Chief Secretary orders for province-wide preparedness due to rains

KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jul, 2026) The Chief Secretary (CS) of Sindh Asif Hyder Shah on Saturday issued strict directives to all Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners across the province to ensure complete preparedness ahead of the upcoming monsoon spell, directing that there should be no lapse in administrative response and that the public must witness an active government presence in every district.

Chairing a high-level meeting to review monsoon preparedness and wheat stocks, the Chief Secretary directed all Deputy Commissioners to immediately convene meetings of District Coordination Committees and prepare comprehensive district-specific contingency plans in consultation with PDMA, Health, Irrigation, Local Government, Municipal Authorities, Police and all relevant departments.

The meeting was attended by Commissioner Karachi, Chairman CMIT, Secretaries of Food, Irrigation and Rehabilitation, Director General PDMA and other senior officials, while all Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners across Sindh participated through video link.

The Chief Secretary directed that PDMA and District Control Rooms be activated immediately, while 24-hour situation reports must be submitted every morning throughout the monsoon season for continuous monitoring.

He emphasized that contingency plans must include identification of relief camp sites, availability of rescue boats, dewatering pumps, bowsers, generators and other emergency machinery, resource mapping, arrangements for food and drinking water, and adequate stocks of medicines for both Health and Livestock Departments.

Special instructions were issued to engage vulnerable communities living inside protective bunds and to ensure uninterrupted medical and veterinary services by establishing health and livestock camps equipped with medicines, vaccines and emergency response teams.

The Chief Secretary instructed all municipal authorities to remove bottlenecks, complete cleaning of stormwater drains and ensure uninterrupted drainage arrangements before the onset of heavy rains.

He stressed that all officers and field staff must remain present in their respective areas so that citizens could visibly see the administration responding on the ground. He also directed that station leave for officers and staff of all essential services should be discouraged during the emergency period.

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The meeting was informed that, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, moderate to isolated heavy rainfall is expected till 27 July in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Sanghar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad, Matiari, Jamshoro and Shaheed Benazirabad, while light to moderate rainfall is also expected in Ghotki, Kashmore, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Kambar Shahdadkot, Larkana, Khairpur, Naushahro Feroze and Thatta.

Karachi is likely to experience mostly cloudy weather with chances of light rain and drizzle. Secretary Irrigation informed the meeting that river conditions are being monitored round the clock, rainfall in Punjab and Balochistan is under constant observation, and approximately 350,000 cusecs of water is expected at Guddu Barrage. All vulnerable points along the Indus River are being inspected and strengthened before peak flows.

The Chief Secretary appreciated the coordinated performance of district administrations, PDMA, Health and Livestock Departments during last year’s floods and directed all Deputy Commissioners to adopt the same model of coordinated disaster response while further strengthening preparedness.

Reviewing wheat stocks across the province, the Chief Secretary Sindh directed Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to continue an indiscriminate crackdown against wheat hoarders, stating that no one would be allowed to exploit the prevailing situation by creating an artificial shortage of wheat. He specifically instructed district administrations to intensify action against major wheat hoarders and directed Commissioners to maintain continuous pressure until all illegally stored wheat was recovered.

The Chief Secretary further ordered all Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to prepare lists of officials from the district administration, Food Department, Police and Revenue Department found facilitating or colluding with hoarders, warning that no official involved would be spared.

The Chief Secretary directed the Food Department to immediately devise a comprehensive mechanism for the prompt lifting and movement of confiscated wheat stocks to ensure their timely disposal. The Department was instructed to submit the necessary summary to the Sindh Cabinet for approval of the proposed mechanism and complete all procedural requirements on a priority basis.