescue and relief operations.

A spokesman of the district government said District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil has cancelled his engagements in London and was reushing back.

On the request of the district nazim by telephone, the Karachi nazim provided 12 water disposal pumping machines for the Hyderabad district for early disposal of standing rainwater in low-lying areas.—APP