K-P’s PDMA unveils contingency plan for monsoon
Rs1 billion released for PDMA for supplying to districts if needed
There will not be high-level floods in K-P this year, says Mian Iftikhar. PHOTO: PPI/FILE
PESHAWAR:
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has chalked out a well-articulated Monsoon Contingency Plan for the year 2017 to handle any possible emergency situation in the province in the upcoming rainy season.
“The aim of the plan it to make all the preparations in coordination with stakeholders so as to give a comprehensive response to reduce damages and give prompt relief to people,” said PDMA Director General Muhammad Khalid on Wednesday.
Khalid along with the PDMA’s Director Relief Abdul Basit was briefing journalists about objectives of the contingency plan.
The plan says the monsoon rains in the current season will be below normal; however, a few weather systems with erratic behaviour cannot be ruled out.
Lesson learnt: K-P prepares contingency plan for monsoon
“The global warming and the climate conditions of the region are of such nature that anything can happen,” said Basit in his presentation that pointed to possibility of emergencies.
Although the K-P government has done little for mitigating floods and other disasters, the PDMA has improved much in making preparation of a massive rescue and relief operation in case of an emergency, and the plan clearly divides and describes the role of each and every stakeholder of the PDMA.
Based on the experience of the past floods, the plan categorises the possible flood impacts into three types. In case of a worst flood, like that in 2010, a total of 363,766 households or 2.2 million people will be affected and they will need to be rescued and rehabilitated.
In a worst-case scenario, such flood would cost the government a whooping Rs11.3 billion. It is assumed that two-thirds of the affected population will move to the host community and one-third will go to the evacuation centres.
Monsoon-induced floods kill 33 in K-P
In case of a medium-impact scenario, 121,258 households or 0.73 million people would be affected; and in case of a low-impact scenario, 40,421 households or 0.24 million people would be affected.
The plan also discusses financial health of each district for coping with any emergency and details of relief items supplied to them by the PDMA. The K-P government has released Rs1 billion for the PDMA which will be supplied to the districts, if needed.
According to Basit, the Pakistan Army, the Met Office and the K-P Irrigation Department are the main stakeholders and the PDMA has provided the army formations with boats and outboard motors (used for running boats) along with other flood-fighting equipment.
“The authority finances the cost incurred on maintenance of these equipment,” he said, adding that Rescue 1122 of the K-P government had also equipped itself with flood-fighting gadgets to be used in case of need.
The plan highlights that district-wise and union council-wise evacuation points in the disaster prone areas have been identified and a Provincial Emergency Operation Centre (PEOC) has been established in the PDMA headoffice with contact numbers for 24/7 coordination with all districts and stakeholders.
“We receive daily weather reports from the Met department twice a day and the irrigation department sends daily monitoring report of the rivers’ flow in the province,” Basit said, adding that they are closely monitoring the vulnerable districts.
Monsoon showers expected in K-P, FATA next week
The province has been facing flash floods and glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) for which the government has no early warning systems. Similarly, the plan highlights the lack of sufficient investment in water storage which helps in reducing the vulnerability of floods.
Khalid, the PDMA director general, said the authority would conduct a survey on glaciers and identify vulnerable areas from where population would be relocated.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has chalked out a well-articulated Monsoon Contingency Plan for the year 2017 to handle any possible emergency situation in the province in the upcoming rainy season.
“The aim of the plan it to make all the preparations in coordination with stakeholders so as to give a comprehensive response to reduce damages and give prompt relief to people,” said PDMA Director General Muhammad Khalid on Wednesday.
Khalid along with the PDMA’s Director Relief Abdul Basit was briefing journalists about objectives of the contingency plan.
The plan says the monsoon rains in the current season will be below normal; however, a few weather systems with erratic behaviour cannot be ruled out.
Lesson learnt: K-P prepares contingency plan for monsoon
“The global warming and the climate conditions of the region are of such nature that anything can happen,” said Basit in his presentation that pointed to possibility of emergencies.
Although the K-P government has done little for mitigating floods and other disasters, the PDMA has improved much in making preparation of a massive rescue and relief operation in case of an emergency, and the plan clearly divides and describes the role of each and every stakeholder of the PDMA.
Based on the experience of the past floods, the plan categorises the possible flood impacts into three types. In case of a worst flood, like that in 2010, a total of 363,766 households or 2.2 million people will be affected and they will need to be rescued and rehabilitated.
In a worst-case scenario, such flood would cost the government a whooping Rs11.3 billion. It is assumed that two-thirds of the affected population will move to the host community and one-third will go to the evacuation centres.
Monsoon-induced floods kill 33 in K-P
In case of a medium-impact scenario, 121,258 households or 0.73 million people would be affected; and in case of a low-impact scenario, 40,421 households or 0.24 million people would be affected.
The plan also discusses financial health of each district for coping with any emergency and details of relief items supplied to them by the PDMA. The K-P government has released Rs1 billion for the PDMA which will be supplied to the districts, if needed.
According to Basit, the Pakistan Army, the Met Office and the K-P Irrigation Department are the main stakeholders and the PDMA has provided the army formations with boats and outboard motors (used for running boats) along with other flood-fighting equipment.
“The authority finances the cost incurred on maintenance of these equipment,” he said, adding that Rescue 1122 of the K-P government had also equipped itself with flood-fighting gadgets to be used in case of need.
The plan highlights that district-wise and union council-wise evacuation points in the disaster prone areas have been identified and a Provincial Emergency Operation Centre (PEOC) has been established in the PDMA headoffice with contact numbers for 24/7 coordination with all districts and stakeholders.
“We receive daily weather reports from the Met department twice a day and the irrigation department sends daily monitoring report of the rivers’ flow in the province,” Basit said, adding that they are closely monitoring the vulnerable districts.
Monsoon showers expected in K-P, FATA next week
The province has been facing flash floods and glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) for which the government has no early warning systems. Similarly, the plan highlights the lack of sufficient investment in water storage which helps in reducing the vulnerability of floods.
Khalid, the PDMA director general, said the authority would conduct a survey on glaciers and identify vulnerable areas from where population would be relocated.