Sindh plans agency for disaster management: Project to cost Rs784m
By Sabihuddin Ghausi
KARACHI, Dec 14: A Sindh disaster management agency is being set up for putting in place in the next five years a comprehensive disaster management plan at a total cost of over Rs784 million of which more than 50 per cent — Rs434 million — will go towards staff salaries, allowances, vehicles and office equipment.
However, the setting up of this agency depends on availability of 90 per cent fund from a donor or the federal government, as the Sindh government would be able to set aside only 10 per cent cost. The current fiscal year’s ADP provides Rs12 million for this purpose.
For the availability of fire fighting equipment, boats, automobiles, helicopters and civil defence paraphernalia, the details are being worked out by the relief commissioner of the Board of Revenue.
Overall, the plan ensures a fresh recruitment of 229 persons in the province. But it is silent on training of these persons.
Similar disaster management agencies are also being proposed for other provinces that will coordinate with a national disaster management agency to meet al the risks emerging from natural calamities.
Officials say the project has been designed in consultation with a UNDP expert to build up the capacities of the provincial and district governments and taluka municipal administration for meeting disasters like floods, rains, tidal waves, drought and other natural calamities.
Preparation for the plan was initiated way back in 2003 after a brainstorming session of Sindh government officials with UNDP experts. It was given a final shape in August this year. There is a growing realization that almost the whole of Sindh is a disaster prone province.
Districts in Southeast of the province — Badin, Thatta and Tharparkar — are relatively more vulnerable to natural calamities and have been suffering from the consequences of cyclones, floods, drought and earthquake.
In 2003, angry river Indus devastated more than 3,400 villages, damaged 150,000 houses and killed about 189 people. Over one million people were directly affected by these floods. A little earlier in 1998 and 2001, floods destroyed standing crops and caused huge loss of livestock and damaged infrastructure. Millions of people were affected.
The 1999 cyclone killed 169 persons in coastal areas of the province and uprooted about 600,000 persons. Sharing almost 50 per cent of more than 700km long coastline, agriculture, livestock, infrastructure and the people of coastal districts have suffered huge damages and losses.
The four years of drought brought untold miseries to about 10 million people of the rural province who suffered a short water supply that adversely affected their crops and livestock.
So far the Sindh government has been focussing only on providing relief to those areas and people where the natural calamities had hit. But for the last two years there has been a growing thinking to meet these contingencies head on and enhance the capacities of Taluka municipal administrations and district and provincial governments.
Under the disaster management project, all the 23 districts will be covered but Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Dadu, Khairpur and Ghotki will be given priority positions. The Karachi headquarter of the agency will have a director general at its top, with 26 other staff members. More than Rs58m will be provided to the annual budget for salaries, allowances and purchase of vehicles and office equipment.
On completion of the project, the annual recurring cost has been estimated at over Rs89 million. A Sindh emergency operation centre is also being proposed to be set up on permanent basis, while 23 such centres will be set up at the district levels.
