PDMA prepares winter contingency plan 2020-21.

PESHAWAR -- The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Friday prepared the winter contingency plan 2020-21 as the province faces a range of natural hazards in the winter season.

The natural hazards mentioned in the plan included winter hazards of extreme low temperature, fog, smog, snowfall, rainfall, landslides flashfloods, seismic activity along the mountainous north and west.

According to Director General PDMA Parwaiz Khan natural disasters caused massive losses to people's life and livelihoods, which retarded economic growth.

'Under this contingency plan, the department would make efforts to minimize the losses likely to be caused by the natural disasters,' he said.

The DG said Despite vigorous engagement in responding to COVID-19 pandemic, the PDMA is cognizant of the importance of winter preparedness and contingency planning.

The authority has worked out winter contingency plan 2020-21 to minimize the impending disaster risk within the province through formulation of a comprehensive plan and its effective and efficient implementation.

The process of Winter Contingency Plan was kick started in mid-October 2020 by involving all stakeholders of the Federal Government, Provincial line departments, district administration and development partners.

Tools for data collection were developed and shared with all stakeholders including information regarding district, sector specific hazards and vulnerability profile, hazard impact, damages, compensation paid, resource mapping, need assessment and coordination.

The Winter Contingency Plan has categorized the districts Vulnerability and Risk Assessment into very high, high, medium and low categories. Contingency planning for major winter hazards including but not limited to low temperature, fog, smog, snowfall, rainfall, landslide and avalanches shall enable initiation of requisite mitigation measures and under-take a coordinated response to minimize loss of life and property in the event of a disaster.

It is a stakeholders' inclusive exercise that takes stock of what exists in terms of plans and resources, hazard's analysis to determine the likely relief caseload as a planning assumption. Strategies, objectives, role and coordination mechanism of each stakeholder is defined.

Each weather pattern comes with its own sets of contingencies. The peculiar geography, terrain and natural resources make the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa heir to a number of climate...