ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has said that the country is facing serious climate challenges and 2022 devastating floods caused around $30 billion in losses to the economy, saying despite all out efforts full recovery will take many years.
Addressing the ceremony at the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), here on Thursday, he said that the federal government alone spent Rs100 billion for rehabilitation of the affected population besides the funding from provinces as well as aid from the friendly countries.
PM Shehbaz assured to extend maximum resources for capacity building of the NDMA both in terms of human resource development and provision of necessary equipment. He advised the NDMA’s management to turn the emergencies operation system as a world class facility, a safety wall for the country, by ensuring merit-based induction. He said world-class centres should be selected both inside and outside the country for the training of human resource in disaster preparedness and response. He said the government will bear the expenses for the training programmes, highlighting it is an investment to save our future investments.
The prime minister also emphasised the importance of greater coordination between the Centre and the federating units to effectively deal with the challenge of climate change.
The Ministry of Climate Change should play a proactive role in this regard.
The PM said a comprehensive plan should be worked out in consultation with the provinces for the procurement of necessary equipment in order to ensure complete preparedness and readiness in the face of any calamity.
The prime minister also recalled the coordination exhibited by the provinces and the Centre during the 2022 floods, saying this led to the rehabilitation of millions of affected people. Shehbaz mentioned that the government has set aside a record development budget of 80 billion rupees for the IT sector. He said the aim is to train our youth with the latest skills.
He lauded the revamped NEOC equipped with multiple satellite feeds and artificial intelligence tools, and expressed the hope that the NDMA would prove to be a safety wall for Pakistan against the impacts of climate change.
“Due to climate change, Pakistan is in the red zone and among the top 10 vulnerable countries. We should not lose our morale but rather work hard. After this achievement, I have no doubt that the NDMA, in coordination with provincial PDMAs, will become a safety wall for Pakistan,” the prime minister said during his visit to the NEOC here along with the federal ministers and federal secretaries.
He highly appreciated Chairman NDMA Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik for realising his dream of focusing on the capacity building and human resource development of the authority instead of an earlier planned project of building an office tower.
He said consequent to the efforts by that time Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other federal and provincial organisations, the country was able to rehabilitate millions of people.
PM Shehbaz appreciated the merit-based induction of quality human resources and establishing a third-party validation mechanism at the NDMA, and assured of the government’s support and funding for the staffers’ training and procurement of equipment.
“This is not normal. This is not usual. This is far above normal and usual,” he said and asked the federal ministers and secretaries to follow the role model to make Pakistan a great nation. He asked the NDMA to ensure close coordination with provinces including GB and AJK and advised the procurement of equipment through coordination to avoid duplication.
“This is not an expenditure. This is an investment to save our future investments,” he remarked. He told the gathering that the federal government had allocated Rs80 billion for the promotion of information technology besides signing an agreement with Huawei for training of 300,000 Pakistani youths in IT annually.
Chairman NDMA Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik briefed the prime minister about the capabilities of the NEOC, enabled by multiple satellite feeds, softwares and artificial intelligence tools, to generate a National Common Operating Picture (NCOP), strengthening digital risk assessment, early warning systems and preparedness strategies for Pakistan.
The briefing also highlighted the NEOC’s capability to forecast weather patterns six to 10 months in advance not only at national but regional levels.
The chairman elaborated on the modus operandi of the NDMA, and highlighted how NEOC served as a hub for emergency response and coordination among PDMAs, DDMAs, relevant ministries/departments and other pertinent stakeholders including domestic-international humanitarian partners ensuring swift and effective response during all phases of disasters specifically pre-disaster stage.
During the briefing, the NDMA’s newly-developed mobile application aimed to empower individuals and communities with vital information to effectively prepare for and respond to potential disasters was also showcased.
The prime minister was accompanied by the cabinet members including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Industries Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Petroleum Minister Dr Musaddik Malik, Advisor to PM Rana Sanaullah, and coordinators to the PM Romina Khurshid Alam and Dr Mukhtar Ahmed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024