SAARC Expert Group Meeting on Natural Disaster Rapid Response Mechanism

5-6 February 2009 Taj Palace Hotel New Delhi

BACKGROUND PAPER

Organized by

SAARC Disaster Management Centre

New Delhi

SAARC EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON NATURAL DISASTER RAPID RESPONSE MECHANISM (NDRRM) New Delhi 5-6 February 2009

Context In the Fifteenth SAARC Summit held in Colombo on August 2-3 2008 the Heads of the States/Governments declared that a Natural Disaster Rapid Response Mechanism (NDRRM) shall be created under the aegis of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) to adopt a coordinated and planned approach to meet such emergencies. The operative part of the Declaration Partnership for Growth of Our People - adopted at the conclusion of the Summit is reproduced as under: The Heads of State or Government expressed concern at the human loss suffered through natural disasters in the region and stressed the need for the timely provision of relief in humanitarian emergencies. In this regard they directed that a Natural Disaster Rapid Response Mechanism be created to adopt a coordinated and planned approach to meet such emergencies under the aegis of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre. 1.2 The modalities for setting up the NDRRM were discussed in the Third Meeting of the Governing Board of SDMC which decided that an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) comprising of representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Focal Points on disaster management shall be organized by the SDMC in New Delhi to discuss the various strategic, legal, operational, administrative and other issues for the setting up of the NDRRM. Based on the recommendations of the EGM, a draft Agreement and a Standard Operating Procedure shall be developed for the consideration of the Standing Committee/ Council of Ministers of the SAARC. Why NDRRM? 2.1 The NDRRM has been prompted by two main considerations: a) Vulnerability of South Asia to different types of natural disasters b) Advantages of NDRRM to respond to natural disasters
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Vulnerability of South Asia to Natural Disasters 3.1 The South Asia is considered to be one of the most critical hotspots of natural disasters in the world today. As per the global data base on disasters maintained by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), during the last three decades, 218 countries of the world faced as many as 8393 disaster events, each killing a minimum of 10 and/or injuring 100 or more. Asia took the burden of 40% of the disaster events, followed by the Americas (25%), Africa (17%), Europe (13%) and Oceania (5%).
Continental Contrasts: Disasters Events in Five Continents 1974-2008
Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania Total 1974-78 88 99 220 43 47 497 1979-83 113 199 336 108 56 812 1984-88 128 255 353 136 57 929 1989-93 107 319 482 144 64 1116 1994-98 149 320 449 134 64 1116 1999-03 333 475 726 288 75 1897 2004-08 480 429 780 272 65 2026 Total 1398 2096 3346 1125 428 8393

3.2 Within Asia it is the South Asia that faced the maximum number of disasters (34%), followed by South East Asia (28%), East Asia (23%), Central Asia (8%) and West Asia (7%).
Number of Disaster Events in South Asia (1974-2008)
1974-79 Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Total 6 33 0 63 1 8 8 8 127 1980-89 6 54 1 115 1 22 20 17 236 1990-99 36 91 4 116 1 27 44 19 338 2000-08 78 76 2 168 2 21 65 19 431 Total 126 254 7 462 5 78 137 63 1132 % share 11.13 22.44 0.62 40.81 0.44 6.89 12.10 5.57 100

3.3 The impact of the disasters in terms of number of persons killed and affected presents a much sharper contrasts between the South Asia and other regions of the world. Out of the total number of 1.5 billion disaster victims of the world between 1974 and 2003, more than 580 million (41.4%) belonged to the eight countries of South Asia.
Total number of Victims (People killed and affected) in Natural Disasters
Africa Americas Asia 1974-78 17,508,792 9,412,304 165,728,618 1979-83 52,512,857 46,719,655 603,985,726 1984-88 64,218,089 21,510,762 720,881,573 1989-93 74,326,985 9,595,998 704,328,791 1994-98 39,829,959 25,917,605 969,061,214 1999-03 99,583,503 22,861,100 1,373,557,427

