PAKISTANI.

Natural hazards in Pakistan

1.1 Natural hazards likely to affect the country
Earthquake, flood, drought, epidemic, extreme temperature, famines,
slides
1.2 Recent major disasters
year
2004
2005
2004
2005
2005
2005
2005
2005

dis_type
Earthquake
Earthquake
Epidemic
ExtremeTemperature
Flood
Flood
Flood
Wind Storm

killedinjured total_affected dam (US ‘000s)
―
2463
13148
73320
69392
3269392
5000000
―
2100
100
106
520
2130
11200
450
0002007000450
2000
460073――――――

Source: "EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database,www.em-dat.net - Université catholique de Louvain - Brussels Belgium"
II.

Disaster Management system

2.1 Administrative system

Conventional long form:
Conventional short form:
Government type:
Capital:Administrative divisions:

Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Pakistanfederal republic
Islamabad
4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capitalterritory**; Balochistan, Federally
Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad
Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier
Province, Punjab, Sindh

2.2 Legal system, legal framework
The National Calamities (Prevention and Relief) Act, 1958: The Act
provides for the maintenance and restoration of order in areas affectedby certain calamities and for the prevention and control of and relief
against such calamities. Provincial Relief Commissioners (who alsoSources: ADRC country report, WCDR country reporthappen to be Senior Members Board of Revenue) have been given theresponsibility of relief under section 4 of the Act.
Emergency Services Ordinance, 2002: The ordinance establishes
emergency service to deal with emergencies in an effective manner andencounter threats to public from modern warfare, terrorism anddisasters and defines responsibilities at each level. The National Councilwas established to regularly monitor the performance of this service andensure continuity in the process of rule making in the management ofemergencies / disasters during peace time.
Provincial governments have administrative powers. District emergency
Officer is responsible for the functional management. The Federal
government is mainly responsible for ensuring uniform standards for theservice throughout the country, provide advance training to Officers
through National Academy and oversee the performance of provinces.
The Ordinance includes definitions of disaster related terms. Under theEmergency Services Ordinance, the Federal, Provincial and District
Governments must set-up an Emergency Service, which is responsible
for preparedness and rapid response to emergencies and disasters of anyscale.
The National and Provincial Crises Management Cells of the Ministry ofInterior and Home Departments respectively, shall coordinate theactivities of all emergency services at the national and provincial levels.
Local Government Ordinance 2001: The Local Government Ordinance(LGO) provides new avenues for an effective and context-specific disastermanagement.
Environmental Legislations
Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997: The Act provides for theprotection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of theenvironment, prevention and control of pollution, and promotion ofsustainable development.
Key features of the Act:

Establishment of the Environmental Protection Council tocoordinate and supervise enforcement of the provisions of this Act
Establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency
Establishment of a National Environmental Coordination
Committee
Establishment of the Provincial Sustainable Development Funds
to provide financial assistance to the projects designed for theprotection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of theenvironment, the prevention and control of pollution, theSources: ADRC country report, WCDR country reportsustainable development of resources and for research in any
aspect of environment
Karachi Port Trust (Amendment) Ordinance, 1994: The Ordinance is afederal act that amends the Karachi Port Trust Act, 1886 (Bombay Act
VI of 1886). Through Article 29 of the Karachi Port Trust (Amendment)
Ordinance, 1994, a new section (Section 90) has been inserted in theKarachi Port Trust Act, 1886, which has the following provisions:•••

The Board of Trustees, Karachi Port Trust (KPT), is responsible for
ensuring that the marine environment within the Karachi Port’s limit
remains free from pollution.
Discharge of pollutants including waste, oil, radioactive material,
hazardous material, bilge discharge from tankers and vessels isprohibited within the limits of the Karachi Port.
Anyone violating the above clauses may be asked to pay a fine of up
to Rs. 10 million in addition to bearing the cleaning cost.

