Pakistan, China to collaborate on remodeling disaster management

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Pakistan, China to collaborate on remodeling disaster management
Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan Lieutenant General, Inam Haider Malik held an official meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong

Islamabad, 27 December 2022 (TDI): The Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan Lieutenant General, Inam Haider Malik held an official meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong.

Both officials underscored enhancing collaboration for emergency and disaster management between Pakistan and China.

Speaking on the occasion, Nong Rong proposed developing a comprehensive bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NDMA and China’s Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM).

In this vein, he added, “The MoU will help redesign Pakistan’s National Preparedness and Disaster Response Regime. It will supplement the country with cutting-edge technology such as Early Warning System and Weather Prediction Analysis.”

The Ambassador also emphasized the importance of robust engagement in climate-related catastrophe management. He underscored the expansion of current working relationships with Pakistan.

Also read: Pakistan-China to further enhance brotherly relations

During his turn, Chairman NDMA praised the Chinese government for its outstanding assistance in rescue, relief, and rehabilitation operations during the recent floods in Pakistan.

He discussed the transformation plan for the futuristic and technology-driven National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC).

It will serve as the interface for integrated emergency response with all government ministries, humanitarian organizations, and international donors.

Visit of the Chinese delegation to inspect the flood situation

The 11 experts sent by the Chinese government arrived in Pakistan on October 11 to check the flood-affected areas of the country and gave preliminary advice and suggestions for recent disaster relief.

The experts covered six fields including hydrology, meteorology, rescue and relief, disaster assessment, flood control planning, and flood control management.

The delegation also visited the country’s worst-hit south Sindh province for inspection. They held a meeting with Chairman NDMA who expressed that Pakistan has a colossal work at hand.

In this vein, he said, “With the help of the Chinese experts, our country will come up outstandingly to tackle the problem. We will do something better for the next reconstruction and rehabilitation phase.”

Also read: China, Pakistan sign Letter of Intent

The group also met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the aftermath of the floods. It is pertinent to note that the death toll from this season’s monsoon rain and floods in Pakistan has grown to 1,719 since mid-June, with 12,867 injured.