Natural disasters: Pakistan not prepared to deal with nature’s wrath

Oxfam urges govt to implement Hyogo Framework for Action.

The commitments made by the government in 2005 to ensure better preparation for natural disasters will not be met by the deadline of 2015, said a press release on Saturday.

Oxfam, an international non-government organisation, expressed these concerns on the 6th anniversary of the devastating earthquake that ravaged north of the country.

The organisation stated in the press release that more needs to be done to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).In 2005, 168 governments agreed to adopt the HFA to commit to strengthening people’s resilience to disasters.

Oxfam called on the Pakistani government and donors to respond to the dire humanitarian needs and invest in disaster prevention measures to ensure that similar situation do not arise in the future.

“Everyone is aware of how disasters have taken their toll in Pakistan and how they are continuing to put people at the brink of desperation. Until we start preparing for these events and develop a system, the vicious circle of suffering will continue to affect millions of people,” said Oxfram’s Country Director Neva Khan.

Oxfam said there were concrete examples of how lives had been saved through disaster prevention.

After the 2005 earthquake, Oxfam built retaining walls in different parts of AJK which were close to a river and when the area was hit by the floods in 2010, these walls saved over 1,500 people.

In addition to that, over 200,000 people were evacuated by rescue boats with the help of Oxfam and its partners, as flood water rose in different parts of the country.

The agency called on the government to take urgent steps to implement the framework. It urged the government to ensure, placement of early warning systems throughout the country and, that vulnerable communities have the means to prepare themselves for disasters.

These include building houses on raised platforms or constructing barriers to prevent spread of flood water. Such measures would save lives and money in the long term, besides decreasing reliance on foreign assistance, it claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2011.