ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman has said that the current monsoon rains have claimed 77 lives across the Country, calling a national tragedy.
While addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, she said that the most number of 39 deaths have been reported in Balochistan.
The minister for climate change said that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has prepared national monsoon contingency plan.
Sherry Rehman said that the provinces, districts and the people have to stay alert to reduce causalities as a result of monsoon rains.
The new normal for the monsoon season: PMD has forecast 1 July to mid August for the first phase of the monsoons, with 87 % precipitation ALREADY above normal. Much of it will be in the south we are told. For June the rainfall was over 67%. Balochistan, Sindh highest affected pic.twitter.com/setugMJgGr
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) July 6, 2022
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has said that an emergency helpline number ’16’ has become functional and section 144 is being imposed near rivers and dams during the current spell of monsoon.
In an interview, the PMD Director Dr. Zaheer Ahmad Baber said that all concerned authorities have been advised to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures during the forecast period.
Dr. Zaheer Ahmad Baber said that the caller will only have to dial-16 and it will be routed to the concerned flood emergency response department.
