As temperatures soar in Sindh, disaster management authorities nap

DDMAs in province have been lying non-functional for the past two years

KARACHI: As temperatures have soared to a scorching 50° Celsius in upper Sindh amid the rumours of an emerging heatwave, the District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) - key players in dealing with any kind of calamity or disaster – have been lying non-functional for the last two years. A notification was issued in 2014 to establish DDMAs in all 29 districts of Sindh with deputy commissioners in chair, but the role and functions of these authorities are only confined to paper.

According to officials, the DDMA in each district comprises nine members - representatives of the health, education, local government and revenue departments as well as elected representatives. However, it has completely failed to perform its actual role and mobilise the people at grass-root levels or prepare a heatwave management plan by chalking out heat-related illness prevention methods or necessary effect mitigating steps to be taken.

“We cannot leave our homes from 11am to 5pm because of the 50°C temperature in our area. A few elderly people have fallen unconscious but we don’t know whether it is heatwave or something else,” said a school teacher, Inamullah, who lives in Larkana division. “So far, no one has informed us about precautionary measures,” he told The Express Tribune over the phone.



According to reports, the heatwave claimed around 2,500 lives in 2015 and Karachi was the most affected but no concrete efforts have been taken, despite official promises. The only exception is the Sindh Zakat and Ushr department, which has not only prepared a ‘Heat Action Plan 2017’ but has also offered monetary aid to various stakeholders including the health department, local government and municipal bodies in case of emergency.

“Looking at the situation, we have taken the lead by preparing this plan and sending it to various departments. We are ready to help them if any calamity hits Karachi,” assured an official of the department.

“It is the prime responsibility of the district disaster management authorities to initiate coordination between various departments and individuals and sensitise communities to help and protect their neighbours, friends, relatives and themselves against avoidable health problems during spells of hot weather or other calamity but this never happens,” said an official in the Sindh government.



Karachi Mayor Wasim Akthar said the DDMA has played no role in educating the people but the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has set up centres in all its hospitals.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Sindh Zakat Council Chairperson Justice Zahid Kurban Alvi said that since the heatwave is a ‘silent disaster’, they have prepared a plan. “The prime responsibly lies with the DDMA to deal with this issue. I frequently visit various areas of Sindh and hardly see any one disseminating public awareness messages through pamphlets or posters on how to protect themselves against the extreme heatwave,” he said.

Justice Alvi added that in the their plan, they have defined a heatwave, the major stakeholders, key strategies, preventive measures, symptoms and first aid methods for various heath disorders.  “We have done our job, but the concerned department should act on it. We are also on standby to help them in case of any untoward incident,” he said.



Ajay Kumar Sewani, assistant director at the provincial disaster management authority, said the DDMAs were initially notified in 2009 but the government re-issued the same notification two years ago. “At a district level they are working,” he claimed, adding that deputy commissioners of the respective districts were supposed to further activate them. “We have, however, advertised in newspapers educating people about extreme temperatures and the heatwave,” he said.