ISLAMABAD: A nationally mandated initiative — aimed at enhancing the sa­­f­e­­ty, resilience, and long-term sustainability of the count­ry’s public infrastructure thr­­ough a preventive, risk-in­for­med approach ahead of monsoon — was officially lau­­nch­­ed here at National Di­­saster Management Auth­ority’s headquarters on Wednesday.

The launch was marked by a seminar held to review and audit vulnerable public infra­­structure and buildings.

The initiative is aimed at ensuring coordinated nationwide implementation of the Infrastructure Audit Prog­ra­mme 2026 by bringing fede­ral and provincial stakeholders onto a single platform.

At the seminar, the NDMA presented the approved concept note establishing the na­­tional framework for the In­­frastructure Audit Program­­me, which has received formal endorsement from the Prime Minister’s Office for implementation across both federal and provincial levels.

Pakistan has repeatedly incurred heavy human and economic losses due to floods, earthquakes, and climate-in­duced disasters, said Federal Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hus­sain Pirzada while addressing the seminar as chief guest.

He said the losses were largely attributable not only to natural hazards but also to vulnerable and inadequately prepared infrastructure. He emphasised the urgent need to transition from a reactive, post-disaster response model to one focused on early identification of structural weaknesses and timely mitigation.

Mr Pirzada commended the NDMA for initiating this forward-looking programme in the national interest and said the Infrastructure Audit Programme represented a paradigm shift from respon­­se to prevention and from assumptions to evidence-based decision-making.

He said that systematic inf­rastructure health asse­ss­me­nts under the programme wou­­ld help identify risks in critical buildings, safeguard public assets, and enable inf­ormed planning and investment. He reaffirmed his ministry’s complete support to the NDMA in advancing the national initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said the seminar aimed to initiate co­­ordinated nationwide implementation of the Infra­stru­cture Audit Programme 2026 by bringing federal and provincial stakeholders onto a single platform.

He said the focus was to build a shared understanding of the audit framework, clarify roles and responsibilities, and align strategies and timelines to ensure systematic assessment and strengthening of critical infrastructure across the country during disasters and natural calamities.

Participants were briefed on the programme’s rationale, scope, and phased implementation plan, including prioritisation of high-occupancy and high-risk buildings, adoption of standardised audit methodologies such as visual inspections and non-destructive testing, development of digital reporting and decision-support systems, and incorporation of resilience indicators into infrastructure planning.

The seminar was attended by senior officials from federal and provincial governments, representatives of building control and development authorities, technical experts, engineers, academia, and development partners.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2026