Europe Oceania Total South Asia

2,238,584 98,622 194,986,920 135,528,262

1,819,847 684,893 705,722,978 567,395,607

383,468 712,930 807,706,822 597,476,325

4,906,478 7,320,767 800,479,019 216,917,520

10,262,461 10,296,472 1,055,367,711 175.585,915

10,961,321 268,817 1,507,232,168 583,390,552

3.4 South Asia has layers of hazards, vulnerabilities and risks, embedded in its geology, climate and socio-economic conditions, which make deadly recipes of disasters. Geologically six out of the eight countries of South Asia are connected with the Himalaya-Hindukush mountain ranges which were largely the outcomes of collision of Indian and Eurasian plates, 38 million years ago. The Indian plate is still penetrating deeper at a rate of about 5 cm/year. This is causing a large number of earthquakes in the region, as shown in the table below:
Descriptor Great Major Strong Moderate Light Minor Very Minor Magnitude 8+ 7 - 7.9 6 - 6.9 5 - 5.9 4 - 4.9 3 - 3.9 2 - 2.9 Frequency 1 in 25 years 1 in 16 years 1 in 4 years 35 every year 550 every year 1500 every year 20,000 every year

3.5 Earthquakes above 6 in the Richter scale have caused large scale damages to life and property in South Asia mainly to unsafe building practices and unplanned human settlements. Considering the high growth of population in the countries of the region and the vulnerable housing conditions in the seismic zones, similar earthquakes can become potentially more disastrous in future.
Date Afghanistan 14 March 1965 4 February 1998 30 May 1998 3 March 2002 25 March 2002 India 16 June 1819 12 June 1897 4 April 1905 15 January 1934 15 August 1950 20 August 1988 19 October 1991 Location Hindukush region Tajikistan border Tajikistan border Hindukush region Hindukush region Gujarat Assam Kangra Nepal border Assam Nepal border Uttarkashi Magnitude 7.8 5.9 6.6 7.4 6.1 Deaths 1200 2323 4000 166 1000 2000 1500 19000 10700 1526 1000 2000

8.3 7.5 8.1 8.6 6.8 6.8

29 September 1993 26 January 2001 10 August 2005 Nepal 15 January 1934 20 August 1988 Pakistan 30 May 1935 27 November 1945 28 December 1974 8 October 2005

Latur-KiIlari Gujarat Jammu & Kashmir Nepal-India Nepal-India Quetta Makran coast Northern areas Mujjafarabad

6.2 6.9 7.2 8.1 6.8 7.5 8.0 6.2 7.6

9748 13628 1320 10700 1000 30000 4000 5300 86000

3.6 Seismologists have been warning of long overdue mega earthquakes in South Asia. Roger Bilham, a reputed seismologist has cautioned: Our findings show that great earthquakes - those with a magnitude of 8.2 or greater - can re-rupture Himalayan regions that already have ruptured in recent smaller earthquakes, or those with a magnitude of 7.8 or below. The current conditions might trigger at least four earthquakes greater than 8.0 magnitude, but if they delay, the strain accumulated during the centuries provokes more catastrophic mega earthquakes. The consequences of such mega earthquake shall be catastrophic, for which the region is not all prepared. 3.7 Floods are the most common, persistent and recurrent hazards of South Asia. Three out of five most flood prone countries of the world (China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan) belong to South Asia. Every year almost every country of the region is affected by one or combination of different types of flood - riverine, glacial lake outburst, flash and landslide dam burst floods. The South Asia region receives an annual precipitation of 500 million-hectare meters, of which 75% is received during the four months of monsoon (June-September) and, as a result, almost all the rivers carry heavy discharge during the period. The flood hazard is compounded by the problems of melting of glaciers, deposition of sediments, congestion of drainage system and synchronization of river floods with sea tides in the coastal plains. More than 50 million-hectare area of South Asia is vulnerable to floods, of which about 10 million hectares are affected by flood every year. The average annual total damage to crops, houses and public utilities are estimated to be US$500 million. 3.8 More than 12000 kms of coastline of South Asia and its hinterland, inhabited by more than 350 million people, face the hazards of tropical cyclones, and the associated storm surge and heavy rainfall. Bangladesh and India rank number one and two most cyclone prone countries in the
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world followed by Philippines, China and USA. Both these countries and Pakistan have suffered some of the worst cyclones of the recent years.
Year 1963 1965 1965 1965 1970 1985 1991 1971 1977 1999 2004 Countries Bangladesh Bangladesh Bangladesh Karachi, Pakistan Bangladesh Bangladesh Bangladesh Orissa, India Andhra, India Orissa, India Bangladesh Deaths 22,000 17,000 30,000 10,000 300,000 10,000 131,000 10,000 20,000 9,500 4,200

