Participatory Development Initiatives (PDI) Media Coordinator Faheem Raza and research officer Saleem Abbasi on 29.05.2012 Tuesday called on Assistant Commissioner of Thatta, Imran Bhatti at his office.
Host of issues including proposed Natural Disaster Contingency Plan drafted by district administration for year 2012 and challenges faced by local administration to cope with the disasters, implementing the Plan to mitigate human sufferings, strengthening early warning mechanism and functions of District Disaster Management Authorities came under deliberations.
The PDI team briefed the Thatta Assistant Commissioner regarding purpose of their visit and research work being done by Peoples Accountability Commission on Floods (PACF), a volunteers’ network forum of civil society representatives and rain affected communities.
The PACF is supported by PDI on enormous issues faced by rain-hit communities after 2011 rain/flood devastation in southern districts of Sindh. This forum has so far conducted and released 19 research reports on various issues of rain/flood affected communities and held consultation meetings with government officials, incorporating their suggestions to cope with natural disasters.
PDI research officer Saleem Abbasi informed the district official that PDI strongly believe in participatory approach involving all stake holders including government, communities, non-government organizations to draft and implement natural disaster related planning in wake of rapid global climate changes that trigger floods, cyclones, sea erosion.The calamities had hit Thatta district and caused major devastation in terms of loss of precious lives and badly affected livelihood sources of disaster prone area communities.
The PDI suggested that in wake of warning issued by Natural Disaster Management Authority, all stake holders including government, NGOs and humanitarian agencies should join hands and after consultations revise Disaster Contingency Plan for year 2012.
Abbasi added that district administration should further strengthen capacity building of administration through provision of modern mode of transport tools , indentify venerable bunds sites , nominate focal persons in disaster prone talukas keeping in view of past natural disaster devastation in form of cyclones , riverine floods, rain floods, sea water intrusion and ecological changes.
Imran Bhatti Assistant Commissioner of Thatta, who had monitored relief emergency work during natural disasters in Thatta, Umerkot and Jamshoro districts respectively, shared his ideas. He opined that developing countries like Pakistan have never given top priority to human security.
Bhatti added that the district administration has drafted 2012 Disaster Contingency Plan after holding consultation meetings with all relief department agencies including PDMA.
“We always focused on international parameters regarding Disaster Risk Management but never focused on indigenous folk wisdom and therefore faced difficulties to implement Disaster Contingency Plan,” he said.
It’s not a hidden fact that education ratio is very low among the disasters-hit communities and district administration has not enough resources to strengthen capacity building and training of district nominated staff at taluka levels.
Local administration does not have adequate funds and resources to train the staff, saying that DDMA office will be strengthened through appointment of dedicated staff and allocating separate budget.
It was decided in the meeting chaired by deputy commissioner of Thatta that the DRM plans of District as well as all talukas and union councils will be drafted and implemented.Local community would be involved in all DRM activities, through strengthening Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) system.
Speaking on early warning system, the Assistant Commissioner said that the administration used mosque loudspeakers, FM radio and cable TV in towns as a tool to inform communities regarding natural calamities but still there are many gaps and local early warning system would be improved. He said recent events such as heat waves, droughts, famine, wildfires, floods and mudflows point to significant inadequacies in existing early warning systems.
The district official observed that developing countries likePakistan, lack a proper warning systems including shortage of equipment, skills, and resources. However, the weakest element is the warning dissemination and preparedness to act.
“Our early warning system failed in past because of lack of commitment from political class, weak coordination among the various institutions and lack of public awareness and public participation in development and operation of early warning system,” said Imran.
Bhatti revealed he has proposed that the towns’ cable network should be used as a tool to disseminate information regarding natural hazards in both rural and urban areas as majority of people watch films in hotels and houses from dawn to dusk.
The assistant commissioner said they also proposed in recent meeting with PDMA that the revenue staff should be trained in disaster management and rapid transfers and postings of trained staff should be stopped and only trained revenue staff should be posted in disaster prone areas.
Evacuation drills would be exercised regularly in all disaster-prone areas involving all key institutions especially district law enforcement agencies.
Mapping of the local NGOs and IGOs resources would be completed before starting of monsoon in order to coordinate to meet any eventuality.
Irrigation Department has to be well organized and equipped to make the necessary arrangements prior to any intimation of disaster such as rain/flood.
The assistant commissioner said the community should be involved in order to realize its capacity in all aspects, right from providing civic facilities to support in emergency situations. So that the community is able to own the government and its policies and they should bridge the gap among government and local people.
Keeping in view of the past experience, the district administration has decided to notify those schools and government buildings in which they have more facilities and also decided to setup camps in those places which are safer sites.
The registration process would be computerized even at taluka level as this practice was implemented at district headquarters during recent disasters.
Keeping in view the disaster profile of district Thatta, sufficient funds should be available in district emergency pool for immediate needs.
Referring the cyclone in July 2010, floods in September 2010, earthquake in January 2011, and rainfall/flood in 2011, the assistant commissioner said “we are facing a continuous disaster like situation in the district, and there is urgent need to create awareness among the local community about mitigation and prevention measures,” concluded Imran Bhatti.
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