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BADIN, Dec 4: A two-day workshop on “Disaster Preparedness and Management”, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was held at Cantonment here on Wednesday.
The workshop was spread over three sessions each of which discussed different topics.
Speaking on the occasion, the district coordination officer, Badin, Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, said a comprehensive action plan will be prepared to meet any disaster and natural calamities.
Representative of the UNDP, Sahibzada Mohammad Shoaib, said that the United Nations plans to implement programmes to provide a permanent solution to disastrous situations.
He said that we treat Badin as a model for preparing for disasters, and added that today’s workshop is “an ice-breaking event”.
Amjad Bhatti of the Journalists Resource Centre, Islamabad, spoke at length on “Disaster and Devolution” and the framework of the district government, Badin.
Irfan Maqbool, RDPI, Islamabad, and the district Nazim, Kamal Khan Chang, also spoke at the workshop.
The workshop was largely attended by representatives of the UNDP, local NGOs, rain victims, journalists and district government officials.
PADDY BURNT: Some unidentified men set ablaze a stock of paddy at the rice mill of former president of the Sindhi Shagird Tehrik, Badin district, Abdul Sattar Talpur, on Tuesday.
The paddy, said to be worth Rs500,000, was reduced to ashes.
Machinery and other articles were also burnt completely.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN: The provincial facilitator, UNDP, Sahibzada Mohammad Shoaib, said that the federal government had consulted the United Nations Development Programme to launch a $155 million National Disaster Management Plan in the country.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Wide-ranging recommendations for preparing against disasters were formulated in the workshop.
The recommendations included reviewing and revising existing disaster management policy and planning and updating of contour maps by exhaustive surveying of lands at the village, Taluka and district level.
It was resolved that an integrated disaster preparedness plan covering five years for Badin district should be prepared and approved by the District Council.
OTHER RESOLUTIONS: Other resolutions adopted in the workshop were to formulate, train and engage Community Citizen Boards in preparing for disasters.
The district Nazim assured UNDP representatives that he would get the resolutions and the names of the committee approved from the District Council at its next meeting.
