Pakistan: Sindh Police commandoes to rescue people trapped due to urban flooding in Karachi

Karachi: The elite force of the Sindh Police has established a specialised unit to save lives in Karachi due to possible emergency situation of urban flooding in the event of heavy monsoon rains.

The Security and Emergency Services Division has established the urban flooding rescue unit. Deputy Inspector General of Sindh Police for Security Division, Maqsood Ahmed, has supervised the setting up of the new unit as the monsoon season has begun.

The Karachi Police chief, Imran Yaqoob Minhas, recently inaugurated the unit. The police commandoes will remain alert 24/7 to use small boats to rescue people in low-lying areas of the city during rains.

Maqsood Ahmed said the police commandoes, who were part of the rescue unit, had been given special training.

A demonstration was also held on the occasion where the police commandoes displayed their skills to rescue trapped people.

Last year’s torrential monsoon rains in August led to devastating civic conditions as lives of people in a number of areas were seriously threatened due to virtual collapse of the drainage system in the city.

On Monday, Karachi received first rains of current monsoon season. The Sindh government’s spokesman, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, said the relevant civic agencies were fully alert to deal with any emergency civic situation.

He said the personnel of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karachi Water & Sewerage Board and district municipal corporations were ready to tackle any situation of flooding and inundation of any area in the city due to accumulation of rainwater.