Dutch assistance to mitigate flood losses

Pakistan’s current efforts termed satisfactory.

ISLAMABAD: A team of experts from the Netherlands presented their first findings on how to anticipate and respond better to the floods that have inflicted colossal losses to Pakistan’s economy and its people in recent years.

The Dutch Disaster Risk Reduction team, invited by Pakistan and the Punjab governments and facilitated by the Netherlands Embassy in Islamabad, welcomed discussion and suggestions on their findings from the involved ministries, academia and societal organisations – before finalising their report suggesting smart solutions for improving Pakistan’s response to floods.

During a roundtable discussion, Dr Jos de Sonneville, a recognised authority on integrated water management, felt efforts already undertaken by Pakistan’s authorities were satisfactory.

“The scale of Pakistan’s water and irrigation infrastructure, their operational management and the recent improvements in flood damage response are very impressive indeed,” said Dr Jos, adding that he was also glad to note the sense of urgency - both on the governmental level and in society at large.

He hoped that Dutch expertise from both the public and private water sector can help Pakistan to move from relief to security. The team have identified smart solutions – often engaging entrepreneurial space – that they feel merit further development.

Dr Frank van Steenbergen, a water resource specialist with 25 years of experience in Pakistan, mentioned a few of these suggestions.

“For instance, the certification of embankments using Dutch know-how will not only allow a more targeted response, but also enable real estate development in the area,” he said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th,  2015.

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