Manan Mandokhail :
QUETTA: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) handed over newly constructed emergency Storage Facilities, Prefabricated temperature-controlled storage units, and IT Equipment to the
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Balochistan and District Disaster Management
Authorities (DDMAs) of Chaman and Chagai districts in a ceremony organized at a local hotel in Quetta
on Tuesday.
The contribution was part of the WFP’s efforts to support and strengthen the Government of Balochistan for effective emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction in Balochistan. WFP has also recently deployed the Emergency Preparedness Capacity Index (EPCI) – a corporate tool that helps identify the needed capacities for effective response. The exercise was conducted by WFP for PDMA Balochistan and six selected districts, aiming to enhance the preparedness capability of DDMAs and PDMA Balochistan.
Country Director WFP Chris Kaye attends the ceremony
The handover ceremony was attended by Chris Kaye, Country Director WFP, Naseer Ahmed Nassar, Director General, PDMA Balochistan, government officials from PDMA and DDMAs, other government line departments, representatives from the UN, and academia.
The two Emergency Storage Facilities along with the two temperature-controlled storage units and IT
Equipment will enhance the emergency storage, coordination, communication, and reporting capacity of
the district disaster management authorities in the Chaman and Chagai districts.
Balochistan to better manage and coordinate responses to disasters in the region
Chris Kaye, Country Director, WFP Pakistan, while handing over the emergency facilities and equipment to
the Director General PDMA, Government of Balochistan, said that WFP was pleased to provide the support
and the additional capacity that would help the Government of Balochistan better manage and coordinate
responses to disasters in the region.
“Capacity to store and manage critical relief items at local levels can save lives as well as reduce the impact on communities caused by sudden-onset disasters,” he added. Balochistan has witnessed an increase in natural and human-induced disasters resulting in the loss of lives, property, and livelihoods.
