SUKKUR: A warehouse is being built in the SITE area in collaboration with Japan, Australia, The Netherlands and the United States to store relief goods for use in time of natural disasters in upper Sindh, according to director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority Syed Salman Shah.

He told journalists after the groundbreaking ceremony here on Thursday, which was also attended by diplomats of the four countries, that work on the warehouse would be completed before July 2016.

He said that two warehouses had been planned in the province, one in Hyderabad and the other in Sukkur. The Hyderabad warehouse had already been completed with the help of the four countries, he said.

Mr Shah said the warehouses would be used to store food and medical supplies so that people of the disaster-hit areas could be provided prompt relief in case of natural calamities.

He said the four countries had in past provided relief goods for the disaster-hit people, which included trucks, motorboats, medicines, foods, eatables etc.

Mr Shah said that similar warehouses would be established in other provinces as well. The PMDA was fully prepared to tackle the situation during and after natural disasters and keep human losses within minimum levels, he said.

He said that Australia and other countries had also helped build small warehouses in Badin, Umerkot and 10 other small towns where relief goods had been kept and soon after completion of Sukkur warehouse supplies would be made from it to the lower Sindh areas of Sukkur, Larkana and Benazirabad divisions in case of natural disaster.

The diplomats said that they sympathised with the people of Pakistan and would not leave them alone in their difficult hour. Their countries had better relations with Pakistan while non-governmental organisations of Australia, Japan and other countries had provided funds for helping people in their difficult times, they said.

World Food Programme manager Irfan Jafferi, resident engineer Ziauddin Abro and others also attended the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2015