ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) senior board member Ahmed Kamal said on Friday that National Fund for Disaster Management would be established soon in the country for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
While talking to PTV news, he said that these funds would be used for relief activities in case a natural calamity hits the country.
National Disaster fund would be introduced in Pakistan for the first time in the history, he added.
NDMA has the capability to immediately start relief activities in natural calamities including floods, landslides, earthquakes, drought, tsuami, cyclone, glacier lake outburst flood, avalanches and tropical sea storms.
He further said Pakistan meteorological department (PMD) needs to make accurate forecasts about the emerging weather patterns associated with climate change.
PMD should make its equipment more strong and modernize for the timely updates and forecasts of weather, he added.
NDMA and its provincial sub institutions are fully prepared to deal with any emergency during the monsoon season, he added.
NDMA has necessary funds and resources to handle the situation arising from rains and floods in the country he said and adding, “We also trained staff at the district level to cope with natural disasters”.
“We cannot fight with natural disasters but can prevent, mitigate and prepare ourselves against the likely impacts that may occur during any disaster.
Information exchange with the general masses through regular media reporting on natural disasters can play a pivotal role in timely savings the lives and effective response measures,” Ahmad Kamal added.
In this regard, NDMA has launched many comprehensive campaigns through electronic and print media to spread awareness among the masses to minimize the human and material losses, he said.
Besides spreading awareness through media, the NDMA also regularly publishes updates on its website for public awareness, he informed.
Ahmad Kamal said that the main role is to educate the masses to remain calm in case of any disaster. “We lose more lives due to panic during disasters.”