3.9 Cyclones hit South Asia before and after monsoon. Post monsoon cyclones are usually more intense both in numbers and their effects, since the rivers which are already full with water can not carry the excess load of tidal surge and rain causing fresh floods in coastal areas. Over 58 per cent of the cyclonic storms that develop in the Bay of Bengal, approach or cross the east coast in October and November. Only 25 per cent of the storms that develop over the Arabian Sea approach west coast. In the premonsoon season, corresponding figures are 25 per cent over the Arabian Sea and 30 per cent over the Bay of Bengal. 3.10 India and Pakistan rank third and fourth, after China and Indonesia, in terms of vulnerabilities to droughts. 60% of the net area sown in the South Asia region is prone to drought. Out of this 38% is chronically drought prone, receiving rainfall less than 750mm per annum. 32% drought prone that receive rainfall between 750-1125 mm per annum. Historically crop failures due to droughts in successive years have caused famines in South Asia killing millions of people. Although green revolution and food security have somewhat blunted the effects of droughts, it has the potentiality to resurface due to the imbalance created between agricultural growth and demands for food grains, particularly in the contexts of increasing scarcities of surface and sub-surface water in the region. The slow onset creeping droughts have the potential to snowball into major disasters covering large areas and population. 3.11 The South Asian countries suffer from various other types of natural disasters like landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, hailstorm, coastal erosion, heat and cold wave, forest fire etc, but it is the major disasters of earthquake, flood, cyclone and drought that account for most the disaster

damage and losses of South Asia. Flood remained the most recurring disaster during the past three and half decades, followed by cyclone earthquake, drought and tsunami. Cyclone was the most killer disaster accounting for 47.1% of total disaster deaths although the number of such deaths has reduced remarkably during the recent years, due to effective community based preparedness in Bangladesh. The next in sequence is earthquake (29.9% of the fatalities), followed by Tsunami (a single event accounted for 13.2% of deaths), flood (9.5%) and drought (0.1%). However in terms of number of persons affected drought was on the top accounting for 55.8% of the persons affected, followed by flood (34.6%), cyclone (7%), earthquake (2.4%) and tsunami (0.07%). In terms of economic loss flood was most damaging (35%), cyclone (30.7%), earthquake (22.1%), tsunami (6.4) and drought (5.7%).
Combined Disaster Damage Index in South Asia Earthquake, Flood, Cyclone, Drought and Tsunami
0.07

Tsunami 1
0.1

13.2

6.4

Drought - 22 Cyclone - 102 Flood - 224 Earthquake - 68 0% 20% Deaths

9.5 47.1

55.8

5.7

30.7

34.6

35

29.9

2.4

22.1

40% Affected

60%

80%

100%

Economic Loss

3.12 Considering the various indices of disaster damage and losses between 1980 and 2000 the United Nations Development Programme has developed Disaster Risk Index of the South Asian countries which quantified the relative vulnerabilities of the countries in terms of major disasters, as shown in the following table.
Disaster Vulnerability Index of South Asia1
Country Average number of events per year Number of people killed per year Average number of people killed per million inhabitants 0.73 2.42 0.30 0.01 Average physical exposure per year Physical exposure in percentage of population Relative Vulnerability

Earthquake India Nepal Pakistan Bangladesh

0.67 0.10 0.62 0.19

576.52 38.52 30.95 1.38

2730309 512716 793845 925173

0.35 3.22 0.77 0.73

211.16 75.14 38.99 1.49

UNDP, Bureau of Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Reducing Disaster Risk: A Challenge for Development A Global Report, 2004.

