Pakistan plans to install 679 flood telemetry stations to avert disasters, save lives – official

Local residents watch flood waters flowing through an area after heavy rains in Bahrain town of Swat valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 31, 2022. (AFP/File)
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Updated 14 October 2022
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Pakistan plans to install 679 flood telemetry stations to avert disasters, save lives – official

  • The federal flood commission says the systems can be procured from international market and installed within in a year
  • Its top official maintains the 2017 flood protection plan could have averted damages to irrigation networks, small dams

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government plans to allocate some $69 million to acquire 679 flood telemetry stations from the international market and install them on rivers and streams for precise flood forecasts and early warning to protect vulnerable communities and regions, said a senior official in an exclusive interview with Arab News.

The federal flood commission prepared the proposal just weeks after much of the country was inundated in the wake of the torrential monsoon rains that killed over 1,700 people including 639 children since mid-June.

According to the official data, the devastating floods affected over 33 million people in 84 calamity-hit districts and killing over one million livestock across the country.

Pakistan has been ranked among the top ten countries adversely affected by climate change, though it contributes less than one percent to global carbon emissions.

“We have made a first ever national master plan on flood telemetry and it is composed of 679 stations,” Ahmed Kamal, chairman of the federal flood commission, told Arab News. “These stations are going to be placed on even the smallest of rivers and streams [to get early warning on floods].”

Kamal said the country’s Balochistan province along with parts of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan were “devoid of the flood telemetry system” which relies on automated recording and transmission technology which makes it easy to remotely monitor sources of flood risk.

He continued the system would help get a “precise and much-improved” flood forecast to protect communities, adding it was going to cost around Rs15 billion ($69 million) and could be installed within a year.

Currently, the country has only around 70 early warning systems, a majority of which are in the northern areas.

“I have already asked for the instructions to provinces,” Kamal said. “They should first install this system on all those points which got affected this year.”

He informed that various sites had already been identified on the basis of ground survey, adding that foreign donors, including the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, could help implement the project.

At present, Pakistan has only one integrated flood forecasting system in Lahore and the commission has proposed to set up similar systems in other parts of the country for timely and precise flood forecast.

Kamal said the country had prepared and effectively implemented at least three national flood protection plans from 1978 to 1987, 1988 to 1997 and 1998 to 2008. The fourth national plan was prepared, he continued, though it was not implemented due to “some sort of a drought-like situation” in the country.

After the 2010 deluge, Pakistan realized the importance of developing a flood protection plan which was prepared in 2015 with the help of the Netherlands.

The government also approved Rs332 billion ($1.5 billion) to implement it in May 2017. However, it could not happen due to the financial constraints.

“We were asked to rationalize [the plan], so we rationalized it and brought it down by only including the priority structures … with 95.98 [billion rupees or $439 million] as the new cost,” he said.

In October 2020, the revised plan was taken to the planning commission for approval, he informed. However, it was said the new scheme would only be endorsed if the required funding could be generated from foreign donors.

The government, subsequently, reached out to these international organizations but could not secure the required amount.

“By the time we were discussing this situation, the 2022 floods arrived,” Kamal said. “I think that thereafter there had been a much greater realization that perhaps we have not done justice with this very important sector.”

He added the commission would submit a fresh flood protection plan to the federal government by the end of the month.

“We are very much hopeful that this time it is going to be approved and funding shall be made available,” he said.

Asked if the flood protection plan could have helped avoid the recent flash floods and all the devastation if it were in place, the commission chairman said: “I should say that may be not hundred percent but to a certain good extent.”

“Look, there has been some damages to the flood infrastructure, the irrigation network, to small dams in the province of Balochistan, and all that could have been saved,” he continued. “That could have been averted.”

Kamal emphasized all public departments, including the federal flood commission, should get sufficient technical and human resource to deal with such challenges.

The proposed flood protection plan calls for the overhauling of river drainage system in Sindh, urban flood management and early warning system for major cities like Lahore, Karachi and Hyderabad.

It also mentions rainwater harvesting, water diversion structures to minimize damage from hill torrents and establishment of floodwater carrying channels along with the required telemetry system and vehicle-mounted weather radars.

Kamal said Pakistan did not use about 28 million acre-feet of water annually since the country’s total storage capacity was only 13.461 million acre-feet.

“There are more storages and dam projects in the pipeline,” he said, adding that the planning for new reservoirs for up to 2050 was in place which would have “the added advantage of providing us cheap hydropower.”


Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years

  • Extension in services of army, navy and air force chiefs follows controversial amendments to the constitution last month
  • The opposition PTI party condemns the amendments for changing Pakistan “from a democracy into a monarchy”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate on Monday approved bills to extend the tenure of the army, navy, and air force chiefs from three to five years, amid protests by the opposition benches. 

The office of the army chief is considered to be the most powerful in the country, with the army having ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 75-year history. Even when not directly in power, the army is considered to be the invisible guiding hand in politics and holds considerable sway in internal security, foreign policy, and economic affairs, among other domains. 

