As NDMA is scrutinised, its record shows it has miserably failed
August 19, 2010
ISLAMABAD: As the prime minister chairs a meeting of all stakeholders in organising relief for flood victims, the main body, responsible for disasters, will come under close scrutiny. However, facts, figures and ground realities show that National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC) and its sole executing organ National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) have proved to be a big national failure.
Background record of the NDMA shows that after the 2005 devastating earthquake, need of a national level disaster managing body comprising technically expert and physically trained individuals and professionals was deeply felt and thus NDMC and NDMA were established. The record shows that NDMA constituted its offices in provincial headquarters hired a large number of people on different position including consultants on very heavy amounts.
Officials working in the authority and independent international experts say that no effort was ever made to get technical expertise to meet the challenge of any disastrous situation and the whole working of the authority was confided to maintain its website and to collect data from newspapers and television reporting regarding casualties in any incidents.
Officials relevant to the NDMA operations confided to The News that contact numbers of the district management and senior police officials across the country were maintained and sometimes data was also collected from there.
Past record shows that at the time of incidents like suicide attack on Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel where its forth and fifth storey rooms remain on fire for around two days but NDMA, despite getting billions from the national exchequer, remained failed to even produce one specialist fire fighter. Seeing special allowances and good salary packages at NDMA, officials, working in different departments, use their contacts and relations to be appointed in the NDMA. According to credible sources because of this practice mostly official having very bad repute are being appointed in the authority as there is no work whatsoever against most of the top position of the authority.
Some computer operators and data collectors maintain a database which is also considered non-credible and NDMA issues such facts and figures to media and general public which so far is the only known assignment of the NDMA. During IDPs crisis and present flash flood NDMA assumes the role of distribution of relief goods. Officials, affiliated with the process, say that such goods are received and just given to concerned district management under a formula devised while considering the losses and damages in the areas. This assignment was properly performed by the relevant departments of the government trained for the said purpose.
An international expert, related to the relief operations, told The News on the condition of not being named that disaster management authorities have to do risk evaluation and their major work and assignment is to warn people in time of upcoming disastrous situations by use of technology.
He said that there are only two functions of any disaster management body, one is to do risk management or to devise disaster risk management strategy and the other to operate and function on ground to relieve the people from emergency conditions which, he said, is the work of only trained professionals. NDMA has neither first nor second ability.
According to official documents available with The News, Pakistan Meteorological Department has intimated NDMA on June 21, 2010, 40 days before of actual flash of flood in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that devastating flash flood could hit right after the monsoon rains, however, NDAM, its members and officials remained sleeping as usual and awake on the day when a big disaster has hit the nation and did nothing except giving statistical data figures to the nation which were only for the use of media as the millions of Pakistanis needed this information in time were reached on roadsides across the country.
An international water expert told The News that if warning of actual damages threat of tsunami would have given simply forty hours before great losses could have been saved and in the present case a national level authority remained sleeping for forty days.
Chairman NDMA General Nadeem was approached to know some more facts about expenditures of his authority. Nadeem took the call but disconnected it after knowing that a journalist was on the other side. Whenever he is approached after Mianwali incident by any journalist he drops the call.
A World Bank expert told The News that there were always pre-emptive strategies and warnings in time. He said in the present case the whole information was given to this NDMA but it came to senses when the people started drowning in water.
The classical example of working and working style of the NDMA was exposed in the initial days of flash floods when it set up a fake medical camp in Mianwali at the time of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s visit to a flood victims’ camp.
According to experts the federal flood commission (FFC) is the responsible body to do management of expected floods so it could not hit densely populated areas or strategically locations. For this purpose the FFC is mandated to built barrages and restriction in way of the water. Documents show that more than Rs100 billion was allocated for FFC since 1984 but nothing was spent and gone under the drain in corruption.
Background record of the NDMA shows that after the 2005 devastating earthquake, need of a national level disaster managing body comprising technically expert and physically trained individuals and professionals was deeply felt and thus NDMC and NDMA were established. The record shows that NDMA constituted its offices in provincial headquarters hired a large number of people on different position including consultants on very heavy amounts.
Officials working in the authority and independent international experts say that no effort was ever made to get technical expertise to meet the challenge of any disastrous situation and the whole working of the authority was confided to maintain its website and to collect data from newspapers and television reporting regarding casualties in any incidents.
Officials relevant to the NDMA operations confided to The News that contact numbers of the district management and senior police officials across the country were maintained and sometimes data was also collected from there.
Past record shows that at the time of incidents like suicide attack on Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel where its forth and fifth storey rooms remain on fire for around two days but NDMA, despite getting billions from the national exchequer, remained failed to even produce one specialist fire fighter. Seeing special allowances and good salary packages at NDMA, officials, working in different departments, use their contacts and relations to be appointed in the NDMA. According to credible sources because of this practice mostly official having very bad repute are being appointed in the authority as there is no work whatsoever against most of the top position of the authority.
Some computer operators and data collectors maintain a database which is also considered non-credible and NDMA issues such facts and figures to media and general public which so far is the only known assignment of the NDMA. During IDPs crisis and present flash flood NDMA assumes the role of distribution of relief goods. Officials, affiliated with the process, say that such goods are received and just given to concerned district management under a formula devised while considering the losses and damages in the areas. This assignment was properly performed by the relevant departments of the government trained for the said purpose.
An international expert, related to the relief operations, told The News on the condition of not being named that disaster management authorities have to do risk evaluation and their major work and assignment is to warn people in time of upcoming disastrous situations by use of technology.
He said that there are only two functions of any disaster management body, one is to do risk management or to devise disaster risk management strategy and the other to operate and function on ground to relieve the people from emergency conditions which, he said, is the work of only trained professionals. NDMA has neither first nor second ability.
According to official documents available with The News, Pakistan Meteorological Department has intimated NDMA on June 21, 2010, 40 days before of actual flash of flood in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that devastating flash flood could hit right after the monsoon rains, however, NDAM, its members and officials remained sleeping as usual and awake on the day when a big disaster has hit the nation and did nothing except giving statistical data figures to the nation which were only for the use of media as the millions of Pakistanis needed this information in time were reached on roadsides across the country.
An international water expert told The News that if warning of actual damages threat of tsunami would have given simply forty hours before great losses could have been saved and in the present case a national level authority remained sleeping for forty days.
Chairman NDMA General Nadeem was approached to know some more facts about expenditures of his authority. Nadeem took the call but disconnected it after knowing that a journalist was on the other side. Whenever he is approached after Mianwali incident by any journalist he drops the call.
A World Bank expert told The News that there were always pre-emptive strategies and warnings in time. He said in the present case the whole information was given to this NDMA but it came to senses when the people started drowning in water.
The classical example of working and working style of the NDMA was exposed in the initial days of flash floods when it set up a fake medical camp in Mianwali at the time of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s visit to a flood victims’ camp.
According to experts the federal flood commission (FFC) is the responsible body to do management of expected floods so it could not hit densely populated areas or strategically locations. For this purpose the FFC is mandated to built barrages and restriction in way of the water. Documents show that more than Rs100 billion was allocated for FFC since 1984 but nothing was spent and gone under the drain in corruption.
