ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has distributed 1,950 tents, 76.6 tons food items and 1,800 blankets among the flood affected people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
According to a spokesman of NDMA, 1600 plastic mats, 100 kitchen sets and 650 mosquito nets were also distributed in the flood hit areas.
He said 116 people died in the flood including 58 men, 22 women and 36 children. He said 25 deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 in Sindh, 10 Balochistan, 5 in AJK, 5 in FATA, 27 in FATA and one in the Federal Capital.
He said in the floods around 63 people received injuries.
He said 34 men, 19 women and 10 children also included in the injured. He said in the flood hit areas 327 houses partially damaged, while 255 destroyed completely. Two buildings of the government schools also affected by the floods, he added.
However, he said that final assessment is in progress by respective Disaster Management Authorities in KP and Balochistan.
To a question he said that any natural calamity like floods, earthquake can be dealt through better planning and integrated efforts.
He said that for the first time elaborate contingency plans had been adopted by NDMA at district, provincial and national level in consultation with all stakeholders to deal with flood.
He said that the main role is to educate the masses to remain calm in case of any disaster. “We lose more lives due to panic during disasters.”
He said NDMA has the capability to immediately start relief activities in natural calamities. NDMA has necessary funds and resources to handle the situation arising from rains and floods in the country.
NDMA is regularly and constantly coordinating with all departments concerned to ensure timely precautionary evacuations and rescue and provision of relief to the rain and flood affected people.
He said, that (NDMA) is following an effective plan to enhance capacity of its attached departments for a befitting respond in natural calamities.
A National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) had been formulated for better performance of the disaster management bodies in natural calamities like floods, landslides, earthquakes, drought, tsunami, cyclone, glacier lake outburst flood, avalanches and tropical sea storms.
He said the plan identified 10 priority areas, 41 strategies and 122 projects in the domain of institutional development, capacity building, awareness, early warning system, human resource development, hazard and risk assessment etc, said an official of ministry of climate change.
The NDMP identifies roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders involved in disaster management and facilitates various organization/agencies to undertake interventions as identified in NDMP to achieve the desired results, he added.
NDMP had also responsibility for National hazard and vulnerability assessment, macro level risk assessment for entire country completed, while micro level assessment under progress.
To a question, he said NDMA, being the leading federal agency, has the overarching role to develop sustainable operational capacity and professional competence to coordinate emergency response.
He said the authority progressively attained the capacity to support about 300,000 people all over the country through its well-stocked ware houses located on regional basis in any kind of disaster.