Six bills were passed by the upper and lower houses on Monday evening, including one to increase the term of the services chiefs.

“In the said Act, in section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression “three (03)” the word “five (05)” shall be substituted,” read the bill, seeking to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952.

Similar bills were passed to increase the duration of the country’s naval and air force chiefs to five years also. 

“The purpose of these amendments are to make consistent the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 (XXXIX of 1952) The Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961 (Ordinance No. XXXV of 1961) and The Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 (VI of 1953) with the maximum tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff and to make consequential amendments for uniformity in the aforementioned laws.” 

Speaking outside parliament, the chairman of the opposition PTI party, Gohar Ali Khan, said:

“Today, democracy has been changed into a monarchy.”

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, said “modifying the service chiefs’ tenure is not a good thing for the country and the armed forces.”

The passage of the new bills follows controversial amendments made to the constitution last month, granting lawmakers the authority to nominate the chief justice of Pakistan, who previously used to be automatically appointed according to the principle of seniority.

The amendments allowed the government to bypass the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and appoint Justice Yahya Afridi as the country’s top judge, replacing former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa. 

The opposition and the legal fraternity had opposed the amendments, arguing that they were aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments and curtailing the independence of the judiciary. The government denies this.


Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military

  • Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks recently
  • Pakistan blames the surge in militancy on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants in two separate engagements in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Monday.
A militant was killed in an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan’s Dosali area, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
In the second incident, Pakistani forces intercepted a group of militants while infiltrating the country’s border with Afghanistan in the South Waziristan district. Five militants were killed as a result.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij [militants] for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that targeted security forces convoys and check posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.
Afghan officials, however, deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
 


Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers

  • The missile is capable of striking land and sea targets with ‘high precision’
  • Pakistan, India consider their missile programs as deterrent against each other

KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has successfully test-fired a ship-launched ballistic missile having a range of 350 km and capable of striking both land and sea targets, it said on Monday.
Pakistan sees its missile development as a deterrent against nuclear-armed arch-foe India. Both countries have fought multiple wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.
The two South Asian neighbors have long been developing missiles of varying ranges in a bid to ensure deterrence against possible attacks from each other, with analysts often warning these developments could push the region into an arms race.
“Pakistan Navy conducted a successful flight test of an indigenously developed ship-launched ballistic missile,” the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) of Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
“The weapon system with 350km range is capable of engaging land and sea targets with high precision.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikldB3jieWo
The flight test of the weapon system, equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system and maneuverability features, was witnessed by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, senior naval officers, scientists and engineers.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu congratulated the participating navy units and scientists on the development.
 
 


Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit

Updated 04 November 2024
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Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit

  • The statement comes days after Sharif visited Qatar seeking to bolster economic cooperation between both nations
  • Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh and met the Saudi Crown Prince

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday a team of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will visit Pakistan this month to set up an information technology (IT) park in the South Asian country.
The statement came days after Sharif visited Qatar while seeking to bolster economic cooperation amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost foreign investment to stabilize its frail $350 billion economy.
Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he discussed trade and investment with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet, Sharif said a QIA team will visit Pakistan this month, while its chief of Asia-Pacific & Africa Investments, Faisal Bin Thani Al Thani, will also arrive in Islamabad by the end of this month.
“Qatar emir said the same thing. They also suggested setting up an IT park here [in Pakistan],” Sharif told his cabinet members in televised comments.
During his visit, Sharif led delegation-level talks with the Qatari emir before holding a separate meeting with him to discuss a wide array of issues.
“The leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Qatar relations, exploring potential avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade, potential areas of investment, energy, and culture,” Sharif’s office said last week.
He also met a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA) and invited them to invest in Pakistan’s energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.
The developments came amid Pakistan’s attempts to increase trade and foreign investment after it narrowly escaped a default last year by securing a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The South Asian country has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
 


Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%

Updated 04 November 2024
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Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%

  • Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 in July and 200 in September
  • It takes the total policy rate cuts in the country to 700 bps in under five months

KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday, it said in a statement, for a fourth straight reduction since June, as the country keeps up efforts to revive a sluggish economy with inflation easing.
Most respondents in a Reuters poll last week expected a cut of 200 bps after inflation moved down sharply from a multi-decade high of nearly 40 percent in May 2023, saying reductions were needed to bolster growth.
Average consumer price index inflation in the South Asian country is 8.7 percent in the current financial year, which started in July, the statistics bureau says. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects inflation to average 9.5 percent for the year ending June.
Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 bps in July, and 200 in September that have taken the rate from an all-time high of 22 percent, set in June 2023 and left unchanged for a year. It takes the total cuts to 700 bps in under five months.
October inflation came in at 7.2 percent, slightly above the government’s expectation of 6 percent to 7 percent. The finance ministry expects inflation to slow further to 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent in November.
However, inflation could pick up again in 2025, driven by electricity and gas price increases after a new $7-billion IMF bailout, and the potential impact of taxes on the retail, wholesale and the farm sector announced in the June budget to take effect in January 2025, some analysts say.