‘Rescue workers need to get to women stuck in a disaster zone’

Victims, despite being injured, don't let the police and other rescue workers touch their women.

A disaster in Karachi’s congested Kharadar neighbourhood once taught rescue workers their limitations even though they had the resources.

“The victims, despite being injured, wouldn’t let the police and other rescue workers touch their women,” explained Salmanuddin Shah from Focus Humanitarian Assistance Pakistan at the South Asian Cities Conference Sunday. This is why FOCUS employs 35% of women to work in the field.

Shah added that keeping in mind Pakistan’s culture, women should be included in rescue operations. In order to prepare a community to deal with disasters, it is necessary to educate them on how to react in given situations. This training should start from school, he stressed.

Such planning is crucial in a city like Karachi, which contrary to common belief doesn’t lack resources to cope with a disaster. It has too many resources but not enough coordination between government bodies involved in handling a disaster, according to Dr Junaid Razzaq. This, he said, causes additional chaos.

There are some plans to improve Sindh’s response to disasters, said panelist Adnan Asdar. The government will be getting new ambulances which would aim to save lives rather than just being used as a means of transportation.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2014.