National Fund for Cultural Heritage Act, 1994: Under this act, theNational
Fund for Cultural Heritage was established for "conservation andpreservation of Pakistan’s national heritage and its proper
maintenance."
Agricultural Pesticides (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 1995: The
Agricultural Pesticides (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 1995 is afederal act that amends the Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance, 1971.
Under the amendment, the penalties for selling, importing,manufacturing and formulating unregistered brands of pesticides havebeen drastically increased.
AJK Environmental Protection Act, 1996: The AJK Environmental
Protection
Act, 1996 provides for "the control of pollution and preservation of living
environment."
2.3 Structure of disaster management
Emergency Relief Cell (ERC) in the Cabinet Division serves as the focal
point during emergencies. At the provincial level, the ERC coordinateswith provincial relief departments / relief commissioners who areresponsible for effective distribution of relief items in respective
provinces.
The Cell is also responsible for dealing with institutional donors andreceives grants / donations / funds for distribution through the Prime
Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Sources: ADRC country report, WCDR country report

The Federal Flood Commission (FFC), Emergency Relief Cell (ERC) andPakistan Meteorological Department are the key agencies for disastermanagement in Pakistan. However, in case of a disaster, almost all
federal and provincial ministries, departments and divisions startdealing with the situation offhandedly.
Responsibilities of the ERC in connection with disaster relief are:a. To provide in cash as well as in kind to supplement the resources ofthe provincial governments in the event of major disasters
b. To coordinate the activities of the federal Division, ProvincialGovernments, as well as governmental, semi governmental,
international and national aid-giving agencies, in the conduct ofoperations for relief of disasters
c. To maintain contact with international aid-giving agencies/ voluntaryorganizations and donor countries for disaster relief measures
d. To administer Relief Funds, being maintained at the Federal Levele. To stockpile certain items of basic necessity and establish central
inventory of resources
f. To provide assistance to the calamity stricken friendly countries
The ERC operates an Emergency Control Room, which coordinates thesituation during calamities by liaising with relevant agencies such as theFederal Flood Commission, Meteorological Department, and ProvincialGovernments.
The ERC maintains a warehouse in the capital, Islamabad, stocking
essential non-perishable relief item such as medicines, blankets, clothingand tents. In addition, there is a Relief Goods Dispatch Organization(GDO) located in Karachi. This is responsible for receiving anddispatching all relief goods from foreign and local agencies in the eventof a disaster. The ERC also maintains an Aviation Squadron with a fleetof 4 helicopters, whose task is to assist rescue operations and enableofficials to visit the affected areas.
Disaster Management and Environment
The Ministry of Environment is responsible for national policy programs
and plans regarding environment, pollution, ecology, housing, physicalplanning and human settlements.
2.4 Priority on disaster risk management
Structural and non-structural measures for flood management, which
include:Structural: Construction of embankments
 Construction of spurs/battery of spurs

Sources: ADRC country report, WCDR country report







Construction of dikes/gabion walls/flood walls
Construction of dispersion/diversion structures
Diversion of flood water channels
Construction of dams
Construction of bypass structures

Non-structural:
Improved flood forecasting system through; Effective flood forecasting and dissemination system Real time rain fall and river flow data collection
 Weather radar prediction
 Modern system of transmission of flood forecasts
 Timely warning and evacuation arrangements by provincial relief
departments and district administrations
III.

Disaster management plan

Ten-Year Perspective Development Plan (2001-2011)
By adopting strategies to reach the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs), the Ten-Year Perspective Development Plan was launched into
operation on 1st July, 2001. Its total size has been fixed at Rs.11,287
billion in current prices out of which Rs.8,747 billion have beenenvisaged as the investment of private sector and Rs.2,540 billion as
Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).