Flood Nepal Bangladesh India Sri Lanka Pakistan Bhutan Drought Pakistan India Cyclone Bangladesh Pakistan India

0.90 2.00 3.86 1.29 0.95 0.10 0.05 0.38 3.43 0.62 2.76

199.38 461.95 1313.24 27.62 200.38 10.57 6.81 19.52 7467.62 53.90 1022.52

10.92 4.11 1.55 1.62 1.77 5.44 0.05 0.02 64.02 0.46 1.24

17156240 51929673 157540274 4072445 48751464 8529300 9811893 33701757 135835143 4697462 352431552

93.97 46.19 18.57 23.90 42.97 439.23 6.95 3.91 116.45 4.04 42.75

11.62 8.90 8.34 6.78 4.11 1.24 0.69 0.58 54.98 11.48 2.90

Regional Cooperation for Disaster Management 4.1 The South Asian countries are interlocked by a common geology, geography, climate and history. Almost every major natural hazard of South Asia has a regional dimension. The earthquakes in the Himalayas simultaneously affect a number of countries the Nepal earthquakes of 1934 and 1988 affected large part of Northern Bihar, the Assam earthquake of 1897 and 1950 damaged houses and infrastructures in Bhutan and Bangladesh, the Pakistan earthquake of 2005 caused large scale devastations in Jammu & Kashmir State. Much of the floods of Bihar and West Bengal as well that of Bangladesh and Bhutan have their origin in Nepal, just as origin of every major flood of Bangladesh can be traced in India. The Kosi flood of 2008 which was caused by a breach in the embankment of the river in Nepal inundated large areas and population in Bihar. The cyclones of Bay of Bengal affect the coastal regions of India and Bangladesh alike just as the cyclones on Arabian Sea often hit the coasts of Gujarat in India and Sindh in Pakistan. The Indian Ocean Tsunami of last winter caused devastation in four out of eight South Asian countries and highlighted that nothing short of strong regional co-operation can mitigate such hazards in any meaningful manner. 4.2 The need for institutionalizing regional cooperation was recognized at the Thirteenth SAARC Summit in Dhaka held in November 2005 when the Heads of States and Governments of the South Asian countries accepted the offer of Government of India to set up a SAARC Disaster Management Centre in New Delhi. The Centre started functioning from January 2007 with the following Vision, Mission and Functions.
Vision The SAARC Disaster Management Centre would be a vibrant centre of excellence for disaster risk reduction and disaster management.

Mission The SAARC Disaster Management Centre would serve the Member Countries by providing policy advice and facilitating capacity building services including strategic learning, research, training, system development, expertise promotion and exchange of information for effective disaster risk reduction and management. Functions The functions of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre would be a) to collect, compile, document and disseminate data, information, case studies, indigenous knowledge and good practices relating to disaster management particularly from the Member Countries b) to analyze information, undertake research and disseminate research findings on disaster management among the Member Countries; c) to develop educational materials and conduct academic and professional courses on disaster management; d) to organize training and awareness programmes for various stakeholders on disaster management for the Member Countries; e) to develop training modules on various aspects on disaster management and conduct programmes of Training for Trainers including simulation exercises; f) to provide assistance in the formulation of policies, strategies, disaster management framework and any other assistance as may be required by the Member Countries or organizations and institutions nominated by the Member Countries; g) to undertake, organize, facilitate and participate in workshops, conferences, seminars, lectures etc on various aspects of disaster management in the Member Countries; h) to undertake publication of journals, research papers and books and establish and maintain online resource centres in furtherance of the aforesaid objects.

