There is an urgent need to prepare contingency plans to cope with frequent disasters, after witnessing the worst-ever disasters in Sindh during the past two years – the ‘super floods’ of 2010 and unprecedented monsoon rains this year.
This was demanded of federal, provincial and districts governments by human rights’ activists and civil society representatives at the ‘Disaster Contingency Planning in Sindh: Issues and Lessons Learnt’ conference held on Thursday.
The conference was jointly organised by Participatory Development Initiatives (PDI) and Oxfam, where National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Dr Zafar Iqbal Qadir was the chief guest.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director Operations Akhalque Qureshi, UN’s OCHA Humanitarian officer Kamran Sharif, Irrigation expert Idrees Rajput, PDI Executive Director Sikander Brohi, Aurat Foundation Director Mehnaz Rehman, HANDS Programme Manager Lutuf Mangario and Benazirabad district Deputy Commissioner Imtiaz Ali Mangi also spoke on the occasion.
The speakers suggested that undertaking annual reviews and updating the contingency plans prepared at federal, provincial and districts levels should be mandatory in the National Disaster Management Act 2010 and related laws and regulations.
Through several resolutions, it was suggested that keeping in view the 18th Constitutional Amendment, disaster contingency planning should be decentralised by the federal government by directly involving the provincial governments, departments and agencies in the federal-level disaster contingency planning process.
It was recommended that post-disaster reviews of the efficacy of contingency plans should also be made mandatory to learn lessons and further improve such plans on the basis of the experiences and the lessons learnt.
The speakers were of the view that there is a need to review the legal framework for Disaster Risk Management and Contingency Planning in Pakistan, to make the legislation comprehensive. Different department should prepare their own contingency plans in their respective fields i.e. Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority, Irrigation Department, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) that are integrated at district and provincial levels.
In the resolutions, the speakers and participants demanded that the data on recent rains and drainage systems should be updated. The mainstreaming of vulnerable communities by the Pakistan Meteorological Department is important, and the government should involve locals in the early warning mechanism.
Speaking at the conference, the NDMA chairman disclosed that the federal government has decided to set up a Disaster Response Force to cope with the challenges during disasters. “It has been decided that new District Disaster Management Authorities would be made semi-autonomous bodies at district levels by providing them funds and human resources,” he added.
“Due to past experiences, the government has decided to make a four-member committee including army engineer, irrigation department member, flood commissioner and NDMA officer, who would be authorised to make breaches in canals’ embankments and other water infrastructures in case of floods, as breaches made on political basis have resulted in heavy losses to local communities,” Qadir said. “Now the decision would be taken solely on technical basis by the committee members during floods.”
“I would suggest including civil society members and disaster management experts as members of the commission in the coming meeting of National Disaster Management Commission to be chaired by the prime minister,” the NDMA chairman said.
He added that NDMA had given quick responses in the floods this year due to the poor ability of districts governments’ disaster bodies. “The response could not be managed properly at district level and problems were faced in distribution of relief items,” he said.
