Paper presented by Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed (Retd) at CMIS2010.

1. C i v i l - M i l i ta r y
w o R k i N G pA p e R s
2 0 11
PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE MANAGEMENT
Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed (Retd)
w w w.c i v m i l co e . gov. au

2. Disclaimer:
the views expressed in this Civil-Military Commentary/Civil Military Working Paper/
Civil-Military Occasional Paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
the position of aPCMCOE or of any government agency. authors enjoy the academic
freedom to offer new and sometimes controversial perspectives in the interest of
furthering debate on key issues.
the content is published under a Creative Commons by attribution 3.0 australia
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/) licence. all parts of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems, and transmitted by any means without
the written permission of the publisher.
iSBN: 978-1-921933-01-1
Published 2011.
Civil-Millitary woRkiNG pApeRs ii

3. AbSTRAcT
On 8 October 2005 at 0850 PSt, Pakistan was struck by a huge earthquake measuring 7.6
on the richter scale. this was, at the time, by far the worst natural disaster to have affected
the country, creating massive destruction and loss of life. By the end of that fateful day over
600,000 houses had been either damaged or destroyed over an area of 30,000 square km
across 9 Districts of azad Jammu and Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province (now
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). the quake left 73,000 dead, more than 70,000 severely injured and
approximately three million people without shelter. this presented the nation with one of
the greatest challenges it had ever faced. it was a challenge not only for the people affected
by the disaster but also for the Government who had to undertake such a mammoth task of
providing relief, then making the transition towards reconstruction and rehabilitation in the
affected areas. according to accounts of the various UN agencies, the affected areas were
one of the most logistically challenging in the world. the scale of reconstruction required in
such a difficult area had never been previously undertaken. as no model to follow existed,
the government had to devise its own. the Federal relief Commission for relief operations
and, subsequently, the Earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation authority (Erra) for
reconstruction, were created to achieve these goals.
key words: Pakistan, 2005 earthquake, disaster management, Erra
Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed (Retd)
lieutenant General Nadeem ahmed (retd) served as an infantry Officer in the
Pakistan army until his retirement in May 2010. During his 40-year career he held various
command and staff positions as well as heading several national agencies. He has served as
Director Military Operations and later as the vice Chief of General Staff at Pakistan army’s
General Headquarters. General Nadeem has had the rare experience of handling both
a natural disaster and a complex emergency through all phases. in 2005, as Chief Military
Coordinator of the Federal relief Commission, he coordinated, supervised and implemented
the earthquake relief operations for both military and civil relief agencies, working closely
with the United Nations, humanitarian agencies, and foreign militaries. as Deputy Chairman
of the Pakistan Earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation authority (2005–2008),
he was responsible for the entire early recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of the
earthquake-affected region in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders. in 2009 until
May 2010, he served as Chairman of the Special Support Group established to assist the
3.2 million internally Displaced Persons (iDPs) affected by the complex emergency in the
North West Frontier Province. He holds two Masters Degrees – one in War Studies from
the National Defence University, islamabad and one in Strategic Studies from the United
States army War College. in July 2010, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Disaster
Management by the University of Huddersfield in the UK.
Pakistan Earthquake Management 1

4. bAcKGRoUNd
On 8 October 2005 at 0850 PSt, Pakistan was struck by a huge earthquake measuring 7.6 on the richter
scale. this was, at the time, by far the worst natural disaster to have affected the country, creating massive
destruction and loss of life. By the end of that fateful day over 600,000 houses had been either damaged or
destroyed over an area of 30,000 square km across 9 Districts of azad Jammu and Kashmir and the North
West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
the quake left 73,000 dead, more than 70,000 severely injured and approximately three million people
without shelter. this presented the nation with one of the greatest challenges it had ever faced. it was a
challenge not only for the people affected by the disaster but also for the Government who had to undertake
such a mammoth task of providing relief, then making the transition towards reconstruction and rehabilitation
in the affected areas. according to accounts of the various UN agencies, the affected areas were one of the
most logistically challenging in the world. the scale of reconstruction required in such a difficult area had
never been previously undertaken. as no model to follow existed, the government had to devise its own.
the Federal relief Commission for relief operations and, subsequently, the Earthquake reconstruction and
rehabilitation authority (Erra) for reconstruction, were created to achieve these goals.
cHALLENGES
Experience has shown that in disasters of this magnitude, relief effort suffers due to:
• the absence of a central management authority to provide strategic guidance and coordinate the
entire relief effort.
• the incremental employment of resources due to inaccurate damage assessment that can leave a
large segment of population, especially the vulnerable, out of the relief net.
• the chaotic law and order situation with cases of looting and arson that becomes accentuated due
to dysfunctional civil administration; and, lastly,
• the insufficient and badly damaged logistic infrastructure needed to support such a huge relief effort.
Civil-Millitary woRkiNG pApeRs 2

