ACTA TEHNICA CORVINIENSIS-Bulletin of Engineering Tome VIII [2015] Fascicule 4 [October-December] THE EFFECTIVNESS OF EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS DURING DISASTERS

Arshad Ali, Shahid, Masood Azam, Malik Leeza
unpublished
Disaster management is very wide subject and single paper cannot cover all dimensions involved in disaster management, so focus has been placed on modern detection and early warning systems. The threat has made the human being more vulnerable than ever before, mainly due to very fast growing population coupled with poor town planning in most parts of the countries. The developed countries are in effort of establishing strong and well equipped organizations to effectively deal with natural
more » ... ers. However the magnitude and area of influence of these natural disasters demands more cohesive and joint efforts. Natural disasters being faced by the Pakistan have also been covered. The early warning implications, as it is different for different types of calamities. Responsibilities of different groups have been discusses to provide early warning and also to ensure that the adequate time is available for the people to safely extricate from the dangerous zone. This paper deals with the latest systems available or being uses by developed countries and some recommendations for an effective early warning system in Pakistan. INTRODUCTION Pakistan has been experiencing different disaster intermittently in the past which cost loses to the lives and livelihood of its people. To make the people safer, there is a need to have an effective early warning system which must be people centered and be able to deliver timely information to the public well in time which is at risk. Pakistan, in the beginning remained without dedicated department looking after natural disaster. The Federal Flood Commission was created in 1977. Before that the Irrigation Departments at provincial (PIDs) were looking after the responsibilities of flood protection works. But after the experiencing frequent floods in seventies which left colossal losses to human lives, land and property, the need to have an organization at national level was felt to deal with flood protection and preventive measures across the country. Past experiences of earthquake in the country also supplemented the requirement. Over the last 20 years about 3 million lives have been lost and 1 billion people have been uprooted. The presence of an efficient forecasting and warning systems is necessary as part of effective alert strategies at national and regional level [1]. The aim of this paper is to analyze the early warning and detection organizations/equipment being used in the World with a view to recommend an appropriate system for Pakistan for a quick response at various levels to minimize the hazards. NATURAL DISASTERS AND EXISTING ARRANGEMENTS Pakistan has been suffering because of different natural hazards. The effects of these disasters in Pakistan can be measured by the fact that disasters during 2005 in south Asia caused 99,425 deaths, of which 84 per cent were due to one earthquake experienced in Pakistan. The migration of a large proportion of the population towards urban areas for education and employment has also magnified the quantum of threat.
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