KARACHI, Jan 31: The steps to strengthen disaster management measures in Sindh came under review at a meeting held under the chairmanship of provincial minister for planning and development Shoaib Ahmed Bukhari on Monday.

The meeting was participated by Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Ghulam Sarwar Khero, Senior Chief (S T & Poverty Alleviation), Ghulam Mustafa Abro, representatives of Home and Finance departments, besides relief commissioner, Sindh.

Mr Khero briefing the minister about the disasters occurring in various parts of the world causing severe human and material losses, informed him that the UNDP had been working in different parts of the world to reduce such sufferings by developing institutional setup.

The UNDP, Mr Khero said, accordingly prepared a draft plan for strengthening Pakistan's disaster management capacity at the federal, provincial and district levels, and the same was being considered by the federal cabinet. Meanwhile, ACS Khero said, the UNDP had provided a consultant to Sindh for preparing a disaster management plan for the province.

The plan for Sindh proposed a specialized body- Sindh Disaster Management Agency- to be headed by chief minister, while its members would be the concerned ministers and heads of departments, and at the district and town levels, disaster management committees would be headed by respective nazims, he added.

Mr Khero said the proposed agency would work to reduced the risk of disasters by creating infrastructure for mitigation and rehabilitation. Hitherto, he said, only relief efforts were made after the disaster, and there was no agency to undertake preventive measures.

He said the objective would be to enhance capacity building for policy enactment and legislation, besides plans to have effective multidisciplinary, multi-sector and inter-governmental disaster response and mitigation system for risk reduction.

The participants of the meeting proposed an integrated system with some controlling power, so as to implement the project. Mr Shoaib Bukhari suggested that the proposed agency should be specialized one, and its staff should not be transferable.

He said an intensive training programme was essential and the contingency/disaster plan should be prepared having clear manual for the respective agencies at the provincial and district levels.

Even such measures in vogue in other countries could be studied, the minister said, and directed that the UNDP be requested to assist the province in its anti-disaster endeavours. He said the role of relief department should also be retained in an integrated manner. -APP