oleh admin | Agu 28, 2025 | disaster management, disaster preparedness, disasters, emergency management, news
Released on, Aug. 19 — August 19, 2025 at 3:07 PM
The central administration, military forces, and National Disaster Management Authority conducted a combined media update in Islamabad regarding the current monsoon emergency. Representatives stated that torrential rainfall has resulted in 670 fatalities throughout Pakistan. Numerous additional individuals remain wounded or unaccounted for. Teams from the NDMA are continuing efforts to locate those carried off by floodwaters. Immediate relief activities are ongoing in every impacted area.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif from DG ISPR stated that the flooding has caused damage to roads and bridges, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In order to act swiftly, the military sent two engineering battalions to KP and another two to Gilgit-Baltistan. These teams are working on unblocking roadways and repairing damaged structures. Military engineers are additionally assisting with restoring communication networks. The availability of relief supplies is gradually increasing in isolated regions.
At the same time, military medical personnel are providing assistance to those wounded in flooded areas. To date, more than 6,000 individuals have been provided with healthcare services. Nine mobile field hospitals are functioning within impacted regions. Two established medical facilities have been stationed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit. Additionally, two battalions are offering medical aid in Buner and Shangla. Numerous survivors are being treated for severe wounds.
The military is operating based on specific directives issued by the Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir. Extra battalions have been deployed for recovery and assistance efforts. In order to assist those impacted, the army has contributed a day’s worth of provisions from its stockpiles. Aid materials are handed out every day. Supplies such as food, drinking water, and medical items are transported to isolated regions using aircraft and vehicles.
To sum up, Pakistan’s civilian and military organizations are collaborating effectively to handle the crisis. The administration called on citizens to remain vigilant and adhere to safety instructions. Aid operations will persist until everyone impacted is secure. The NDMA mentioned that restoration and rebuilding could require an extended period. Nevertheless, complete nationwide backing has been pledged for each affected area.
oleh admin | Apr 8, 2025 | disaster management, disaster preparedness, disasters, natural disasters, news
Thailand’s natural disaster early warning and alert system encounters significant hurdles following experts attributing a delayed reaction to the earthquake in Myanmar on March 28, which caused powerful shaking throughout Thailand, to inadequate coordination.
Seree Supratid, director of the Climate Change and Disaster Centre at Rangsit University, says he was appointed by the Interior Minister as an expert adviser at the National Disaster Warning Centre (NDWC) after the earthquake.
During an interview with the Bangkok Post, Mr. Seree mentioned that he had also been involved with the center back in 2005 when it was first established.
Bureaucratic loopholes
After coming back, I’ve already identified numerous gaps, especially within our operations involving collaborating organizations.
“Collectively, we function akin to a series circuit [where all elements are linked sequentially to create a solitary pathway for electrical current]… Data is transferred from one organization to the next as time progresses,” he stated.
He proposed that it might be more efficient if the agencies could function akin to contemporary computer circuits, operating concurrently without needing to await one another.
Specifically, the NDWC ought not to await information from other agencies. If flooding occurs, it shouldn’t rely on data from the Meteorological Department; similarly, during other natural events causing disorder, it shouldn’t depend on the DDPM.
Mr. Seree mentioned that the NDWS needs to seek out information independently and cross-reference it with other agencies prior to releasing warnings.
He stated that during the earthquake on March 28, the text messages alerting people about the quake were significantly delayed in being dispatched.
Passakorn Boonyalak, who serves as the director-general of the DDPM, mentioned earlier that the department had submitted the initial set of alerts to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) for distribution at 2:42 pm. This was shortly after an earthquake occurred at 1:20 pm on March 28.
The notification assured recipients that they were free to go back into structures to retrieve their possessions.
Trairat Wiriyasirikul, who serves as the interim secretary-general of the NBTC, mentioned that the notification was sent out at 2:44 pm to approximately 10 million mobile phone numbers. The distribution occurred gradually, with each batch containing 200,000 contacts, covering areas within Bangkok and its adjacent three provinces.
He further stated that the identical message was subsequently resent to recipients across all 76 provinces.
However, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated during a gathering on March 29 that it was excessively time-consuming to disseminate the information. She instructed both the DDPM and NBTC to devise a method for surpassing the 200,000-per-send restriction as efforts commence to enhance the system.
She encouraged them to increase this capability to one million recipients per broadcast as they awaited the complete rollout of the NBTC’s cell broadcast technology.
Mr. Seree stated that the NDWC now has the legal duty to be the first entity to release official natural disaster alerts.
In case of another seismic event, the Meteorological Department will inform the NDWC, which will then utilize this data to release warnings and communicate the necessary steps individuals should follow along with safe locations to head towards.
He stated that during this timeframe, the Meteorological Department requires additional time to analyze more detailed aspects of the earthquake’s intensity and determine which areas might be impacted before they can forward this supplementary data to the NDWC.
Cell broadcast service system
“When the cell broadcast service [CBS] system is rolled out, it will enable the NDWC to issue warnings directly to individuals in impacted regions through cellular networks,” he explained, noting that full implementation of the CBS system is anticipated by August 1st.
The CBS system enables the distribution of urgent weather and natural disaster alerts through mobile phone notifications.
He mentioned that initially, the media might get details regarding the location and intensity of an earthquake from the Meteorological Department.
Nevertheless, it requires some time to compute and analyze the impact levels, after which the NDWC will release warnings through the CBS system and keep providing periodic updates until the situation improves, he stated.
He likewise highlighted the importance of enhancing the current disaster alert mechanism to guarantee a more rapid reaction during an emergency.
The NBTC plans to work together with television networks and radio stations to issue warnings through the TV Pool system, he stated, noting that no such alert was disseminated on March 28.
Free inspections
The president of the Thailand Structural Engineers Association, Amorn Pimanmas, stated that owners and inhabitants of tall buildings in Bangkok ought to request an inspection from structural engineers following the earthquake to alleviate their worries about safety.
As things stand, Bangkok boasts over 1,000 structures exceeding 23 meters or eight stories tall. Following the March 28 earthquake, numerous individuals have grown worried regarding the structural integrity of these buildings, he mentioned.
People can get assistance through Traffy Fondue, a complaint mechanism managed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Additionally, engineers who offer their services for free will inspect structures after an earthquake and provide guidance on making buildings more resistant to earthquakes at no cost.
Approximately 1,000 engineers are prepared to provide assistance at no cost; however, they do not have the authority to issue certifications for safety inspections.
“If property owners require certifications, they might need to engage private firms to examine their structures,” Mr Amorn stated.
He mentioned that a team of Thai investigators has created instruments for gauging structural movements. Currently, one such device is set up at the Thani Nopparat Building within City Hall’s Din Daeng district, while another is positioned at a facility in the Northern region.
Mr. Amorn stated that it is still not possible to accurately forecast precisely where and when an earthquake might strike beforehand. Additionally, issuing prompt alerts for shallow quakes similar to the one that hit Myanmar on March 28, which had a depth of merely 10 kilometers, continues to be challenging.
Scientists indicate that smaller earthquakes transmit rapidly and generally cause greater damage compared to those occurring at deeper depths. Waves generated by deep-seated seismic activities move slower through layers of rock, diminishing in intensity as they ascend towards the earth’s surface.
“Bangkok is approximately 1,000 kilometers distant from the epicenter located in Myanmar. However, vibrations were experienced in Thailand. Issuing prompt alerts was challenging because we required time to analyze the data,” Mr Amorn stated.
Itthaboon Onwongsa, the deputy secretary-general of the Thailand Consumers’ Council (TCC), stated that the organization has been advocating for the adoption of the CBS system ever since the tragic event at Siam Paragon in October 2023. This incident involved a troubled 14-year-old student who took the lives of three individuals and wounded multiple others.
He stated that delaying the installation of the system any longer would be unwise, and emphasized that it should also be tailored to meet the requirements of visually impaired and hearing-impaired individuals.
He stated that during natural disasters, the government must not abandon individuals to fend for themselves. Instead, it has an obligation to offer citizens essential information and prompt guidance.
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