ISLAMABAD, June 19 (APP): National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has attained the capability to support over 300,000 marooned people through its well stocked regional ware houses 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, tsuami, cyclone, glacier lake outburst flood, avalanches and tropical sea storms.
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.
Under policy parameters, the Authority has also formulated National Disaster Management Plan to identify ten priority areas, forty one strategies and one hundred and twenty two projects in the domain of institutional development, capacity building, awareness, early warning system, human resource development, hazard and risk assessment.
The NDMP identifies roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders involved in disaster management and facilitates various organization/agencies to undertake interventions as identified in NDMP to achieve the desired results, he added.
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.
Early warning and evacuation systems for communities established through SMS alerts. Enforcement of building codes being pursued through Ministry of Housing and Works.
National Fire and Life Safety Codes being developed for the first time in country with the collaboration of Pakistan Engineering Council. Awareness and advocacy through public service messages during monsoon as well as during earthquake 2015.
NDMA implementation roadmap is in focus with respect to preparation of Multi Hazards Vulnerability Risk Assessment (MHVRA), Capacity Building of Community through Mobilization of Voluntary Emergency Response (MOVERE) and capacity building of government officials through the concept of Government Officials Emergency Response Exercise (GOERE).
II 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.
Comprehensive national guidelines for school safety are being prepared to bring awareness as well as to ensure safety of children. Gender and child cells have been established at NDMA and PDMAs to grant much needed attention to vulnerable groups during entire spectrum of disaster.
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.