Water Resources Development: The Plan recognizes the severity ofdrought in Sindh and Balochistan and the subsequent shortage of waterthat has aggravated the ongoing water crises. The major goal of policy
formulation and sectoral planning in water resources sector during theTen-Year Perspective Development Plan is to uplift the agro based
economy on the national level by maximizing crop production. This will
be achieved through progressively increasing surface water supplies
using the latest technologies available and protecting land andinfrastructure from water logging, salinity, floods and soil erosion.
The strategy to achieve these goals comprises:
1. Augmentation and conservation measures to overcome the scarcity ofwater
2. Drainage and reclamation program to protect the disastrous area
3. Flood Control and Protection
4. Rehabilitation of irrigation system of Punjab and Sindh andmodernization of barrages in Punjab
The Plan gives high priority to the construction of medium and large
dams and canals to meet water requirements in the future. The total
outlay for the Federal Ten-Year Development Plan for Water Sector

Sources: ADRC country report, WCDR country reportamounts to Rs.418 billion out of which Rs.63 billion has been proposed
for the Three-Year Program (2002-05).
In addition, small irrigation schemes will be started; construction of 303
spurs and 1101 kilometers of flood embankments and improvement offlood warning systems will be carried out. During the three-year
program (2002-05), 240 and 68 kilometers of flood embankments will be
constructed to safeguard life and property.

Risk Mitigation Fund: A risk mitigation fund of US $ 5 million has beenestablished to assist the poor in case of loss of income generating assets
due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. The Fund is toreduce the risk aversion of the poor and enable them to take advantage
of potentially viable new technologies, production choices and incomeopportunities. As a safety net measure, a Deposit Protection Fund of US$ 5 million has also been established to provide security to the savings ofthe poor with Khushhali Bank.

Environment: An allocation of Rs. 13.7 billion has been proposed in theTen- Year Plan for environment and Rs. 1486.1 million in the Federal
Three Year Program (2001-04). The key program areas include
environmental
protection,
resource
conservation,watershedmanagement, social forestry, fuel efficiency etc. There are fourteen
projects under implementation through the Ministries of Environment,
Local Government & Rural Development and Water & Power and arebeing coordinated by the Planning & Development (P&D) Division.
The Ten-Year Perspective Development Plan suggests ‘fire-fighting
approach’ to address the problems of salinity, water logging, droughts,
erosion and desertification.

National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP): In its ninth meeting(Feb.2001), the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council (PEPC)
approved a National Environmental Action Plan. The NEAP reflects acommitment to the environment within government, integration ofbottom-up approach into environmental strategies, greater emphasis on
poverty reduction and a defined role for the government in achieving theenvironmental objectives of the country. The primary objective of theNEAP is to initiate actions and programs for achieving a state ofenvironment that safeguards public health, promotes sustainable
livelihood and enhances the life and quality of the people. The
government of Pakistan has also made following announcements as partof its commitment to the protection and preservation of environment.

The Pakistan National Conservation Strategy: To keep the development
planning within the context of a national environmental plan, Pakistan
prepared its National Conservation Strategy in collaboration with IUCN– The World Conservation Union - in 1992. The Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) supported the activity while the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported its additional
Sources: ADRC country report, WCDR country reportsector activities. The objectives of the National Conservation Strategyare:1. Conservation of natural resources
2. Sustainable Development
3. Improved efficiency in the use and management of resourcesIV.

Budget size on national level

Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund: The Emergency Relief Cell (ERC)
maintains the PM Disaster Relief Fund, established in 2000 at thefederal level. The Prime Minister approves required funds for provincial
governments including Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA),
Northern Areas and Azad Jammu Kashmir during humanitarian crises.
Risk Mitigation Fund: A risk mitigation fund of US $ 5 million has been
established to assist the poor in case of loss of income generating assets
due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. The Fund is toreduce the risk aversion of the poor and enable them to take advantageof potentially viable new technologies, production choices and income
opportunities. As a safety net measure, a Deposit Protection Fund of US$ 5 million has also been established to provide security to the savings ofthe poor with Khushhali Bank.
V.

Progress and situations of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)

VI.

Projects on disaster reduction headed by your Ministry

VII.

ADRC Counterpart
Emergency Relief Cell
Cabinet Division

Sources: ADRC country report, WCDR country report