The Punjab government has decided to monitor monsoon operations in the provincial capital using Safe City cameras. This decision was made during a meeting chaired by Minister for Local Government Zeeshan Rafiq at the WASA headquarters on Tuesday. Attendees included Commissioner Zaid bin Maqsood, Deputy Commissioner Rafia Haider, WASA Managing Director Ghufran Ahmad, and LWMC Managing Director Babar Sahib Din. The meeting reviewed the preparations for handling the monsoon rains in Lahore. WASA MD Ghufran Ahmad provided the minister with details of the monsoon plan.
The minister emphasized the importance of maintaining traffic flow during cleaning operations, particularly at 31 underpasses in Lahore, and directed the deployment of staff from LWMC, Metropolitan Corporation Lahore, and LDA at WASA relief camps. All departments were urged to maximize public facilitation, aligning with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision. He warned that any slackness in meeting the targets set by the chief minister would not be tolerated.
Zeeshan Rafiq also mentioned that a central monsoon control room had been established at the WASA office, including representatives from the Municipal Corporation Lahore, LDA, and LWMC. Commissioner Zaid bin Maqsood highlighted that arrangements were reviewed in joint meetings after each rain, noting that the drainage process was completed in most areas of Lahore within half an hour of the previous day’s rain. WASA MD Ghufran Ahmad reported that 5,900 field staff work in shifts around the clock, and that improved arrangements have been made this year in anticipation of heavier rains.