NDMA, IMC to set up fire stations on Margalla Hills

Fire points set up to preserve environment, create a safe habitat for wildlife


DNA April 20, 2019
Margalla Hills. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Islamabad Municipal Corporation (IMC) signed an MoU on Friday to establish seven fire stations in Margallah Hills National Park to control forest fires.

NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Omar Mahmood Hayat and Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz participated in the MoU signing ceremony.

Speaking at the occasion, the NDMA chairman said that besides destroying the greenery of the Margallah Hills National Park, frequent fire incidents in the recent past have caused a considerable amount of damage to the flora and fauna of the area.

He hoped that the establishment of seven fire extinction points at various locations in Margallah Hills will greatly boost efforts for preserving the natural environment and ensuring a safe habitat for wildlife.

On the basis of this MoU, NDMA and IMC have mutually agreed to work together to control forest fires. According to the proposed plan initially seven fire control points will be established in two phases in Margallah Hills, both in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) areas.

In the first phase five stations will be set up while the remaining two fire stations will be established in the second phase. NDMA being the lead federal agency dealing with the whole spectrum of the Disaster Management will endeavor to provide logistical support through various sources.

However IMC will be responsible for providing all necessary infrastructure and man power for ground control and operations at these fire stations.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2019.

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