KARACHI: Engineer Ehsan Leghari, Sindh’s representative in IRSA, stated that disasters or floods cannot be completely controlled; therefore, we must learn to live with floods.
He said that the causes of natural disasters or floods are not solely environmental changes; rather, the preparations made for disaster prevention and governance methods also contribute to them.
He made these remarks while addressing a seminar held today at a local hotel in Karachi, organized in collaboration between Meta Research Netherlands and PDMA Sindh (Provincial Disaster Management Authority Sindh). The purpose of the seminar was to deliberate on the lessons learned from the 2022 floods and preparations to reduce losses from natural disasters.
Engineer Ehsan Leghari said there could be several reasons for the 2022 floods, including the incomplete LBOD (Left Bank Outfall Drain) and RBOD (Right Bank Outfall Drain) projects, weak barrage embankments, and encroachments on canal banks. He stated that the floods of 2010 and 2022 have exposed the causes of flooding in Sindh, so now we must develop a strategy for flood preparedness to minimize losses.
Other speakers at the seminar included PDMA’s Director Operations Muhammad Shayan Shah, DG Water Sector Improvement Program Nazeer Memon, Salim Ur Rehman Sheikh, Imran Leghari, Muhammad Suleman G. Abro, Sarwan Baloch, and others.
The speakers emphasized the causes of natural disasters, the lessons learned, preparations to reduce losses, and creating public awareness about disasters.
Ashfaq Soomro, Country Head of MetaMeta, briefing about the organization, informed that MetaMeta has been working for the past 25 years and is active in 10 countries. He stated that MetaMeta has conducted research on the causes and lessons of the 2022 floods in Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab. According to him, 20 million people were affected in the 2010 floods, while 31 million were affected in 2022.
The seminar was also attended by Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar, journalist Zufeen, Sahar Gul Bhatti, Nasir Panhwar, Dr. Ali Akbar Hangorjo, Fozia Aziz, and others.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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