Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has attained the capability to support over 300,000 disaster-affected people through its well-stocked regional warehouses in any kind of disaster.

According to official sources, NDMA has the capability to immediately start relief activities in natural calamities including floods, landslides, earthquakes, drought, tsunami, cyclone, glacier lake outburst flood, avalanches and tropical sea storms.

Sources said that the National Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR) policy is aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness and response capabilities, improving the early warning system, building capacities of disaster management practitioners at all levels and that of communities as well as strengthening resilience of infrastructures.

The authority has also formulated National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) to identify ten priority areas under policy parameters, 41 strategies and 122 projects in the domain of institutional development, capacity building, awareness, early warning system, human resource development, hazard and risk assessment, sources added.

They said that the NDMP identifies roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders involved in disaster management and facilitates various organization and agencies to undertake interventions as identified in NDMP to achieve the desired results.

The provincial disaster management authorities (PDMAs) and district disaster management authorities (DDMAs) have been assigned to examine vulnerability of different parts of the provinces to different disasters and specify prevention and mitigation.

It is learnt that an early warning and evacuation system for communities to be established through SMS alerts. The enforcement of building codes being pursued through Ministry of Housing and Works.

Similarly, the national fire and life safety codes being developed for the first time in country with the collaboration of Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and awareness and advocacy through public service messages during monsoon as well as during earthquake 2015.

The NDMA implementation roadmap is in focus with respect to preparation of Multi Hazards Vulnerability Risk Assessment (MHVRA), capacity building of community through Mobilisation of Voluntary Emergency Response (MOVERE) and capacity building of government officials through the concept of Government Officials Emergency Response Exercise (GOERE).

Sources said the national fund for disaster management is being established, major part of which will be used for DRR activities included early warning system (EWS) and flood mitigation adding that comprehensive national guidelines for school safety are being prepared to bring awareness as well as to ensure safety of children.

Sources said that gender and child cells have been established at NDMA and PDMAs to grant much needed attention to vulnerable groups during entire spectrum of disaster.

Similarly, the revision in the building codes along with penal provisions in the existing building codes is being carried out with the technical support of Pakistan Engineering Council.