Speakers At A Seminar Call For Effective Disaster Mitigation System To Meet Any Eventuality

The Chief Secretary of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Dr. Muhammad Usman Chacher said that no country in the world is immune to disasters and such events do not respect any border, religion, or origin

Muzaffarabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Oct, 2022 ) :The Chief Secretary of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Dr. Muhammad Usman Chacher said that no country in the world is immune to disasters and such events do not respect any border, religion, or origin.

He was Addressing as chief guest in a seminar titled "Earthquake Awareness and Preparedness", jointly organized by the Institute of Geology and Directorate of Students Affairs, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) in connection with the 17th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005 here on Thursday.

"I can proudly say that today, the state government and the state disaster management authority (SDMA) are now in a much better position to deal with any disaster-like situation," the CS added.

Dr. Chacher underlined the need for the capacity building of the organizations directly or indirectly dealing with catastrophes.

He said it was after the devastating earthquake in 2005 that the importance and need for robust and effective disaster management and disaster risk reduction were truly realized. "The calamity was taken as a wake-up call that led to the establishment of a comprehensive disaster risk management system in the country", CS said.

Referring to the recent flash floods in the country, the Chief Secretary said they were facing a cascade of accelerated climate events with great frequency, and with this challenging phenomenon; they confront extreme weather events as a new normal in the region.

Dr. Chacher further said that such a situation merits timely preparation by all the actors and the academic role of being the expert and the professional was very crucial.

The Chief Secretary expressed the hope that the outcomes of the workshop would be fruitful which would help devising a comprehensive mechanism to safeguard the people of the region and their properties.

Addressing the seminar, the Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi highlighted that random and unscientific construction patterns and tremendous increase in population since the last major earthquake combined with a warning level of seismic hazard and high liquefaction potential index leads to the insecure future of the region.

He called for the constitution of teams for reviewing and effective enforcement of these codes for government, semi-government, corporation, and private residential buildings completed or under construction in urban and rural areas.