ISLAMABAD, April 7: With the number of natural and man-made disasters increasing across the country, the Islamabad capital territory is set to have its first Disaster Rapid Force (DRF) to initiate immediate search and rescue operations in case of any emergency, Dawn has learnt.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has worked out a proposal for the ICT since it has the mandate to devise a strategy for the capital city after disaster management became a provincial subject under the 18th amendment.

“The DRF will be a professional search and rescue force having on its disposal ambulances, fire tenders, K-9 search and rescue dog unit, bomb disposal squads and heavy machinery to cut concrete structures in case of an earthquake,” NDMA chairman Dr Zafar Iqbal Qadir told Dawn.

Though the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has an emergency and disaster management directorate, its failure to cope even with routine fire accidents has put a question mark on its very utility. The chairman of the CDA, Farkhand Iqbal, when asked to comment on the matter added: “The CDA will definitely give a serious consideration to any proposal from the NDMA for establishment of the DRF and strengthen its mechanism to initiate a quick search-and-rescue operation in case of any emergency at the federal level.”

It may be recalled that when the Margallah Towers in the city collapsed in the October 2005 earthquake, the local administration and volunteers stepped in on their own to rescue the trapped people from the debris because there was no mechanism to cope with such a disaster.

“I admit that there are lacunas on part of our emergency directorate and the civic agency is trying to address all such issues for managing smooth search and rescue efforts during a disaster,” said Mr Iqbal.

However, the NDMA chairman asserted: “We will be managing the DRF with local resources but to add more professional expertise to it a few international donor agencies are already in the loop. But once the government signs a better professional technical and financial deal with these agencies, the DRF will start working at the federal level.”

He said Islamabad would be divided into zones and initially ambulances on the pattern of Punjab’s 1122 rescue service will be run in the capital.

Asked to comment on the formation of bomb disposal squads and acquisition of large machines to cut mega structures for rescuing people in case of any disaster, he noted: “We need to rescue people after a disaster and limit the loss of life and property; this is the foremost priority of any better-managed disaster rescue strategy and having a well-quipped K-9 unit to limit threat of bomb blasts will be part of our preventive efforts. The NDMA will also purchase large cutters and machines for this purpose.”

It may be mentioned that during the AirBlue crash in the city, no immediate rescue efforts could be initiated by the civic agency.