President Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) Sardar Masood Khan has proposed to invite the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs to visit the AJK and also to organise an international conference to review the adverse effects of climate change in the region.
Khan while talking to Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal, who called on him here on Thursday, said that Kashmir was badly affected by climate change impacts. During the meeting, a host of issues including loss of life and property caused by the recent avalanche in Neelum Valley and rehabilitation of the quake victims of Mirpur were discussed in detail.
The NDMA chairman also informed the AJK President of compensation being paid for the victims of landslides and avalanches during recent heavy snowfall in Neelum Valley. The chairman NDMA said that Rs 500,000 would be paid to the family of the deceased, Rs 100,000 for the destroyed house and Rs 50,000 to injured people. He added the government of Pakistan would provide Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 for the partly damaged houses in Neelum Valley.
The chairman NDA further said that institution would complete all the remaining projects of 2005 earthquake affected areas in 2020 in areas of Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sardar Masood Khan said that in the proposed conference, officials of AJK and the federal government's Ministry of Climate Change as well as international experts should be invited to prepare practicable recommendations.
The President stressed the need for immediate relief and rehabilitation of the avalanche victims in Seri Surgan and Surgan Bakwali villages as well as payment of compensation to those whose crops were destroyed.
"Survey of Neelum Valley, Leepa Valley and other calamity-prone parts of Azad Kashmir should be comprehensively carried out, precautionary measures should be adopted, awareness be created among the local people about the safety measures, and emergency steps should be taken to shift the affected people to safer places," he urged.
Sardar Masood Khan said that due to unchecked deforestation and since the 2005 earthquake, the ecosystem including the soil composition of the State has become fragile, and the population living in the foothills of mountains remains under threat of floods, landslides and avalanches, while lack of proper communication system in these areas further adds to danger faced by the local populace.
While appreciating NDMA chief's committed and untiring efforts, the State President expressed the hope that the authority would become a strong national organization in the coming years.
Earlier, Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal said that in view of the peculiar situation of Azad Kashmir, it is pertinent to discourage new settlements in areas prone to natural calamities. Besides, international construction codes should be strictly applied.
He said that with the cooperation of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, the NDMA intended to launch a five-year disaster management project. Besides this, the NDMA is planning to launch a sustainable fund under which relief would be provided on emergency footings to the people affected by any natural calamity without affecting the government's own development funds.
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