4.3 The Centre has developed a Comprehensive Framework on Disaster Management which was approved by the Fourteenth Summit in New Delhi in 2007. The Centre further conducted a series of workshops to develop Regional Road Maps on (a) Community Based Disaster Preparedness, (b) Application of Science and Technology for Disaster Management, (c) Coastal and Marine Risk Mitigation and Management, (d) Integration of Climate Change Adaptation in Disaster Risk Reduction and (e) Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in Development. The draft Road Maps on Earthquake and Flood Risk Mitigation have also been developed for consideration of the member countries. A series of research, training and other activities have also been taken up for implementation of the regional road maps. The Centre has also published a number of journals, monographs and reports covering various aspects disaster risk reduction and management.

4.4 The 15th SAARC Summit held in Colombo in 2008 entrusted a new responsibility to the SDMC to develop a Natural Disaster Rapid Response Mechanism (NDRRM) for coordinated and planned approach to meet emergencies as mentioned in para 1.1. Keeping in view this added responsibility, the Charter of the SDMC has been modified as under:
Vision The SAARC Disaster Management Centre would be a vibrant centre of regional cooperation for holistic management of disasters in South Asia. Mission The SAARC Disaster Management Centre would serve the Member Countries by providing policy advice and facilitating capacity building services including strategic learning, research, training, system development, expertise promotion and exchange of information for effective disaster risk reduction and for planning and coordinating a rapid regional response mechanism to disasters within the region. Functions The following has been added to the list of the existing functions of the Centre: a) to coordinate regional response to disasters in a planned and effective manner to reduce loss of lives and to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by disasters.

National and Regional Capacity for Disaster Response 5.1 Successive disasters have exposed the weakness of the national response systems of the South Asian countries. When a super cyclone had hit the eastern coast of India in 1999 the State or Orissa remained cut off from the rest of the world for almost three days. When the earthquake affected the State of Gujarat in 2001 search and rescue operations were seriously handicapped due to absence of trained man power and equipments. Similar shortcomings were experienced in Pakistan during the earthquake of 2005 when advanced search and rescue teams had to be flown in from Switzerland, Japan and other countries to rescue human beings trapped in collapsed structures. Many precious lives could have been saved if such capacities were available locally or in the region. The Indian Ocean Tsunami completely overwhelmed the response capacities of Sri Lanka and Maldives, which called for international assistance for response and recovery. 5.2 Review of the existing response capacities of Afghanistan2, Nepal, Bhutan 3 and Maldives 4 shows that the local and national authorities of
2

UNDAC Mission on Disaster Response Preparedness in Afghanistan, UNOCHA, 2006

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these countries may not have the capacity and resilience to respond to major disasters and they would definitely be looking for such assistance from the neighbouring countries and other international communities. These have been clearly acknowledged in the national response plans of these countries. Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka have significantly enhanced their response capacities in the recent years, but it these countries may require international assistance during mega disasters. 5.3 Notwithstanding the extremely valuable assistance provided by the international response teams from UN OCHA and other bi-lateral agencies during disaster situations, experience shows that critical time has often been wasted in mobilizing international response and sometimes material assistance provided have not been very relevant to the specific needs of the local population. Language and culture also created barriers in communication and understanding. Much of these difficulties can be overcome if the response capacities of the region are mobilized in advance through prior agreements, standard operating procedures and pre planned exercises, so that as soon as a request for assistance is received from a member country, the regional response system can be mobilized for providing the required assistance in a quick, efficient and effective manner. This is precisely what the proposed National Disaster Rapid Response Mechanism would be looking for. Scope of Regional Response 6.1 The overarching framework of NDRRM is provided in the SAARC Comprehensive Framework on Disaster Management (SCFDM). One of the strategic goals of SCFDM is to develop an efficient disaster management system which professionalizes disaster management system and strengthens emergency response system in the region. The specific mandate of the NDRRM as stated in the Declaration would be to adopt a coordinated and planned approach to meet the emergencies under the aegis of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre. 6.2 It is envisaged that the scope of NDRRM would be to: Share information regarding the response structure, institutional mechanism and operational procedure followed by the member countries for disaster response;

3 4

UNDAC Response Preparedness Mission Report on Bhutan April 2008. Maldives suffered loss of 98% of its GDP due to Tsunami in 2004.

