Negligence cited: PML-Q dismayed by poor handling of disaster management

Says victim compensation is insufficient and should be increased on a priority basis

ISLAMABAD: The head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) in Sindh, Haleem Adil Sheikh, called a news conference on Monday to discuss disaster management in the wake of the October 26 earthquake. During the news conference he stated that the compensation announced by the government for the earthquake survivors is insufficient and should be increased on a priority basis, adding that the victims displaced in the aftermath of the earthquake should be rehabilitated effectively.

He pointed out that the government of Japan had provided a disaster management plan to the Ministry of Climate Change two years ago, but the plan has gone unimplemented.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Sheikh said that Shangla district and its outskirts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were among the worst-affected areas.



Sheikh and his team visited the areas as part of relief activities a few days ago. “People have been sitting under the open sky, waiting for compensation. Many houses have developed cracks and could collapse any time,” he said, adding that the forecast of rain and snow in the next 48 hours, could further block access to hilly areas.

“Dozens of houses in Kala Daka were razed to ground. Our volunteers are present in four villages: Kala Daka, Darbani, Sawa and Narang.”

He criticised the federal and provincial governments for not having a proper strategy to counter natural disasters. “The prime minister of Pakistan and chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are visiting these areas on helicopters, but these visits are politically-motivated, instead of providing relief or rehabilitation.”

He said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) have been playing the role of information agency and supply depot whereas the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has not been functional at all.

“We did not learn any lessons from the earthquake of 2005,” he said, adding that despite getting huge funds, the town of Balakot is yet to be reconstructed.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2015.