Government urged to take steps for disaster management

The environmental activist and Chairman Subha-e-Nau, Shahida Farooq on Wednesday said the government should take steps for disaster management on top priority in areas, which are earthquake prone but still safe from a major catastrophe.
She particularly stressed her point in respect of cities of Karachi and Lahore, where more than 20 million people are living, particularly Karachi where 52 percent population is living in Karachi abadis.
She said the work had been initiated on disaster management plans in Karachi where three fault lines were passing, so need of the hour was to pay immediate attention on some basic essentials to be adopted if, God forbid, an earthquake or any other calamity hits.
She said in Karachi most residential multi-storeyed buildings were raised on five inch column which, if earth sakes, couldn't afford the shocks.
Shahida suggested that first step to be taken should be to survey all buildings of schools, hospitals, police stations, community centres and mosques, and determine their strength to ascertain whether or not those could absorb shocks of bigger magnitude and other multi-storeyed buildings thereafter.
She pointed out that those were the places where, in case of a calamity of bigger magnitude, the displaced persons could be provided temporary shelter. Such buildings need to be strengthened in the first instance before implementation of long-term management plans.
In the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir, she pointed out, where people were living on mountains, there was need to carry out massive plantation which played great role in controlling land slides.
The slidings could also be checked by pitching steel wired fences as were being used in some countries, which experienced earthquakes and land slides, she said. Shahida said she had been clamouring for years stressing on tree plantation not only in mountainous ranges but also in cities like Karachi.
She recalled the surge of sea water into coastal areas of Thatta and Badin districts and said there was need to carry out massive plantation like coconut trees along the coast.
She said taking lesson from Tsunami, high rises or residential complexes closer to coast line needed to be discouraged to prevent human and material losses in Tsunami like calamities.