MUNIR AHMED
The Disaster Safety Nets would be the only solution to combat challenges of natural disasters that would be a frequent phenomenon in the years to come with rising climate change, said Dr Zafar Iqbal Qadir, Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Tuesday while talking to the Dateline.
He said the Disaster Safety Nets is an emerging concept for the mitigation of calamities, and Pakistan would be the first one on the map to launch it with strategic innovation. The financial model that we are developing for the Disaster Safety Nets would lessen the huge financial burden on the shoulders of the government and the donor agencies during emergencies, Dr Qadir said.
“Only last year we had to suffer a loss of $356 million from floods, while the losses in 2010 were much higher. Pakistan is at the top of the vulnerability chart because of the rapid climatic changes. Therefore, we need immediate action and measures to safeguard the life and property of people. Certainly, no government and the donors are in the position to provide rescue, relief and rehabilitation, in the wake of natural disasters in the world, and Pakistan is no exception.”
Dr Qadir said we are in the process of developing a financial model for the Disaster Risk Insurance for every household in the disaster-prone areas in the country. Through this strategic intervention, all households would be provided protection in the shape of insurance for life, food security, shelter, livestock, and crops.
Government, charity organisations, philanthropists, and the donor agencies would pay the entire premium on behalf of the households insured in the scheme. The World Bank is more than happy to buy this innovative idea, as it would cost less to the development and humanitarian agencies to bear the losses from the natural disasters.
Dr Qadir stated, “In case of emergencies, the insurance agencies would have to bear the cost of five major components including life, food security, shelter, livestock and crops. The government would ensure timely compensation against insurances. There would be a feedback, monitoring, and evaluation mechanism to ensure smooth flow of the system.”
He said, “We also need to introduce and proactively work on the urban disaster management for at least Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Quetta, Badin, and Mirpurkhas. For some districts including Quetta, Badin, Karachi, and Rawalpindi Division, the NDMA has done the district level multi-hazard mapping while for some others is in the pipeline. This would help the government for its preparedness to take precautionary measures and to handle the emergency well in time.
“Karachi shall be our focus in preparedness, as the city provides 60 per cent of the total revenue to the national exchequer. It could be hit by cyclone, Tsunami, or any other natural calamity. Islamabad the capital city lies on the fault-line. We need to have clear mapping of the vulnerabilities of each city and the roadmap to address them effectively.
Talking about the Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy, Dr Qadir said, the UNDP has appointed consultants who would start working soon on the policy. We would surely be adopting the bottom- to-top approach to formulate the document through stakeholder consultations – which would be complete in the next six months, he said.
Published in daily Dateline Islamabad, Jan 25, 2012.
http://www.dateline.com.pk/?p=1516
http://www.dateline.com.pk/epaper/index.php?date=2012-01-25&page_no=3
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