The recent Pakistan floods have emphasized the importance of early warning systems in the region. Rina Saeed Khan highlights a well-functioning example in Mansehra District, which has proven to be very effective during the 2010 floods.
The comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) system was set up as a pilot project in 2008 with the help of the German Organisation for Technical Cooperation (earlier known as GTZ, and now called GIZ). “What we did was to consolidate all the efforts on one single platform by building the capacity of the district government and the community members,” explains Syed Harir Shah, a project manager who currently works for DRR-Mountain Rescue for the German Red Cross. The community members in Mansehra included around 6,000 volunteers from various Union Councils (around 3,000 school children as well) who were trained in DRR activities.