Disaster Management Cell (Working in Southern Punjab)
Disaster can be caused by humans or nature and these disasters can have a life-altering
impact on the individuals and families fortunate enough to survive them. But the
effect of natural disasters can be felt at the community, city and state level,
or many times can impact an entire country. How well the impact of a disaster event
is absorbed has much to do with the intensity of the impact and the level of preparedness
and resilience of the subject impacted and there is a need to develop a new generation
of emergency managers, which will have appropriate educational inputs, skills and
professional knowledge to deal with disasters and work towards disaster management.
In this context RCDS has institutionalized a Disaster Management Cell. The cell
makes consistent efforts in terms of rapid emergency response and rehabilitation
for the affected communities of disasters. Cell also arrange and conduct following
trainings on how to prevent from disasters for the communities so that collective
capacity for combating disasters and its consequences can be build.
a. Health camping a flood affected areas
In the response to flood affected communities in District Layyah Tehsil Layyah union
council Haji Shah Kotla , Baseera RCDS organized the health camps, Rashan Camp and
in these camps 2,000 households are benefitted. In these camps focus on the prevent
the communities from water born diseases especially women and children. RCDS health
staffs including male and female lady doctors and paramedical staff deliver their
services for the relief of affected communities. Layyah District Flood Victim High
intensity and magnitude of water in River Indus caused the worst flood of the history.
It affected 15 union council of tehsil Layyah and Karore. The affected villages/settlement
is 132 having 47,143 households. At the same time, the flooding of the river not
only claimed human and animal lives but also wiped away the house of the people
along with the agriculture infrastructure. The flood spread over the area of 400,000
acres. In nut shell, flood engulfed the houses, rendered the people shelter less,
damaging and RCDS 30 CDS ANNUAL REPORT 2010 destroying the people’s property.
It galloped down the schools, metallic roads, link roads, culverts and bridges,
water channels, sanitation and drainage system in the villages and above all, it
contaminated the underground water. So, it posed a permanent threat to human life
in the form of abdominal diseases. The agricultural official say flood washed away
crops on more than the 250,000 acres, trees, crops, vegetable, fruit and etc.
b. Assessment and Identification of the Beneficiaries for Agri Inputs
At first stage, comprehensive assessment of the vulnerable people carried out so
that the farmers having small hoarding from one acre to two may be identified for
the package of agri inputs. The package consisted of the following:
- DAP Fertilizer 1 bag (50Kg.)
- Urea 1 bag (50Kg.)
- Wheat Seed 1 bag (50Kg.)
- Vegetable seed (405 grams)
c. Formation of Village Management Committees
At every village level, a Village Management Committee (VMC) comprising of ten people
were formed. People belonging to all the castes and sects participated in the VCM
so as to ensure transparence and striking management before and after distribution.
A regular process of social mobilization meetings was carried.
d. Compound Feed Distribution among Small Livestock Holders
After the successful distribution among the agrarians of agri inputs, the people0
having one to two animals were identified, lists prepared, cross verified through
the formed VMC and pasting in the prominent place in the village.
The lists were too shared and discussed with the local government so that the benefit
may go to the deserving ones. Training of the livestock holders was too carried
out at union council level regarding the seasonal diseases of the animal and their
precautionary measures and medicines.
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