The Senate's Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has observed that in order to minimize natural disaster losses, there is an urgent need for organisations to utilise the latest technology.

The committee meeting was held here at the Parliament House in the chair of Senator Rubina Khalid. The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the use of modern technology by the National Disaster Management Authority.

The committee meeting was attended by Senators Kalsoom Parveen, Rehman Malik, Faisal Javed, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidari and Sana Jamali. The members said the Department of Meteorology and other relevant agencies would have to move towards innovation because current conditions require timely information for the people to enable them to cope with natural disasters and deal with emergencies. Training and awareness should also be given to the public.

The committee said that a visit to Islamabad Meteorological Department will also be made soon. Officials said information about disasters and climate change is coming from all entities, but there is no digital platform where all the information is gathered. "We need to devise a system for all the institutions if they are operating within their limits," the committee members said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019