Matrix Report
Mother nature struck many parts of Pakistan on September 24, just a just days ahead of the 14thanniversary of the Oct 8 , 2005 deadly earthquake – 7.8 on Richter scale – that had left at least 73,000 people dead and massive swathes of northern parts of the country in tatters.
Although the latest tremors fortunately measured of 5.8 on the Richter scale, yet killed over three dozen people beside causing widespread physical destruction in the Kashmiri town of Mirpur district and some adjacent areas.
Amidst the rescue continuing and recovery and rehabilitation yet to follow, this incident serves as a sharp reminder to country’s disaster management authorities of natural calamities. Did they learn any lessons from the 2005 earthquake? How did it affect the state of preparedness and whether the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is well equipped to deal with calamities of such a scale?
Soon after the October, 2005 earthquake, an Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) had been constituted on Oct 24, 2005 with the sole purpose of reconstructing the earthquake affected areas in nine districts spread over 30,000 kilometers of AJK and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Province. Tasked with the daunting challenge of establishing the New Balakot City and launched with the prescribed mission statement to “ Convert the Adversity into an Opportunity”, ERRA has been anything but an organization taking the flak for non- delivery. A hybrid body of civil servants, armed forces and intentional consultants, ERRA has been found short. During the last 14 years, ERRA has received more than Rs290 billion including Rs100 billion from intentional donors, officials claim. It couldn’t not construct even 40 percent of the New Balakot City.
In September 2018, the Pakistan Government announced to merge ERRA into National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to create one umbrella for better and effective countering of disasters. However, till date, ERRA hasn’t been able to achieve its prime goal of constructing New Balakot City despite receiving a hefty Rs15.36 billion on account of administrative affairs including salaries.
It is a sad story of incompetence and insensitivity towards public issues. The leadership of NDMA (preceded by ERRA) has undergone many changes. Many officials have benefitted – personally – from these entities but the core issues, it seems remain unattended or half fulf-filled. Time will tell us whether officials learn any lessons at all from natural calamities.
