Synchronised efforts: NDMA unveils plan to manage calamities

ISLAMABAD: The national disaster control body has presented its community based strategy for managing calamities in the future.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday unveiled its National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) Implementation Road Map 2016-2030 with the stakeholders, including the UN agencies, development partners and the federal and provincial governments.

The plan was shared at a conference held at Prime Minister’s Office to reveal the future plan for implementation of NDMP focusing on Multi Hazard Vulnerability Risk Assessments (MHVRA), Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM), capacity building interventions, including emergency responses, exercises for government officials and volunteers, and public awareness.



Sharing the details of the MHVRA, Ahmed Kamal member NDMA told The Express Tribune that it will be implemented in 157 districts and the tribal areas in three phases. The authority will assess the vulnerability of each district against natural calamities like earthquake, floods, flash floods, landslides and other perils and take measures accordingly.

After this CBDRM will be implemented in one go across the districts for the capacity building of government officials concerned and volunteers.

The road map is envisaged to be implemented in a phased manner during 2016-2030 timeframe, according to a press release.

The first phase (2016-2018) will cover 39 districts most vulnerable to natural calamities, phase-II (2019-2022) will cover the remaining 63 districts and phase-III (2023-2030) will be implemented in FATA.

This road map will pave the way for synchronised implementation of effective disaster management regime.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2015.