MINISTER for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Monday announced the dissolution of National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC), hailing its role in mitigating the impact of the recent massive floods.
He said the flood damages could have been much more, but coordinated efforts helped reduce the impact of the tragedy.
On the pattern of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) established to tackle Covid-19 pandemic, the NFRCC was also established soon after the massive floods hit the country to carry out rescue and relief efforts in the calamity ravaged areas.
Just like the NCOC, the NFRCC remained a success story, proving once again that through greater synergy and coordinated efforts, we can effectively tackle any untoward situation and produce good results.
The entire team of NFRCC, especially its Coordinator Major General Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, really deserves appreciation for working day in and day out and bringing into use all the capabilities to ensure timely relief to the flood victims and averting what could be a far bigger tragedy.
The job is not yet over as the mammoth task of reconstruction and rehabilitation is yet to be completed.
It is a matter of satisfaction that the Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, who is fully cognizant of the plight of flood victims, also announced that the reconstruction phase will be completed under a new format and institutionalized setting.
Indeed this is the way forward to ensure systematized and timely completion of this critical phase.
Those who remained part of the NFRCC may be engaged again and their expertise may be utilized under a new platform to ensure that a climate resilient infrastructure is built to avoid future destruction at a massive scale due to floods.
Given the scale of devastation wreaked by the floods, heavy responsibility rests with the world community to come forward and lend a helping hand to Pakistan whose contribution to global carbon emissions is negligible.
As repeatedly stated by our government officials, Pakistan is not seeking any charity but climate justice.
There should be a change of hearts and minds to save humanity from the disastrous impacts of climate change.