‘Need to form disaster response principles’

SEARCH launches 'Disasters: Principles for Humanitarian Response' in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: The Sindh government has never considered disaster response principles, just like it did not consider them during the drought in Thar.

This was said by speakers at the launch of a book, titled 'Disasters: Principles for Humanitarian Response', compiled  by the Society for Environmental Actions, Reconstruction and Humanitarian Response (Search) executive director Waheed Jamali. The ceremony was held at the SPO-SDE Hall.

The head of Search and the writer of the book, Jamali, said that the people had suffered huge losses due to the disasters in Sindh such as the 2010 floods, 2011 heavy rains and 2014 droughts. He was of the view that the magnitude and severity of disaster could be reduced if awareness is spread about the principles and standards of disaster response.

"Even the people participating in relief and response work do not know about the required standards, which aggravates the situation rather than making it better," he said. He said that all material related to principles and standards of response during relief activities has been compiled and also translated in the Sindhi language for the local organisations' benefit.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.