PDMA lacks crucial district-level presence

Provincial disaster management body relies entirely on deputy commissioners during a natural calamity

KARACHI:

For disaster management to work effectively, it must have a strong presence at every level. Yet, in Sindh, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), created to handle natural calamities, falls short with no district-level system in place. The provincial administration has created District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) in each district, under the jurisdiction of the respective Deputy Commissioner. These authorities comprise 30 representatives from various federal and provincial institutions and departments. However, there is no PDMA representation within them.

The DDMAs, led by the Deputy Commissioners, include members from local bodies, health, education, police, food, agriculture, irrigation, social welfare, and other provincial and federal institutions, including the Pakistan Army. In the event of a natural disaster, the Deputy Commissioner heads the DDMA and coordinates relief efforts with various government agencies. Relief activities are initiated immediately for those affected, followed by rehabilitation efforts in the second phase. Despite these critical functions, the PDMA is absent from these phases at the district level. As a result, the PDMA relies entirely on the Deputy Commissioners and their committees during any natural calamity.

Commenting on the structure and efficacy, Naseer Memon, a development professional from Sindh, emphasized the need to strengthen the DDMAs. “District Disaster Management Authorities are the primary institutions that act first in the event of any natural calamity, so it is very important to strengthen them. However, it is sad to say that this institution has no effective role in practice.”

“While Deputy Commissioners head the DDMAs, they lack the necessary equipment and trained personnel to manage natural disasters effectively,” Memon added.

In an interview with the Express Tribune, PDMA Director General Syed Salman Shah also echoed this opinion, asserting that the PDMA should be represented in the district-level DDMAs. He emphasized the necessity for PDMA to have its own system to deal with natural calamities and mentioned that he had conveyed his observations to the chief minister.

Addressing the absence of environmental experts on the PDMA board, Shah agreed that their inclusion is essential. “Environmental experts should also be on the board of PDMA,” he said, pledging to recommend this to the Sindh government.

Highlighting the urgency of this inclusion, environmental activist Afaq Bhatti said: “The world is currently going through a dangerous phase of environmental change. Due to climate change, every year we face some kind of natural calamity. In this situation, involvement of the environment department or environmental experts at provincial or district level in an organization like PDMA should be mandatory.”

In a similar vein, Yasir Darya, an environmentalist who heads Green Pak Coalition, concurred, underscoring the importance of having environmental experts on the PDMA board. He remarked that the disasters we face due to climate change are largely man-made, resulting from emissions produced by developed countries. "Given these circumstances, the inclusion of environmental experts at PDMA is not just important—it is crucial," Darya added.