“We have failed at the federal level to develop a comprehensive coordination mechanism needed for effective and efficient mobilization of sub-national disaster management authorities” said Ahmed Kamal, Chairman, Federal Flood Commission.  He was speaking at a seminar titled “Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Policy Implementation in Pakistan in line with the Sendai Framework” jointly organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Oxfam and partners here today.   The district level response is the most crucial and integral component in the implementation of disaster related policies and efforts. However, the bureaucratic design hinders implementation of policies and plans serving as the weak and undermines the welfare and resilience of already vulnerable communities. He further stressed on the need for skilled human resource to build the institutional capacity and develop a sense of competition that can lead to better organizational performance. “There is pressing need to bring all the organizations performing in the realm of disaster and climate action under the umbrella to reinforce and converge efforts and prevent effort duplication and fiscal efficiency”, he added.  

Elucidating the financing gap, he informed that the financial need for structural on-ground interventions required over Rs 125Billion while only about 25Billion rupees have so far been allocated, which again serves as a roadblock in effective implementation. Shedding light on DRR initiatives, he informed that under the Integrated flood risk management approach nature-based solutions for structural interventions to mitigate the risk of flash floods are being taken and will serve to reduce the outburst of water flow to protect financial, infrastructure, life and livelihoods losses at community level. Realizing the imminent need for early warning systems small vehicle mounted, high resolution radar system has been developed  which  enable “Now Forecasting” to d alert local communities in areas which are at higher risk of flash floods, he added.  

Syed Moeez Kakakhel, Country Director, HelpAge International, said that “It is an unfortunate fact that most of the climate action policies are devised taking into consideration the needs and demand of youth, leaving them less responsive to the needs of elderly and other vulnerable groups undermining resilience”.  He stressed the need to develop capacity of the district level institution for the most effective and timely response considering that they facilitate penetration of efforts at the community level. He further stressed that efficient models need to be replicated and built on but requires strengthening the district level organization and local institutions.

Fahim Ahmed, Program Development Manager, SPO, our response to disasters has been reactive and not anticipatory which undermines the resilience of local communities. He said that at the national and global levels, DRR challenges are similar and must be addressed by adopting a multi-hazard approach to build the capacity and resilience of local communities.  He further stressed local community perspectives must be integrated into development planning and transparency and accountability must be ensured.

Author of the paper, Salman Danish, Research Associate, SDPI pointed out that global community responding to 2022 floods in Pakistan with debt financing instead of humanitarian aid, lack of adequate humanitarian action skills and capacity have resulted in many gaps in the alleviating the sufferings of the. He stressed that DRR policies must ensure inclusiveness in addressing the needs of elderly end differently-abled persons, improve timely access to information and increase awareness of local communities. 

He called for strengthening of disaster risk governance structures, increasing investment in disaster risk reduction measures to enhance resilience and heightened preparedness to ensure an effective response to disasters with proactive policies rather than reactive. Alishba Khan, Operations Analyst, UNDP, the project design should be inclusive and must address the needs of not only women and differently abled persons but transgenders by adopting a community pull model.  She stressed that ensuring financial sustainability by exploring diverse climate finance services and integrating technological innovation are crucial for effective disaster risk resilience.  

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)