Less than two weeks after cancelling NSA-level talks, Pakistan marked its attendance at a Saarc meeting here on disaster management to discuss issues relating to increasing coordination, pooling of resources and immediate response in the event of natural disasters.
The first of its kind conference, a precursor to the South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise (SAADMEx) that will be held here in November, is a brainchild of India to bring Saarc countries together to help each other during such disasters.
Asserting that the South Asian region is vulnerable to disasters of various kinds, NDRF DG OP Singh said, “There is a need for enhanced level of preparedness and risk resilience as well as collaborative action among member countries so as to individually and jointly deal with such disasters and ensure minimal loss of lives and assets.”
The conference is part of a two-phase exercise. The main exercise will be held in November and will consist of three components — table top exercise (TTx), field training exercise (FTx) and after action review (AAR). This will be followed by a day-long Saarc Workshop on sharing best practices.
