Category: 1. Pakistan

Published on: September 3, 2025 1:23 AM

PESHAWAR (APP) – Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, has taken urgent notice of the potential spread of dengue fever following the recent spell of rains in the province and directed all concerned departments to launch emergency anti-dengue measures without delay.

In this connection, the Chief Minister’s Secretariat has issued a formal communiqué to all divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and relevant departments, underscoring that stagnant water after the rains is creating breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes and must be addressed through immediate cleanliness and control drives.

The directives call for special attention to be given to the drainage of accumulated water at public places, construction sites, markets, schools, government offices and sewerage lines.

The Health Department has been instructed to ensure that hospitals are fully equipped in advance, with the availability of medicines, diagnostic facilities and treatment arrangements for dengue patients, while an integrated system is to be put in place for effective monitoring and timely reporting of dengue cases across the province.

Local government bodies have been made responsible for regular spraying and larvicidal measures in all vulnerable areas.

Furthermore, the Information Department has been tasked, in collaboration with the Health Department and district administrations, to launch a large-scale awareness campaign to educate the public about preventive measures against dengue.

This campaign will utilize print, electronic and social media platforms extensively. Citizens have been urged to drain stagnant water in and around their homes, keep water tanks covered, and adopt precautionary measures such as using mosquito nets, repellents and protective clothing.

The communiqué also instructs the mobilization of communities through mosques, schools and local notables to reinforce participation in preventive measures.

The chief minister emphasized that dengue prevention is a collective responsibility and that all departments are accountable for ensuring public awareness as well as implementing effective on-ground interventions.

He made it clear that commissioners will be required to submit weekly reports on anti-dengue operations, hospital preparedness and awareness campaigns so that the drive against dengue can be pursued in a comprehensive and effective manner. 

India has warned Pakistan about the “high probability” of flooding in the river Sutlej, with incessant rainfall in the northern states forcing the release of excess water from major dams, sources said on Tuesday.

The alerts were routed to Islamabad through the Ministry of External Affairs on “humanitarian grounds”, they said. Three alerts were issued by India last week for possible flooding in the river Tawi.

The warning issued on Tuesday was for probable floods on Wednesday in the Sutlej, the sources said. In Punjab, the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets are in spate because of heavy rainfall in their catchment areas.

India suspended the routine exchange of hydrological data with Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.

Despite the suspension, the fresh flood warnings were communicated purely on humanitarian grounds to Pakistan to prevent loss of lives and property, the sources said. Signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, the Indus Waters Treaty has long governed the sharing of river waters between India and Pakistan.

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