KP PDMA Develops Monsoon Contingency Plan, Declares Nine Districts Vulnerable

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Jul, 2021 ) :Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has devoloped monsoon contingency plan 2021 to minimise disasters risks and ensure timely coordinated response to monsoon related hazards.

According to PDMA press release issued here on Monday, the plan was prepared with consultation of all stakeholders including District Administration, Provincial and Federal line departments and development partners.

As many as nine KP districts are consider as high risk districts during coming monsoon including Charrsada, DI Khan, Shangla, Dir Upper, Nowshera, Swat, Chitral upper and Chitral Lower.

The plan would help give timely coordinated response and minimise monsoon related hazards, vulnerabilities, risks and resource mapping.

The plan outcomes reinforce prevention, mitigation and response to monsoon related disasters.

According to Director General PDMA Sharif Hussain, natural disasters caused massive losses to people's lives, livelihoods and properties, which retarded economic growth. "Under this contingency plan, the Authority make efforts to minimize the losses likely to be caused by the natural disasters," he said.

The Director General said PDMA, being cognizant of importance of monsoon preparedness and contingency planning, has worked out contingency plan 2021 to minimize the impending disaster risk within the province through formulation of a comprehensive plan and its effective and efficient implementation.

The process of monsoon contingency planning was started from the first week of March 2021 by involving all stakeholders.

Tools for data collection were developed and shared with all stakeholders including information regarding districts and sector specific hazards and vulnerability profile, hazard impact, damages, compensation paid, resource mapping, need assessment and coordination.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has faced various natural calamities in the past decades including earthquakes, floods, locust attack and ensuing pandemic of COVID-19-which has strained the thin resources and had put enormous pressure on the economy as well as lives and livelihood of the people of this province.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, due to the impacts of climate change patterns and global warming, has witnessed a number of other events like the recurrence of recent years glacial lake outbursts floods in the northern regions, especially in Chitral which wreaked havoc to the built system of that areas.

Similarly, the thunderstorms and heavy rain-fall in Malakand and Hazara regions resulted in widespread damages and flooding downstream.

Due to the changing weather patterns such types of events will increase in frequency in the future ahead-which warrant mitigative measures, preparedness and planning ahead of time and multi-pronged approach and implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies.

The plan gives a detailed view of hazards profile of all the districts vulnerabilities and risks and its index, available and deployed resources, mapping of public and private sector machinery, mechanism of coordination at district, provincial and national level, the type of strategy to be adopted and the formation of control room in case of any emergency situation.

The plan chalks out the preparedness level of all stakeholders and will serve as a guiding tool for all the stakeholders.

Keeping in view the current climate change patterns, including overall global warming, rising temperatures, severe weather events, Glacial Lakes Outburst Flooding (GLOFs) and incidents of last monsoon, the present plan outlines different scenarios of emergency situations ranging from small scale events to large scale devastation.

PDMA has already dispatched sufficient quantity of relief items to all the districts of KP and has provided funds to be used for coping any emergency situation.

Director (Disaster Risk Management) PDMA Zuhra Nigar said PDMA has installed flood Early Warning System (EWS) in upper catchment areas on seven telemetry station established at Swat River at Khawaza Khela, River Swat on Chakdara Bridge, at Panjkora River at Jabalot Bridge Unkor UC Bibyawar, Upper Dir, Munda Head Works, Abazai, Kalpani River, Mardan Ring Road Bridge, rivers/nallahs to monitor the water level and generate early warning intimation in order to protect the human lives.

The prime intent is to establish streams and rain gauges network in the hilly areas linked with computer-based model.

Early warning system analyzes existing data with previous flash flood historical data and upon reaching a dangerous level the system generates alert signals which will ultimately activate Provincial Emergency Operations Center.

PDMA-PEOC remains active 24/7 and fully functional with free of cost emergency helpline 1700. The helpline has been linked up with all line departments and districts administrations for quick response during any emergency situation and having easy access for the general public to guide and alert in real time prior to any emergency.