Helping hands: UN helps Sindh cope with disasters

Equipment worth Rs8.6 million given to the disaster management body.

KARACHI:

Equipment worth Rs8.6 million was accepted by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) from the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday. The money will be used to boost emergency preparedness and the capacity to deal with disasters.

"The WFP has been more than just a partner to us. They provided food in the relief camps during the floods and are now building additional capacity for the PDMA," said PDMA director general Pir Bakhsh Jamali. "They have also provided us with a van which will help the Karachi Community Council search and rescue teams. We now also have a VSAT communication system to keep in touch with our teams." The warehouse has the capacity to stock 500 metric tons of food and non-food supplies for emergencies.

The WFP, co-chaired by the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Steering Committee, is working closely with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in order to respond better to disasters in the country.

"We are working with the NDMA and the PDMAs to make sure that these institutions have enough capacity and equipment to respond in emergency situations like floods or earthquakes," said WFP Pakistan head of programme, Carl Paulsson.

According to Paulsson, the WFP is in the process of procuring 10 more warehouses. "The new warehouses will have a capacity of 300 metric tons for 10 hazard-prone districts. There will be two warehouses in two priority districts of Sindh," he said. "We will also buy 20 speed boats to help in the flood-prone districts across Pakistan. About seven will be allocated to Sindh."

The WFP's response in the wake of natural disasters in Pakistan is much appreciated. We assure the UN of the government's support and cooperation, said NDMA chairman Dr Zafar Qadir.

District projects

Previously, the WFP had organised 'school safety programmes' in five districts of Sindh. Community based disaster risk management activities have been planned for Thatta, Dadu, Tharparkar, Jacobabad and Shadadkot. The WFP has also developed community-based drought warning system for Tharparkar, as the 2009 and 2010 monsoon forecasts were roughly accurate. Data for the current season is in the process of being collected.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2011.