ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman
Zafar Iqbal Qadir on Saturday said the threats of disasters or floods
in Pakistan are over and no major blow would take place.
Talking
to Online here in his office at Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the
chairman said that because of the last year incidents of devastating
floods it was feared that monsoon rains could cause devastation in
Pakistan but nature is accompanying Pakistanis this time.
“This
time we are monitoring rivers’ levels, weather situation and others.
The fresh row of rains was noticed as scattered, that is, it has been
raining in various areas but not simultaneously and continuously. This
simply means ‘no danger’,” he said.
He said that water flow in
various rivers are also being monitored and no danger was noticed,
adding that rains with interval are predicted in the next month too and
that would mean ‘safe rains’.
Dispelling the impression that
the NDMA had made no proper preparations for any disastrous situation,
he said, “I personally paid visits to various cities and sensitive
points in all the provinces of Pakistan. Keeping in view the fears
about major disasters, I assessed the situation, inventory and goods
for assistance, human resources, administrative steps, and others.”
The
purpose of the visits was to improve coordination of the federal
government and the provincial governments, coordination with the armed
forces, coordination among NDMA and Provincial Disaster Management
Authorities (PDMAs) as well as the districts’ administration in the
provinces, he added. NDMA also held some meetings with the district
officers in Multan, Thatta and others, he said.
He said that
during his visits, he expressed his wishes for transferring some
financial resources in connection to disasters to the district level
and chief minister of Balochistan agreed to transfer Rs. 10-15 million
out of the total budget for disasters to various districts.
To
a question, he said that Rs. 70 billion are at the disposal of NDMA but
exact cost of future disasters can never be predicted in advance and
therefore a mechanism is there for provision of extra funds in
emergency.
The chairman said that based on the past
experiences, it was decided that resources for coping with disaster
related emergency should have existence on the district level and if
the district administration feels at any time that their resources are
not sufficient, then they should ask the provincial government. And
PDMA or NDMA would help the provincial governments if needed, he said.
To
another question, he said that PDMA and the concerned provincial
governments are responsible for completion of rehabilitation process of
the families that were affected by last year floods.
The
chairman said that Pakistan is one of the affected countries of global
warming and recent massive disasters are new experiences in the
country. “However, we are trying to learn from our own experiences and
therefore shortcomings in planning of disaster management were removed
as indigenous solution will work efficiently,” he said.
The
NDMA and officials in Pakistan were fully prepared for series of
untoward incidents like floods and tsunami but the looming danger is
over now and no massive human tragedy is likely this year, Qadir said.
He
appealed the people of Pakistan to not be in panic and remained
discipline if any natural disaster takes place. “Such a behavior on
part of public could help in reducing losses,” the chairman concluded. Online
