Experts Warn Pakistan Must Train Citizens To Respond To Emergencies Before Help Arrives

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2025) As Pakistan continues to reel from devastating natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, and landslides, the country’s heavy human and economic losses are a grim reminder that disaster response alone is not enough. Experts stress that basic emergency training for citizens, including first aid, CPR, rescue skills, and evacuation procedures, is no longer optional. It is essential for reducing losses and saving lives, especially in the critical minutes before professional help arrives.

Though a few dedicated volunteers on social media are sharing tips on how to use everyday resources during sudden floods, their efforts are not enough. Experts say this cannot remain an individual initiative, emergency training must become part of a national action plan.

Dr. Junaid Ahmad, Executive Engineer at the Punjab Irrigation Department, told APP that Pakistan focuses on response and recovery, with little attention to preparedness, and mitigation largely ignored. He emphasized public training in flood warnings, first aid, and evacuation. In the 2022 floods, many lives were lost to drowning, snake bites, and untreated injuries. Local volunteer training with stipends could create first responders and ease the pressure on rescue teams.

He said disaster authorities and NGOs should hold workshops to teach people how to read warnings, locate shelters, and conduct neighborhood-level evacuation drills. Schools in flood-prone areas should also include swimming and evacuation training. In Japan, children practice drills from an early age. In contrast, many children in Sindh and southern Punjab drowned in 2022 because they couldn’t swim or identify danger zones.

Past disasters reveal gaps in coordination. In 2010, aid often missed the most affected areas due to lack of local input, whereas the 2005 Kashmir earthquake response was more efficient due to army-NGO-community collaboration. Dr. Ahmad suggested permanent disaster committees at the union council or district level to maintain local data and connect with NDMA and aid agencies.

Zulfiqar, General Manager Communications at SIEHS-1122, talking to APP said survival often depends on what people do in the first few minutes. “A high-quality CPR can double survival chances, yet every minute without it reduces survival by 10%.” He added that their dispatch center guides callers before teams arrive, and community training and digital campaigns aim to make lifesaving a shared responsibility.

Former Fire and Safety Officer Sadam Baig of Rescue 1122 GB said public training is critical as communities are usually the first responders. Through its Community Awareness Program (CAP), Rescue 1122 trains citizens in CPR, firefighting, and first aid. He added that rising disasters and traffic accidents make public readiness essential.

Pakistan’s vulnerability remains high. In 2010, floods affected 20 million people, killing 2,000 and causing $10 billion in damage. In 2022, floods displaced 33 million people, killed over 1,100, and caused over $30 billion in losses and reconstruction needs, as per Post-Disaster Needs Assessment.

Dr. Ahmad noted that mitigation can significantly reduce risks. River floods can be managed with levees, reservoirs, and floodplains; upstream reforestation reduces downstream flooding; zoning laws can keep people away from danger zones. He cited the Netherlands’ “Room for the River” and Singapore’s ABC Waters Program as models for urban flood management. In Pakistan, cities suffer from clogged drains and over-paved surfaces, making investment in green infrastructure crucial. Every $1 spent on mitigation saves $4–7 in recovery, according to FEMA studies.

Developed countries actively train their citizens for emergencies through national programs and public education. In Japan, schoolchildren regularly practice earthquake and tsunami drills. The United States runs Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs to train local volunteers in disaster response. Germany conducts civil defense drills and encourages households to keep emergency supplies. Australia runs bushfire survival training in high-risk areas. South Korea includes emergency training in schools and runs nationwide disaster simulations. These efforts make communities more resilient and ensure faster, more effective responses when disasters strike.

Experts have strongly advocated that emergency response training cannot remain an individual or ad-hoc effort, it must be embedded within a coordinated national action plan. To protect lives and reduce disaster losses, Pakistan needs a unified approach that includes public training, school-based drills, community preparedness programs, and integration with local and national disaster authorities. By turning its vulnerable citizens into informed first responders, Pakistan can shift from reactive crisis management to proactive resilience, saving lives when every second counts.