Earthquake-2005 being remembered on Saturday with focus on vulnerable communities

ISLAMABAD, Oct 7 (APP): On National Disaster Awareness Day, the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005 will be remembered on Saturday with special focus on sensitizing the communities dealing with calamities.
Today, eleven years from horrible earthquake in 2005, the effects of disasters on people, society and the economy can accentuate poverty and social exclusion.
Pakistan has shown immense resilience in the face of devastating natural disasters and crippling emergencies, after this earthquake which claimed over 70,000 human lives besides infrastructure and other losses.
Dealing with a calamity of such magnitude would overwhelm any country. But it was made more difficult because of the lack of strategic Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) planning and management.
According to the latest figures of Earthquake, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), a total of 14,706 reconstruction project were planned in the affected area, including 5723 education related projects, 466 environment projects, 725 governance, 326 health, livelihood 2,352, WatSan 4,744, Transport 302, Power and Telecom 19, Social Protection 15, Town Planning 34.
Among these 10,204 projects have so far been completed including 2,999, eduction 240 projects of environment, 532 governance projects, 216 health, 1,375 livelihood, 4,571 WatSan, 220 Transport, 16 Power and Telecom, 31 town planning and four social protection, official sources told APP on Friday.
They informed that 4,502 projects are still under construction.
United Nations (UN) in a statement issued in connection with the day said, just last year, 45,900 households were assisted by Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives in areas beset by drought and floods in Sindh and Khayber Pakhtunkhwa, including via conditional cash transfers of US $ 6.59 million.
With UN support, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) developed a National “Multi Hazard Vulnerability Risk Assessment Policy” and a “National Disaster Management Implementation Road Map” for Multi-Hazard Vulnerability Risk Assessments, Community-Based Disaster Management and Capacity Building (2016-2030), with guidelines for vulnerable districts.
National Book Foundation has also launched a book titled, ‘Taming Disaster’ authored by Israr ul Haq, to introduce disaster management science for general public and its benefits for reducing the damages in case of any disaster.