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 Make advance assessment of the capacities, needs and requirements of the member countries during disasters; Find out from the member countries what kind of assistance they can offer to countries seeking assistance; Prepare a complete inventory of institutions, individuals, equipments and other resources that can be deployed for disaster response; Develop a directory of resource persons and institutions, their contact numbers, addresses etc; Develop a framework for harmonisation of early warning systems of the member countries and develop an operational system of real time dissemination of early warning of various disasters; Develop in consultation with member countries comprehensive pre-disaster rapid response plan for each member country, which would include inter alia plans for search and rescue, evacuation, emergency medical response, relief camps, restoration of emergency facilities etc; Conduct exercises and mock drills of such plans; Make advance facilitation arrangements for visa, custom clearance, quarantine etc; Develop a framework for quick military response on the basis of Oslo Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Relief etc Such other functions as may be required to be performed for rapid response to natural disasters.

Models of Regional Response Mechanism 7.1 Different types of regional response mechanisms are in operation in different geographical regions of the world. In Europe the four geographical sub-regions, namely Scandinavia, West, South and East Europe have sub-regional cooperation arrangements, but the overall coordination for disaster response is done by the NATO which now covers the entire Europe. The Americas have three different regions, namely, North America, Latin America and Caribbean Islands. Each of these regions has arrangements for mutual assistance in crisis situations. The three distinct geographical regions of Africa - North, West and South Africa - work under the overarching framework of Africa Union. Australia-New Zealand and Pacific Islands are the two sub-regions of Oceania which have similar cooperation arrangements in disaster

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situations. Asia, which is the largest continent, has at least five regions East, South East, South, Central and West Asia, each having its own regional cooperation arrangements. Not every region, however, has a well established regional response mechanism. 7.2 Broadly there are three different models of regional response. a) Coordination Response Model In this model the assistance from member countries are pooled by the regional organisation which coordinates the response. The most important example is the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre 5 (EADRCC) which coordinates the response of NATO and partner countries to natural or manmade disasters within Euro-Atlantic region. b) Voluntary Response Model In this model each member country, on a voluntary basis, earmarks assets and capacities for regional standby arrangements for disaster relief and emergency response. The regional mechanism works essentially through the initiative of individual countries. The best example of this model is the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA) which coordinates regional response for the South East Asian countries, but actual response on the ground lies essentially with individual countries. c) Assured Response Model In this model the regional response is not contingent on voluntary response nor is it totally coordinated by the regional organisation, however there is always an assurance of assistance that is arranged by the regional organisation through prior negotiations and commitments which become binding on the member countries. Contributions of Individual countries are purely voluntary and once such commitments are made these become binding on the countries concerned. The best example of this model is the Regional Response Mechanism (RRM) of the Caribbean Disaster Response Agencys (CDERA). 7.3
5

Given the past records of regional cooperation in South Asia it is

Case Study Kashmir Earthquake 2005, report by SIPRI on the Effectiveness of Foreign Military Assets in Natural Disaster Response, 2008, pp 109.

