Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain on Tuesday chaired a review meeting at Bachat Bhawan to assess flood prevention arrangements for the upcoming monsoon season, issuing directives to officials from multiple departments.
Control rooms established
A Flood Control Room has been set up at the District Administrative Complex, with instructions to establish similar control rooms at sub-division and tehsil levels. These control rooms will operate round-the-clock from June 15 to September 30. The contact number for the main control room is 0161-2433100.
Precautionary measures for waterlogging
Jain directed officials to ensure tarpaulins are available in villages prone to waterlogging and that electricity supply is cut off in time to prevent loss of life. For villages near the Sutlej River, he ordered identification of vulnerable embankments and preparation of 50,000 sandbags in advance. Contact lists of JCB operators and divers must be kept handy by all concerned officers.
Equipment and supplies
Forest officials were asked to arrange electric saws, stones, crates, and labour for net weaving. For flood-affected areas, Jain ordered provision of life jackets, torches, ropes, waterproof tents at safe elevated sites, generators or inverters for power, and clean drinking water.
Municipal corporation duties
Municipal corporation officials were instructed to ensure sewer cleaning near Budha Nullah, separation of water supply and sewer pipelines, and readiness of medical teams, ambulances, suction machines, and mobile motors for water drainage.
Inter-departmental coordination
Jain stressed strong inter-departmental coordination and warned that negligence by any employee during flood prevention or emergency response would not be tolerated. He directed all officers to keep mobile phones active round the clock and ensure flood control rooms at tehsil headquarters function properly with staff present.
Emergency communication
Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) were instructed to equip vehicles with wireless public address systems to broadcast emergency messages. MC officials were told to conduct advance visits to sensitive areas along with civil officers, and representatives from NDRF and the Army.
Health and animal husbandry
Departments were asked to prepare lists of required machinery in advance and maintain communication systems for coordination with the public. The Health Department was directed to ensure chlorination of drinking water and stock of necessary medicines. The Animal Husbandry Department was asked to arrange vaccinations to prevent waterborne diseases in livestock.
