CM, NDMA agree to adopt technology for disaster management

Murad says forecasting technology could help govts make a contingency plan much before weather disasters take place

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider have agreed to adopt modern technology for disaster management.

Speaking at a meeting in CM House, Murad said that most of the natural disasters that took place in Pakistan were weather related, therefore their forecast could be made much before their occurrences through technological help. The CM added that the technology would help the governments to make a contingency plan much before the disasters.

On the occasion, Chairman NDMA LT Gen Inam Haider said that his organisation has developed close coordination with international agencies working to forecast weather and its related impacts. He added that the NDMA has been installing weather-related latest equipment and gadgets to assess the weather and patterns of the disasters during the last few decades.

He told the CM that the provincial disaster management authorities would be also connected with their systems along with sharing daily reports and forecast warnings so that the authorities can make their plans and necessary preparedness accordingly.

Murad Ali Shah said that the Sindh province has been facing natural disasters from the 2010 flood, the 2011 flash floods, then the urban floods, and now heavy rains in 2022. "We must learn lessons from these natural disasters and must equip and strengthen our institutions to mitigate the impact of such disasters with timely forecasts.

In the meeting, they agreed to further strengthen coordination between the NDMA and the PDMA so that proper planning could be made to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2023.