National Disaster Management Authority Chairman Zafar Iqbal Qadir visited the Centre for Disaster Preparedness and Management University of Peshawar and discussed ways and means for enhancing bilateral cooperation’s in the field of disaster management.
He was accompanied by NDMA Disaster Risk Reduction Member Ahmed Kamal and NDMA Disaster Risk Management Officer Zebunnisa Gandapur. The visiting delegation was given a formal presentation by CDPM Director Prof Amir Nawaz Khan about the academic and other practical work that CDPM was carrying out in the field of disaster preparedness and management.
He said the centre was established in July 2008 and in January 2009, a post graduate diploma started at the centre. Nawaz said the mandate of CDPM was to provide disaster risk reduction education, research and promotion of DRR and to provide policy guidelines to the relevant government bodies about disaster management. The CDPM director said the centre was going to launch BS and MSc programmes in disaster management from the next year. “The aim of our centre is to produce professional disaster managers,” he added.
About the activities of the centre, he said the CDPM had organised two international conferences and three national disaster management exhibitions since its establishment to create awareness about disaster management and bring the stakeholder organisations together for sharing their work experiences.
The NDMA chairman praised the work done by CDPM in disaster management and emphasised the need for more case studies and data analysis in disaster hit areas which will be helpful in doing the need analysis and future strategies for the disaster prone areas and districts. He asked CDPM for development of curriculum for National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM). NDMA will also assist CDPM in the capacity building of its faculty members, he concluded.
Replying to questions, Kamal said NDMA and PDMA’s around the country have made full preparation for the coming monsoon season to cope with any type of flood situation.
