MUZAFFARABAD: The 19th anniversary of the devastating 2005 earthquake that killed thousands of people in the northern districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and the adjacent parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be commemorated as ‘National Disaster Awareness Day’ on October 8.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by AJK’s Secretary for Disaster Management and Civil Defence Chaudhry Majeed Ahmed. Representatives from various organisations, including NGOs, INGOs, the Boy Scouts Association, the Girl Guides Association and the Municipal Corporation of Muzaffarabad, were in attendance.

The meeting also agreed to designate the first week of October as ‘Disaster Awareness Week’, aimed at raising public awareness about the dangers of unpreparedness for natural disasters like floods and earthquakes.

The earthquake that struck on October 8, 2005 claimed thousands of lives and left scores injured, mainly because of substandard constructions. Muzaffarabad, being near the quake’s epicentre, suffered the greatest losses.

Each year, a ceremony is held to commemorate the anniversary at the University College Ground, also known as the K.H. Khurshid Mini Football Stadium, where a memorial for the earthquake’s martyrs stands.

At the meeting, a senior official from the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) outlined the activities planned for Disaster Awareness Week and National Disaster Awareness Day.

As part of the campaign, the SDMA will organise speech competitions among students to foster disaster preparedness awareness in the younger generation. Additionally, an awareness walk followed by a candlelight vigil will be held at Naluchi Bridge on the night of October 7, he said.

While addressing the participants, Mr Ahmed reflected on the profound impact of the 2005 earthquake.

“The earthquake of 19 years ago taught us hard lessons we must never forget,” he said, adding that, “we cannot prevent natural disasters, but we can prepare to reduce the scale of their impact”.

Mr Ahmed pointed out that the areas with substandard construction and deforestation had suffered the most damage during the earthquake, underscoring the importance of adhering to proper building standards and preserving forests.

“Disasters themselves claim fewer lives than the lack of awareness and preparedness does,” he maintained.

He urged the meeting’s participants to pass on the lessons learned from the 2005 quake to younger generations, encouraging them to discourage unsafe construction practices and promote adherence to building codes.

“We must accept the harsh truth that we live in a disaster-prone region,” he said, warning that any negligence in this regard could risk the safety of future generations.

He also called for developing a comprehensive strategy to create a resilient society that could mitigate both natural and man-made disasters.

“Every household should have at least one person trained in providing first aid during emergencies,” he stressed, assuring full cooperation of the SDMA and relevant government bodies in these efforts, “in line with the directives of Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq”.

He expressed the hope that the public would actively participate in the events on October 7 and 8 to demonstrate their commitment to being first responders in the face of any disasters in future.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2024