“Pakistan is vulnerable to a range of natural hazards and looks forward to the international community to assist us in capacity building and also in relief and rehabilitation efforts in the devastated areas,” said President Asif Ali Zardari during a meeting with Margareta Wahlstrom, UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for disaster risk reduction.
The president asked a UN delegation, headed by Ms Wahlstrom, that the devastation caused by climatic change was a wake-up call to look for permanent solutions to natural disasters.
The President’s spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, quoted Mr Zardari as saying: “The situation calls for enhanced cooperation between those who have expertise and advanced technology and those who are still struggling to cope with such emergency situations.”
He said the government, in collaboration with the private sector and non-governmental organisations, was working on a number of steps, including educating the people, to meet situations caused by natural calamities.
“However, the scope of our efforts remains limited mainly due to economic constraints and limitations of capacity,” the president said.
The UN’s Resident Coordinator in Pakistan Timo Pakkala, UNDP Country Director Toshihiro Tanaka, Regional Programme Officer Mashavi Ariyabandu and Senior Regional Coordinator Dr German Velasquez accompanied Ms Wahlstrom.
Adviser on Science and Technology Dr Ishfaq Ahmed Khan, Senators Syeda Sughra Imam and Babar Awan, MNAs Sherry Rehman and Asma Arbab Alamgir and NDMA Chairman Dr Zafar Iqbal were present on the occasion.
President Zardari thanked the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for their allocation to help flood-affected people and said Pakistan looked forward to active participation by the international community in the UN-launched ‘Pakistan Floods 2011 Rapid Response Plan’.
The president said the agriculture sector had suffered a big setback as most cash and food crops had been destroyed.
“A large number of livestock heads are still at risk because of diseases,” the president said.
The UN delegation was informed that a devolved system for disaster management was already in place and its provincial and district components were working in the flood-affected areas.
The meeting was informed that the National Disaster Risk Management Framework had been formulated by the NDMA to guide the working of disaster risk management in its entirety.
Ms Wahlstrom assured the government that the UN would continue to assist flood victims in providing relief and rehabilitation.
Later, the president monitored flood relief activities in Badin, Tando Allahyar and Benazirabad districts through satellite video conferencing.
He inquired about the latest situation vis-à-vis relief efforts and availability of food and medicines.
The DCOs concerned informed the meeting about medicines in these districts along with other steps taken in the light of the president’s earlier directives to prevent outbreak of diseases.
The president directed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to monitor relief activities and to send cabinet members to Mirpurkhas district to address problems of the affected people.(Dawn.com)
