F

Focus
H
Humanitarian
i i A
Assistance
i

E th
Earthquake
k Ri
Risk
kM
Managementt iin P
Pakistan
ki t

August 20, 2008

By :
Nusrat Nasab
Deputy
p y Executive Officer

Background to Disaster Risk Management in

Pakistan
Crisis Management Cell
Emergency Relief Cell at federal level and Relief Departments at

provincial level
p
Pakistan Flood Commission (dedicated body dealing with research and
development in river flood hazard) there is no institution in Pakistan

dedicated to such activity for earthquake hazard

hazard.
Pakistan Army (which conducts rescue and evacuation, provides

)
sort-term shelters,, medical and food services).
Civil Defense Department
In 2006 Pakistan constituted National Disaster Management

Commission (that encompasses Disaster Management authorities

from federal, through provincial to district level)

Establishment of NDMA
On December 23, 2006, President of Pakistan
promulgated the National Disaster Management
Ordinance:
National Disaster Management Commission set up
National Disaster Management Authority setup
Similar disaster management authorities will be
established at provincial, district and municipal
levels.

Role of NDMA
NDMA would provide technical
guidance to national and provincial
stakeholders about formulation of
plans, strategies and programmes for
disaster risk management.

PRESENT DISASTER MANAGEMENT

SETUP

Disaster Management
g
Framework
The Framework envisions achieving
sustainable social,
social economic and
environmental development in Pakistan
through reducing risks and
vulnerabilities, particularly those of
the
h poor andd marginalized
l d groups, andd
by effectively responding to and
recovering from disaster impact.

NDMA Framework 2005-2010

Priorities for Action

Institutional and legal arrangements for DRR

Hazard and Vulnerability Assessment
Training, education and awareness
Disaster
i
management planning
l i
Community and local level planning
Multi-hazard earlyy warningg system
y
Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into
development
Emergency response system and
Capacity development for post disaster recovery

Disaster Risk Management efforts in

Pakistan

UN A
Agencies
i
NDMA
DDMA
ERRA
PHF
INGOs
NGOs

Disaster Preparedness at Community

level

FOCUSs experience

Risk Anticipation

Hazard Indication Maps

Hazard and Risk Maps
Sharing of the finding

with relevant stakeholders

Mitigating Risks

Disaster Preparedness

Response Capacity
(Specialized and equipped SART / DART)
Regional Stockpiles

Specialized SAR Skills

Specialized SAR Skills

Avalanche S & R
Waterman ship

River Crossing

School Based Disaster Risk Management

Awareness raising
Risk Mapping
Evacuation Plan
Sessions for teachers
Simulator

Issues & Challenges

Pakistans concept of preparedness for natural disasters

remained restricted to relief. Institutions such as

Emergency Relief Cell
No institution for mitigation, preparedness, response (other

than relief - including search, rescue, evacuation,

emergency medical and food services) and rehabilitation
rehabilitation.
No institution dedicated for earthquake hazard (on the lines

of Pakistan Commission leading to lack of reliable

seismicity, ground motion and neo-tectonic data, hence
hindering development of appropriate earthquake-resilient
building codes and their implementation.

Other
O
e Issues
ssues
The response mechanism for mountainous regions

has its own limitations such as issues of

accessibility,
y, remoteness etc.
Availability of emergency stockpile of basic items

ffor survival
i l andd response suchh as shelter,
h lt searchh
and rescue equipment, first aid, etc is must for
mountainous regions.
Institutionalize local coping mechanisms for

effective response in disaster

disaster.

Impacts of Kashmir Earthquake

Kashmir Earthquake 2005

Number of Food insecure:

School Children affected:
Women affected (aged 15-49):
Population Affected:

2.3 million
955,000
800,000
Over 3.5 million*

On 8th October 2005, a severe earthquake jolted South Asia killing more than
73,000 people and displaced over 2.5 million persons in Pakistan

Destruction of houses----

Destruction of Public Places.

Destruction of road links.

Aerial view of earthquake affected area in Muzaffarabad, AJK

Aerial view of earthquake affected area

Margala Towers Islamabad

DAMAGES DUE TO EARTHQUAKE

MOST OF THE UTILITIES LIKE TELECOMM, WATER

SUPPLY & ELECTRICITY WERE OUT OF ORDER
200 MILLION TONS DEBRIS

Response and Relief

Pakistan Army (Initial need assessments)

Pakistan Army at Margala tower

Search and Rescue team of FOCUS

International community.

FOCUS Pakistan

FOCUS Relief being transported on helicopters

Lucky survival---an old lady recovered by FOCUS team

after 5 days

AKU Medical team in action

AKU-Medical

O
Open
area ttreatment
t
t

RESCUE, RELIEF & RECOVERY

CLUSTER APPROACH

RELIEF PROVIDED

Pakistan: Still at Risk

9% of the area at risk
40.1% of the population at risk
41.6% of GDP in areas at risk

*Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis (The World Bank); WDI 2004

Past Earthquake Events

Year

Deaths

Affected

1975

4 000
4,000

2 million

1974

5,200

2 million

1935

50,000

4 million

EQ
Q Preventive Measures (Long
(
g term))
Legislations to frame building codes, guidelines, manuals and

strict implementation
implementation.
Legislations
g
for pprotectingg the most vulnerable i.e. ultra ppoor,

people with special needs, children, women and senior citizens.

Incorporating earthquake resistant features in all buildings at

high-risk areas.
Making all public utilities (water supply systems,

communication networks, electricity lines etc) earthquakep

proof.

---cont---

Constructing earthquake-resistant community buildings (used to

gather large groups during or after an earthquake) schools,

hospitals prayer halls,
hospitals,
halls etc.
etc
Initiating disaster mitigation, preparedness and prevention and

post-disaster
t di t managementt program att community
it level.
l l
Evolving educational curricula in architecture and engineering

iinstitutions
i i
andd technical
h i l training
i i in
i polytechnics
l
h i andd schools
h l to
include disaster related topics

Preventive measures ((Medium term))

Retrofitting of weak structures (particularly schools or

other public buildings) in highly seismic zones.

Preparation of disaster related literature in local languages

with dos and don'ts

Getting communities involved in the process of disaster

mitigation through education and awareness.

Networking of local NGOs working in the area of disaster

management.
management

Surviving an earthquake

A little knowledge and a few precautionary measures can

enormously increase your chances of surviving an
earthquake - or any other type of hazard.

The keys are education and preparing in advance.

T
F

FOCUSO
FOCUS O