KP, Balochistan pledge Rs 10bn for disaster management | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

KP, Balochistan pledge Rs 10bn for disaster management

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday claimed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan governments pledged Rs 7 billion and Rs 3 billion, respectively to provincial disaster management authorities (PDMAs) to meet the challenges posed by floods.

NDMA Chairman Dr Zafar Qadir, while chairing the consultation ‘Climate Change Policy and Pre-Monsoon Institutional Response’, jointly organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) in collaboration with United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and NDMA on Wednesday, said that Punjab and Sindh had yet to pledge single penny against the proposed accumulated financial chunk of Rs 10 billion, however, provincial governments agreed to manage finance to meet the challenges likely to surface during upcoming flood season.

He said that his department is working to provide disaster risk insurance for 180 million population, which could be the biggest ever insurance venture anywhere in the world. “It would cover the loss of crops, shelter, livestock as well human lives and livelihood,” he added.

He said that changing monsoon pattern and increasing frequency of disasters with bigger magnitude were posing new threats and challenges.

Qadir further said that for the first time elaborate contingency plans had been developed by NDMA at district, provincial and national level with consultation of all stakeholders.

He also shared measures for disaster mitigation that included inclusion of disaster preparedness education in school curricula, gender mainstreaming in preparedness plans and training and capacity building of the disaster response institutions.

Strengthening Partnership Organisation (SPO) Chief Executive Naseer Memon was of the view that current National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) will not make an impact without integrated institutional efforts and coordinated approach.

He said that policies were not followed in spirit and there were serious gaps in their effective implementation. “Pakistan needs to adopt an approach of climatically appropriate development planning,” he went on to add, and suggested that “a nationwide disaster mapping, risk reduction planning and effective response mechanism is immediately required to avoid more catastrophes”.

Chairing the session on climate change policy review, Environment Director General Jawed Ali Khan said, “Today, the disasters we face are mostly human-induced.”

He also briefed the participants on memorandum of understandings (MoUs) the government signed with German and Italian research organisations. He also appreciated SPO and SDPI for in initiating dialogue on NCCP policy.

Daily Times