Natural disasters: Preparedness the only way to reduce losses

PU Geography Dept developing courses on disaster risk management.

LAHORE:

The frequency of natural disasters has surged over the last few years. While we can’t avoid these, we should be better prepared to minimise the losses, National Institute of Disaster Management director Falak Nawaz said on Monday.

He was speaking at a workshop on Disaster Risk Management at the Punjab University, organised jointly by the Department of Geography and the NIDM.

He said such workshops could be useful in educating students about the ways they could contribute in the disaster management efforts.

PU vice chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran said the university had been active in relief and rehabilitation work after the 2005 earthquake, the Swat operation that led to the crisis of internally displaced people (IDPs) and last year’s floods. However, he said, there was a shortage of experts to steer the university’s relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Department of Geography chairman Dr Abdul Ghaffar said that of late the incidence of earthquakes above the magnitude of five had increased. He said his department was working towards developing more courses on disaster risk management.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2011.