PESHAWAR, Oct 12: The Provincial Emergency Operation Centre (PEOC) is being established in Peshawar and that will initially be connected with the 10 most disaster prone districts in the province and later with other districts, said Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shakeel Qadir on Wednesday.

A news release issued in connection with the International Day for Disaster Reduction, Mr Qadir said PDMA was committed to making timely responses to disasters and facilitating other humanitarian organisations in the province.

“The centre will be a hub through which the relevant authorities will be able to manage disasters and maintain communications in the worst of scenarios.

In parallel to the setting up of the operation centre, the capacities of the District Disaster Management Units will also be enhanced to a level where they are to play a useful and helpful role in the districts,” he said.

The director general PDMA said the establishment of PEOC would decrease the gap of communication between district administrations and the authority, and help in timely rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations during and after disasters in the region. He said PDMA had invited expression of interests from reputed firms in this regard and would soon launch its operation.

Mr Qadir said the International Day for Disaster Reduction encouraged citizens and governments to take part in building more disaster resilient communities, adding that this year's theme for the day was 'making children and young people partners for disaster risk reduction'.

He said PDMA's vision was to achieve sustainable social, economic and environmental development through reducing risks and vulnerabilities, particularly those of the poor and by effectively responding to and recovering from all types of disasters would only be attainable when all stakeholders stayed connected and worked collectively.

The director general PDMA said due to the frequency of man-made and natural disasters over the last five years, it was critical that the authority was prepared and had at its disposal the latest and best structures and mechanism to respond to any and all calamities.