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suggested that the NDRRM may start with a voluntary response model suited specifically to the conditions of South Asia. Guiding Principles of Voluntary Response Model 8.1 The guiding principles of Voluntary Response Model may be as follows: o If a member country needs assistance in an event of a disaster emergency within its territory, it may request such assistance from any other member country, directly or through the NDRRM, or, where appropriate, from other entities. Assistance can only be deployed at the request, and with the consent, of the requesting country, or, when offered by another member country (s), with the consent of the receiving country. The requesting country will have to specify the scope and type of assistance required. In the event that it is not practicable for the requesting country to specify the scope and type of assistance required, the requesting country and assisting entity should, in consultation, jointly assess and decide upon the scope and type of assistance required. Each member country to which a request for assistance is directed should promptly decide and notify the requesting country, directly or through the NDRRM, whether it is in a position to render the assistance requested, and of the scope and terms of such assistance. Each member country to which an offer of assistance is directed should promptly decide and notify the assisting entity, directly or through the NDRRM, whether it is in a position to accept the assistance offered, and of the scope and terms of such assistance. The member countries should, within the limits of their capabilities, identify and notify the NDRRM of military and civilian personnel, experts, equipment, facilities and materials which could be made available for the provision of assistance to other member countries in the event of a disaster emergency as well as the terms, especially financial, under which such assistance could be provided.

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The requesting or receiving country should exercise the overall direction, control, co-ordination and supervision of the assistance within its territory. The Assisting Entity should, where the assistance involves military personnel and related civilian officials, designate in consultation with the requesting or receiving country, a person who shall be in charge of and retain immediate operational supervision over the personnel and the equipment provided by it. The requesting or receiving country should provide, to the extent possible, local facilities and services for the proper and effective administration of the assistance. It should also ensure the protection of personnel, equipment and materials brought into its territory by or on behalf of the Assisting Entity for such purposes. Such military personnel and related civilian officials are not to carry arms other than personal weapons (for safety purpose against terrorist threats).

Organisational Structure of NDRRM 9.1 As envisaged in the Declaration of the Fifteenth Summit the NDRRM shall be set up within the SDMC. Therefore it will function under the overall supervision of its Director as per Agreement and Standard Operating Procedures to be developed for this purpose. The following minimum facilities may be created within SDMC to make the NDRRM functional: a) Regional Emergency Operation Centre (REOC) with standard communication and other equipments necessary for the operation of such a Centre; b) Round the Clock Operation of the REOC which would require positioning of at least one Supervisory and 3 Operating Staff in appropriate scale of pay as per the SAARC Rules for the time being till the SOPs are developed. The services of these staff shall be appropriately used by the Disaster Response Division during normal times; c) Disaster Response Division with three professionals - 1 Head and 2 Specialists supported by one Research Assistant and 1 Data Entry Operator - on the pattern of other Divisions of the Centre.

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9.2 Based on the experiences gained in its operations, the organisational structure of the NDRRM shall be suitably strengthened with the approval of the Governing Board of the SDMC. Issues for Consideration of EGM 10.1 In the backdrop of information provided in the preceding paragraphs the EGM shall be expected to deliberate at length on the various strategic, operational and logistic issues for the setting up of the Natural Disaster Rapid Response Mechanism in South Asia. The specific issues to be discussed in the meeting are: a) How the national early warning systems shall be harmonized and coordinated to alert the SDMC about the disasters or the impending disasters in the region? b) How shall the NDRRM be activated during a disaster or impending disaster situation? c) What will be National Focal Points for disaster response in the Member Countries? d) What would be the mechanism for requisitioning of regional response by a Member Country? e) What would be the mechanism for providing such assistance by other Member Countries? f) How such assistances from the Member Countries shall be coordinated by the SDMC? g) What would be the standby arrangements for disaster relief and emergency response, including military and civilian assets, stockpiles of disaster relief items and disaster management expertise and technologies? h) What would be the procedure for the deployment and operation of military personnel of the Member Countries in disaster response; i) What would be the command and control structure in such operations?

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j) What would be the arrangements for the transit of civil and military personnel, equipment, facilities and materials in such operations? k) What would be the procedure for grant of visa to search, rescue and relief workers? l) What would be the procedure for grant of exemption from custom duty on relief goods, equipments and materials? m) What procedure shall be followed to facilitate waiver from quarantine restriction, co-ordinate claims on loss of damages or injuries in course of providing assistance? n) How shall regional response after a disaster be demobilized? 10.2 Based on the consensus reached on these issues a Draft Agreement and a Standard Operating Procedure on NDRRF shall be developed for the consideration and approval of the Member countries.

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