Zulfiqar Ahmad from Quaid-e-Azam University, in his presentation Geological Aspects of Disaster Management provided an overview of the Plate Tectonics Theory, which highlights the susceptibility of the South Asian region to seismic activity and the consequent vulnerability of Pakistan to earthquakes. He explained that there are three kinds of faults along which energy is released: strike-slip, normal, and thrust fault. The Muzzaffarabad earthquake was of the thrust type, in which compression waves are produced. Zulfiqar Ahmed reported that according to calculations, the energy released during the October 8 th earthquake was equivalent to that of 200 atomic bombs. With this sudden and violent release of enormous amount of energy, apart from the human losses, dire geological consequences also ensued. One example of this was the massive land sliding that caused rivers to become clogged with debris and sediment. The building of large dams was also touched upon and advocated by Mr. Zulfiqar, with the justification that with proper standards and mitigation, they can withstand large earthquakes.
Shahid Minhas from SDPI, in his presentation Social Dimensions of Disaster Management provided an overview of the October 8 th earthquake. The total area affected by the earthquake was 30,000 km 2 with a government estimated death toll of 89,000 people and 3.5 million homeless. Minhas pointed out that private sector and NGOs believe that the toll was much higher, closer to about 250,000. He also provided data on the amount of medical aid that various countries and organizations contributed.
After relating the “hard facts”, the key issues surrounding the earthquake were discussed. These included injuries, maintaining media attention, rehabilitation of the disabled, widows and children, restoring civil administration and rehabilitation of the environment. Other issues that were highlighted in detail centered on food and shelter, health and sanitation, education, verification of loss and ownership, repair of buildings, reconstruction and planning. It was also pointed out that livestock is a major source of livelihood for many of the affected people and they are therefore uneasy about leaving livestock behind. Protection for livestock should also be a goal. Many of the affected were forced to sell their livestock at very nominal prices in order to survive.
In conclusion, the recommendations made, included streamlining rescue operations, gender sensitive strategies in disaster management, sharing information of rehabilitation and reconstruction with affected communities, environmental assessments of all reconstruction projects and a stronger coalition between NGOs, government and volunteer organizations. Emphasis was also placed upon including earthquake safety in school curricula and developing expertise in earthquake management through universities as well as the inclusion of stakeholders in formulating policies for disaster management. Empolyment should be offered to survivors so that they are actively involved in the reconstruction of their lives.
Shaukat Ali Sharar, in his presentation Institutional Apparatuses in Disaster Mitigation—Experiences from the Field related his personal experiences working in the Shangla and Kohistan area. He emphasized strengthening the institutional setup in place to address disasters. He asserted that coordination and databases are crucial for effective disaster management and supported the use of cyberspace to achieve this. Sharar also expressed disappointment with the lack of local government response to relief workers, while pointing out the fact that many were recently elected into office. He strongly recommended the revision of building codes and the creation of efficient implementation mechanisms. He also touched upon the issue of government owned forest lands as a possible site for the resettlement of the displaced people.
Muhammad Irfan Khan AIOU, Islamabad chaired the session. Sahib Haq of WFP, as the discussant for the session, spoke of his relief work experience and the devastation he had witnessed. He spoke extensively about the delay in relief efforts and lack of paramedic expertise that exist in our country. He commended the limited doctors, nurses and paramedics who worked relentlessly for days on end. He ended by recommending that an early warning system should be prioritized, although he recognized the difficulty in doing this for earthquakes, as they are not easily predicted. However, for other natural disasters such as floods, droughts and landslides, an early warning system is feasible. He pointed to India as an example of a country that has recently developed good warning systems.
In the question and answer session, many insightful comments were raised, mostly stressing the need for developing appropriate management and information systems for dealing with natural calamities. Zulfiqar Ahmed was asked if dams could really be safe if they are designed using historical data on ground accelerations, as this data may be faulty. Zulfiqar responded by stating that the existing dams are not built according to historical data, but rather are designed for the highest probable magnitude and ground acceleration of 8.6 magnitude and 0.4 G respectively. He suggested that future dams also be constructed with high safety factors. He also mentioned how ground acceleration was never measured in the Muzzaffarabad area prior to the earthquake, which may have been useful in prediction. However, seismic risk models are now being developed which will use available seimicity data for the past thirty years. In conclusion, Zulfiqar Ahmed recommended a revision of seismic maps in Pakistan, updating of building codes, avoiding building on rupture zones and more research on earthquakes.
Reported by Ujala Qadir
| Email Article |  |
Print Article | |
Next Article |
PDF Format
