ISLAMABAD: With the approval of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the government will undertake Multi-Sector Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) in flood affected areas to ascertain exact damages in collaboration with United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and provincial governments.
Top aides of PM Secretariat said yesterday that this initial assessment of exact damages would be accomplished within next two weeks period.
The MIRA, which was approved by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and finally Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, would be accomplished by panel of experts comprising of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), UN OCHA and respective provincial governments.
When contacted, spokesperson of NDMA, Ahmed Kamal confirmed that the MIRA report would be accomplished in next two weeks.
He said that the multilateral donors such as the WB and ADB had provided training to NDMA and provinces to undertake damage assessment. The UN, he said, has been involved in MIRA exercise.
To another query, he said that the detailed Damage and Need Assessment (DNA) with involvement of WB and ADB would require three to four months.
The Advisor to Finance Ministry and close confidant of Finance Minister, Rana Assad Amin, he said that the government decided to undertake initial assessment of floods damages in collaboration with UN OCHA.
After this assessment, the government will decide whether it will seek donors’ assistance for floods or not as in case of massive requirements the government will seek financial help from donors,” he said.
He concluded that the government has not provided any amount to NDMA so far but all resources required to them would be met by the government at the initial stage.
According to the directives, the MIRA assessment working group has been assigned to develop an Assessment and Monitoring Framework as a common and consistent framework within Pakistan as well as in line with global guidelines, enabling trends over time and between locations to be better analysed and acted upon.
Through coordinated approach, it will also define cluster-level indicators which will be monitored all through the emergency and early recovery phase.
It will also devise Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines for ensuring comparability and consistency in needs data collection and monitoring component, including alignment with reporting mechanisms, to track changes of needs. INTERNEWS
