GLOF-II project: Equipment handed over to District Emergency Response Cell

CHITRAL: The scaling up of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risk Reduction in Northern Pakistan (GLOF-II) project handed over equipment to the District Emergency Response Cell (DERC), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Disaster Management Authority (KPDMA), to prepare the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for rapid disaster recovery and response.

National Project Director GLOF II/ Additional Secretary Ministry of Climate Change Joudat Ayaz, representatives of line departments, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan and GLOF-II Project team members attended the ceremony. GLOF-II Project, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) and UNDP, aims to equip the province for streamlining the communication system between KPDMA and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) for any unforeseen disaster situations.

The DERC equipment was formally handed over to Mohammad Ayaz, the Director General Rescue 1122, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Disaster Management Authority (KPDMA). Special Assistance to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam thanked the stakeholders for their keen interest in GLOF-II project interventions. He said that he visited most of the vulnerable project areas and met the direct and indirect beneficiaries. He said that the project can play a vital role in minimizing the risk from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) as Pakistan was one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impact, Chitral being one of the most affected areas to the increasing temperatures.

He explained that the project was spending a total of approximately Rs6 billion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. The funding would benefit 24 target valleys of KP and GB, he said. He said that through the GLOF-II Project, each vulnerable community would receive funds amounting to USD 50,000 in order to respond to any unforeseen climate change.

To mark the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, the project conducted a seminar at the University of Chitral along with a plantation drive to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction.

Malik Amin Aslam spoke at the seminar highlighting Pakistan’s vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change and exposure to natural disasters.