Emergency centre soon for post-quake rescue

The government would set up an emergency centre to facilitate rescue operations in disasters like earthquake, officials at a programme said Wednesday.  
Earthquake preparedness would get the top priority on the agenda of the ministry of disaster management and relief from the next financial year following a series of such incidents in neighbouring Nepal and India, they said.
Secretary in charge of the ministry Md Shah Kamal said his ministry's key priority was now earthquake.
He was speaking at the programme on "Bangladeshi NGOs on World Humanitarian Summit (WHS): Equality and Dignity Based on Partnership for Sustainable Capacity in Disaster Risk Reduction and Response," held at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) in the city. It was organised by the National NGOs Working Group for WHS.
Mr Kamal said the ministry had now a fund of Tk 690 million (69 crore) while Tk 1.55 billion was in the pipeline to carry out reform in disaster management approach.
He said the Nepal tragedy ringed the alarm bell as there are two major fault lines crossing Bangladesh---Dauki in Sylhet and Madhupur in Tangail. Nine districts in and around the faults are extremely vulnerable to tremor.
He said the government had taken an initiative to establish the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) to conduct rescue operations immediately after any disaster. The permanent office of the centre would be in Dhaka.
However, talking on the upcoming WHS in Istanbul next year (May, 2016), the Secretary said Bangladesh had to raise voice for other countries vulnerable to natural or man-made disasters.
The WHS was first called by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in 2013. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is dealing with the WHS.
PKSF Chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed presided over the programme.   
Executive Director of COAST Trust Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said community radio should be promoted in coastal upazilas to ensure disaster-related information to a large number of people.
He said capacity of the local government division should be increased in respect of humanitarian work without just depending on Red Crescent volunteers.  
There should also be an internal displacement policy and the UN should come up with a new protocol for climate and disaster-displaced people, he said.
However, 34 NGOs including COAST Trust, RDRS, ASA, Brac, TMSS, NIRAPAD, PIDIM and Dhaka Ahsania Mission have formed 'the National NGOs for WHS' platform.
These NGOs are going to participate in the WHS 2016.
The South and Central Asia regional consultation linked to the summit will be held in Tajikistan in July 2015 and the global summit in Istanbul in May 2016.
The national alliance conducted field-level consultations and individual interviews in 16 districts of Bangladesh on various issues related to natural disasters.
A total of 3,500 people from various sections took part in the process, organisers said.
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