ISLAMABAD: The government has announced the closure of the National Flood Response and Coordination Centre (NFRCC), the top calamity response body, disclosing the process of rehabilitation of flood victims will now be carried out under a new strategy to build a climate-resilient and adaptable infrastructure.
The body — comprising federal ministers, representatives of armed forces, chief ministers and experts — was formed in September to provide a proper institutional response to the calamity, according to a government spokesperson at the time.
Speaking about damages incurred due to floods, Ahsan Iqbal, the minister for planning and development, said a framework has been prepared to make Pakistan a climate-resilient country.
The framework will also be presented to the international community for their support, he said, while speaking at the National Flood Response Center in Islamabad.
The minister pointed out that the central government, federating units, armed forces, and other institutions successfully tackled the immediate challenge posed by the recent devastating floods.
“As a result of this synergy, we managed to mitigate the effect of the catastrophe,” he said.
The minister pointed out that the floods caused damage of over $30 billion, which is 10 percent of the nation’s GDP. He noted Balochistan and Sindh witnessed the worst destruction.
Iqbal also urged donors to continue to help the flood victims until the complete rehabilitation of the affectees.
He said the establishment of a loss and damage fund at the climate summit in Egypt is a big triumph as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif headed a group of world leaders to present their case.
The minister said Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and help is being sought from the international community to cope with this challenge.
Last week, Iqbal announced that Pakistan will share a framework based on Resilient, Recovery, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation (4RFs) with international partners next week before it formally presents the document at a donors’ conference.
“Next week the comprehensive framework will be shared with the partners so they can study it and their valuable feedback will help the ministry to proceed further,” said Iqbal, while urging the international partners to continue to support Pakistan in the rehabilitation phase.
