Disaster risks and disaster management policies and practices in Pakistan: A critical analysis of Disaster Management Act 2010 of Pakistan

Human suffering has multiplied in recent years due to increased frequency and intensity of natural hazards, which are expected to rise in the coming years due to climate change. Admittedly, risks to humans from natural hazards cannot be eliminated completely, but they can be reduced through systematic approaches such as disaster risks reduction (DRR) approaches that can be scientifically applied for minimising vulnerability and building resilience in society through multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional measures. Considering the importance of DRR approaches in reducing impacts of disasters, the aim of this paper is to analyse the disaster risk and disaster management policies and practices in Pakistan. The objective is to evaluate the Disaster Management Act 2010 in Pakistan (PNDMA 2010). Through critical review of PNDMA 2010, this study has found that the Act emphasises mainly on institution building and action plan development for mitigating disasters in the country. The Act does not directly mention disaster risk reduction and there are no directions with regard to the budgetary mechanisms and extent of funds from disaster risk management (DRM) in the country. The DRM in Pakistan is reactive and there is a need for revision of PDMA 2010 to make it proactive.