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Sunday, April 21, 2013

Letter To The Editor: Earthquake & disaster preparedness

Earthquake & disaster preparedness 
The Frontier Post  
21-04-2013
Occurrence of earthquake tremors in Pakistan or in the surrounding areas is not a new phenomena. It has been occurring many a times through out the country every year. But, the point required for attention here is that Are we prepared enough to protect our people from such kind of natural and men-made disasters? Have we ever educated our society in this regard? If , Allah forbids, a deadly earth quake occurs , what should be immediately done? Naturally, responding a natural disaster is not in men control. But, whatsoever is in our control, have we ever planned for it? These are the questions started hovering over my mind when i turned on the TV and saw that many channels were busy in paying eulogical remarks to each other for keeping their live transmission despite the severe jolts.Although, role of media should be to educate the people rather then spreading panic through news and other programs. As we know that performance of disaster management authority is not up to the mark , then what should be individually done to save the lives of many people? It may be harsh enough to write the bitter reality but it is true that we spread panic whenever a natural or men-made disaster occurs. It goes without saying that once i was going to Lahore by road and happened to see a deadly accident in which many lives of innocent people had been lost.
I myself parked the car and started shouting at people to save as many lives as we could. Prior to my reach at the scene, they were doing nothing but seeing the injured people as a spectator. Even though, officials of motorway police were also doing nothing except clearing the road.
As the apathy of Motorway Policy was not tolerable, I went to an official and suggested him to call for heavy machinery to uplift the buss which had been turned down in the accident. Though we can not bring any preventive method of natural disasters but at least we can educate people by adding a Disaster preparedness subject in our Pre-elementary education. We can also teach in our schools or through media that what should be our prompt response to such kind of incidents. It is also in our control that designs of buildings should be modified as less damaging or at least providing enough time to run away from the scene.
But, alas, not a single constructive measure is being taken at governmental level. Muzaffarabad earthquake Incident of 2005 is lying as an example before us. We need to learn that unless some meaningful resolutions at governmental and individual level are not taken lives of the people can not be saved. Remember, The Glorious Quran states, whosoever saves a life of a human, it is as though he who saved the entire humanity.

Waqar Abro
Karachi


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