The need for local involvement: Decentralization of disaster management institutions in Baluchistan, Pakistan

Abstract After the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, the Pakistani government set up the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to handle future disasters and then created Provincial Disaster Management Authorities in all the provinces. This paper analyzes the decentralization of the disaster management institutions in the community of Baluchistan, using interviews of key actors in government and non-governmental organizations involved in disaster risk reduction and management activities. The data revealed that disasters in Baluchistan are still handled at the provincial level and that disaster institutions are not yet fully implemented at the district and community levels. This has exacerbated the people's vulnerability to disasters. The paper recommends efficient preparedness and coordination of provincial and national level agencies to enhance community awareness and preparedness. In addition, the paper concludes that disaster management authorities should implement programs and activities to empower communities for disaster risk reduction.

[1]  Syed Ainuddin,et al.  Earthquake hazards and community resilience in Baluchistan , 2012, Natural Hazards.

[2]  Syed Tariq Maqsood,et al.  Building Vulnerability and Damage during the 2008 Baluchistan Earthquake in Pakistan and Past Experiences , 2010 .

[3]  D. Paton,et al.  Disasters and communities: vulnerability, resilience and preparedness , 2001 .

[4]  A. Rose.  DEFINING AND MEASURING ECONOMIC RESILIENCE TO DISASTERS , 2004 .

[5]  W. Adger,et al.  Nested and teleconnected vulnerabilities to environmental change , 2008, Frontiers in ecology and the environment.

[6]  Joern Birkmann,et al.  Measuring Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: towards disaster resilient societies , 2007 .

[7]  Sarah J Halvorson,et al.  In the aftermath of the Qa'yamat: the Kashmir earthquake disaster in northern Pakistan. , 2010, Disasters.

[8]  Vinod K. Sharma.  Gujarat earthquake – some emerging issues , 2001 .

[9]  Kenneth C. Wolensky,et al.  Local Government'S Problem With Disaster Management: A Literature Review And Structural Analysis1 , 1990 .

[10]  Sarah J. Halvorson,et al.  Vulnerability and the Erosion of Seismic Culture in Mountainous Central Asia , 2007 .

[11]  Katrina M Allen,et al.  Community-based disaster preparedness and climate adaptation: local capacity-building in the Philippines. , 2006, Disasters.

[12]  Joern Birkmann,et al.  Measuring the unmeasurable: the challenge of vulnerability , 2006 .

[13]  David R. Godschalk,et al.  Urban Hazard Mitigation: Creating Resilient Cities , 2003 .

[14]  K A Kronstadt,et al.  Flooding in Pakistan: Overview and Issues for Congress , 2010 .

[15]  Froma Walsh,et al.  Traumatic loss and major disasters: strengthening family and community resilience. , 2007, Family process.

[16]  S. Cutter,et al.  Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Disaster Resilience Indicators for Benchmarking Baseline Conditions , 2011 .

[17]  Pranab Bardhan,et al.  Journal of Economic Perspectives—Volume 16, Number 4—Fall 2002—Pages 185–205 Decentralization of Governance and Development , 2022 .

[18]  L. Pearce.  Disaster Management and Community Planning, and Public Participation: How to Achieve Sustainable Hazard Mitigation , 2003 .

[19]  C. Kerchner,et al.  Distribution of impacts of natural disasters across income groups: A case study of New Orleans , 2007 .

[20]  Matthew E. Kahn.  The Death Toll from Natural Disasters: The Role of Income, Geography and Institutions , 2005 .

[21]  Michel Bruneau,et al.  A Framework to Quantitatively Assess and Enhance the Seismic Resilience of Communities , 2003 .

[22]  Johan Rockström,et al.  Reducing hazard vulnerability: towards a common approach between disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation. , 2006, Disasters.

[23]  Asad Sarwar Qureshi,et al.  Drought mitigation in Pakistan: current status and options for future strategies , 2004 .

[24]  Gail E. Updegraff,et al.  Rural Health Services Planning and Evaluation , 1972 .

[25]  M. Skidmore,et al.  Natural Disaster Impacts and Fiscal Decentralization , 2010, Land Economics.

[26]  Jean-Christophe Gaillard,et al.  Religions, natural hazards, and disasters: An introduction , 2010 .

[27]  Susan E. Hough,et al.  Seismic Hazard in Karachi, Pakistan: Uncertain Past, Uncertain Future , 2007 .

[28]  Daniel P. Aldrich,et al.  Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery , 2012 .

[29]  Ila Gupta,et al.  Himalayan population at earthquake risk , 2006 .

[30]  F. Norris,et al.  Community Resilience as a Metaphor, Theory, Set of Capacities, and Strategy for Disaster Readiness , 2008, American journal of community psychology.