KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presiding over a meeting on rain emergency and repair of damaged infrastructure directed local government department to install small pumps to drain out rainwater from the streets and simultaneously start patch work of the damaged roads and restore Korangi Causeway.

The meeting that held at CM House was attended by provincial ministers, Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah, Zia Abbas shah, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon, Additional IG Karachi Javed Odho, Secretary Local Govt Najam Shah, Secretary Rehabilitation Asif Memon and other concerned officers.

The Chief Secretary told the chief minister that he had visited various localities of the city and found water had been drained out, but still some portions of Tower, Memon Masjid, KMC building, Kharadar, Wazir Mansion and their connecting streets were submerged. The chief minister was told that the underpasses of district South and East have been cleared of rainwater and they would be opened for traffic by the evening.

The chief minister directed the Local Government to get small pumps installed at the streets where rainwater was still accumulated and clear them. “A forecast for another spell of heavy rain has been issued, therefore we have not to restore all the roads and streets but have to get ready for the upcoming spell,” he said.

Mr Shah said that the Korangi Causeway has been damaged, therefore an alternate route to Korangi from the industrial area was under pressure. He directed Minister Local Government Nasir Shah and Minister Transport Sharjeel Memon to personally visit the causeway and hire a contractor on emergency basis and start work from tomorrow. Meanwhile, the CM directed Additional IG Karachi Javed Odho to ensure traffic management.

The meeting was told that the heavy rainfall has damaged sewerage lines at six different areas, including at CM House, Metropole, Sindhi Muslim Society, Qayumabad, therefore road has sunk. At this the chief minister directed the water board to immediately start work on them so that they could be restored within the next two days. Murad Ali Shah directed the local government department to start patch work of the roads damaged by heavy rain.