ANANTNAG: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo, along with Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, today visited south Kashmir and took a first-hand appraisal of the prevailing flood situation in the districts of Anantnag and Kulgam.
During the visit, the Minister and Advisor visited the flood gauge station Sangam and assessed the current water levels. They reviewed the latest readings recorded at the gauge station and interacted with the officials of the Irrigation & Flood Control Department.
Officers of the Irrigation and Flood Control department briefed the Minister and Advisor about the prevailing discharge levels, forecast trends, and precautionary measures being undertaken to ensure a timely response in case of further rise.
On the occasion, the Minister emphasised that safeguarding public health and safety remains the government’s foremost priority. She directed the concerned officers to maintain close vigil, ensure round-the-clock monitoring of river levels and remain fully prepared with emergency response plans.
The Advisor to the Chief Minister underlined the importance of coordination among line departments for effective disaster preparedness. He stressed the need for real-time information flow to both district administrations and local communities, so that any emergent situation can be handled without delay.
Later, the Minister and the Advisor also held a meeting at the district headquarters in Anantnag to review the prevailing flood situation in Anantnag and Shopian districts.
The meeting was attended by MLAs Altaf Ahmad Wani, Abdul Majid Larmi, Reyaz Ahmad Khan and Zaffar Ali Khatana; Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, Syeed Fakhruddin Hamid; Chief Engineer, FC Kashmir, ADDC, ADC, ACR, ACD, Anantnag, Exen PHE Bijbihara, Exen Flood Control Anantnag, AEEs of various wings and other concerned officers while ADDC Shopian and other concerned officers of the district Shopian participated in the meeting virtually.
During the meeting, the Minister directed the officers to maintain round-the-clock monitoring of water levels of all rivers and streams and ensure a swift communication mechanism between field staff and control rooms. She asked the Deputy Commissioners to disseminate necessary alerts to the public through their respective control rooms on an hourly basis so that people in vulnerable areas can be safely evacuated at the earliest in case of any exigency.
The Minister further stressed upon officers to ensure adequate stock of rations, availability of drinking water and other essential items. She also called upon the health authorities to keep the availability of medicines and the readiness of medical teams to deal with any possible exigency. She further asked them to deploy mobile medical teams to vulnerable areas.
During the meeting, the Minister and the also took stock of the functioning of disaster management teams. They stressed on coordinated action between the civil administration, the police and local volunteers to deal with any kind of exigency. They reiterated the Government’s priority to safeguard lives and appealed to the general public to remain calm yet cautious and cooperate fully with the administration by following advisories and safety guidelines.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo, along with Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, visited Kulgam and convened a meeting to review the situation arising from incessant rains in the district.
MLA Devsar Peerzada Feroz Ahmad Shah, DC Kulgam, Athar Aamir Khan, Chief Engineer Irrigation, Flood Control and other senior officers of the district administration attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the Minister and the Advisor instructed the district administration to ensure the supply of essential items and other commodities to people living in areas having high chances of remaining cut off. They also emphasized on officers to ensure the timely evacuation of residents from areas where required, vulnerable areas and to maintain readiness for any eventuality.
The Minister and the Advisor urged people to follow advisories, avoid unsafe areas, and report emergencies promptly to control room of the district administration. They asked the district administration to stay on high alert, intensify ground response and ensure timely evacuations in critical areas.
During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner briefed the Minister and Advisor on the latest situation in the district. He informed that people from vulnerable spots and villages have been shifted to safer places.
Earlier, the Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education Sakeena Itoo, along with Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, visited the Irrigation and Flood Control Room Ram Munshi Bagh to take stock of the prevailing flood situation and preparedness measures in place.
During the visit, the Minister and Advisor assessed the current water levels, the monitoring mechanism in place, and also the steps being taken to safeguard vulnerable areas.
Chairing a brief meeting at the Irrigation and Flood Control room, Sakeena Itoo stressed upon the officers for real-time dissemination of information to the public and prompt action in case of any eventuality. She directed that timely alerts and advisories be issued to facilitate the safe and orderly evacuation of people from low-lying and flood-prone zones.
The Minister also emphasized on officers to keep men and machinery alert near embankments of the Jhelum to prevent any kind of exigency in case of any breach on the embankments.
The Minister and the Advisor urged officers of all line departments to remain in close synergy and maintain round-the-clock vigilance. They call these constant awareness measures to ensure that people stay informed and prepared.
The Minister and Advisor assured that the Government is fully committed to the safety and well-being of the citizens and appealed to the public to remain calm, cooperate with authorities and follow official advisories.
On the occasion, senior officers of the Flood & Irrigation Department, SDRF, and district administration briefed the Minister and Advisor regarding the current water levels steps being taken to safeguard vulnerable areas and other flood prone areas.