5. WAy FoRWARd
Institutional Arrangements
the first and foremost step is to create an institutional arrangement - a focal agency to spearhead the entire
relief, recovery and reconstruction effort. the best outcome would be for the respective government to
create this focal agency headed by a dedicated Minister with requisite staff. alternatively, the United Nations
could take the lead by appointing a Humanitarian Coordinator along with a team of experts. in no case should
a foreign country, regardless of its role in relief, become involved in this role due to political sensitivities. the
mandate of this agency should be to immediately formulate a ‘National action Plan’ to guide relief providers
both in Government and non Government sectors, coordinate and monitor the work of all stakeholders and
carry out liaison with both foreign and local agencies. it must forecast the assistance required in accordance
with the need and on a regular basis to disseminate information for everyone to build a common operating
picture. Based on this, relief providers can carve out a role for themselves in accordance with their core
competence. an effort must also be made by the focal agency to practice the concept of ‘joint and integrated
logistics’ through centralized planning and decentralized implementation, to ensure judicious and equitable
distribution of the relief effort.
disaster Management Spectrum
there should be a requirement to take a comprehensive look at the work that lies ahead rather. While in the
‘immediate’ we must continue with rescue and relief operations, focusing on trapped and wounded, provision
of food, water and shelter, opening of roads and sanitation, and restoration of municipal services, we also have
to start looking in the ‘short term’ towards sustaining the effected population, supplementing local response
capacities and revive civil administration and essential services. in the ‘mid term’ we have to ensure continuous
service delivery, stabilize the economic, governance, human security and social equity situation, while in the
‘long term’ undertake full-scale reconstruction and rehabilitation on a ‘Build Back Better’ basis. the most
critical decision is when to call off relief operations and shift focus towards early recovery, and reconstruction
and rehabilitation. there will be resistance to this decision by many relief providers for varying reasons.
therefore, it must be a well-deliberated and informed decision, giving sufficient absorption time to all the
stakeholders to be able to complete all relevant activities before the closure of the relief activities. residual
relief activities for the socially disadvantaged or physically handicapped should continue for a longer period.
Pakistan Earthquake Management 3

6. damage and Need Assessment
almost every relief provider undertakes their own damage assessment mission and since there are far
too many relief providers doing this, people are subjected to questions more than once. this raises
their expectation levels and also clutters and distorts the data. there should be a requirement to do a
comprehensive damage assessment by one or multilateral agencies under a common assessment methodology
covering all requirements from relief to early recovery and reconstruction. the data should disaggregated
by sex and also cater for the vulnerable. the World Bank, assisted by line departments of the government
and some of the relief providers, could conduct this exercise. this damage and need assessment should then
become the basis for the launch of a donors’ appeal to solicit support from donor countries and international
organisations towards the reconstruction effort. it will also help in planning customised interventions during
the relief phase.
Monetisation of Affected Areas
to ease the financial burden and provide limited purchasing capacity to the affected population, immediate
monetization through livelihood cash grants is extremely helpful. also all the relief providers should be
encouraged to inject cash in the local economy through ‘Cash for Work’ programs. in addition, they also
need to be encouraged to purchase all possible relief items from the local or adjoining markets to save on
transportation costs. Compensation for dead and injured needs to be announced immediately and distributed
through a transparent mechanism. Once the damage assessment is completed, immediate release of the first
tranche of the reconstruction grant to the affectees will help kick start the process of reconstruction.
Financial Management
there are different ways that donor countries and organizations can channel their funds towards assisting
the Government: either by way of allocating these funds to United Nations, international Organizations or
Non Government Organizations; undertaking projects through their respective aid agencies such as USaiD,
JiCa, CiDa, ausaiD and others; or, providing budgetary support directly to the government. though
indirect support speeds up the reconstruction process, conversely it upsets market dynamics as international
Organizations, aid agencies and Non Government Organizations tend to pay more money to the contractors
and also spend a good percentage of their funds on their overheads. all projects should be designed,
approved and undertaken as per their own processes, duly fast tracked to facilitate the task of rebuilding
quickly. the focal agency in this case will also act as a clearinghouse for all projects to avoid confusion and to
lay down guidance parameters. it must be helped by a reputable consulting firm with the requisite experience
to undertake this task.
Civil-Millitary woRkiNG pApeRs 4

7. Involvement of all Stakeholders in Policy Planning and critical decision Making
it is necessary that at the time of formulating policies or taking practical decisions, all stakeholders including
Government agencies, Multilateral and Bilateral Donors, international agencies, international and local Non
Government Organizations and Civil Society Organizations, be involved as it gives them a sense of ownership
and trust in government and the process. it also encourages them to extend their full-fledged assistance to the
affected country. Policies evolved through consensus have generally proved to be more effective and robust
as all stakeholders contribute more equitably to make it succeed, rather than resenting every step without
moving forward. it also creates a spirit of camaraderie, partnership, and equal stakes, thus ensuring willing
support and ultimate success of the programs.
develop customised Procurement System, Financial Management Systems,
Planning Systems and M&E Systems to Enhance Efficacy
there may well be existing systems of procurement, planning, approvals, financial management and
monitoring but these would be for doing routine and usual work. these processes tend to be time consuming.
reconstruction and rehabilitation is not ‘work as usual’. it is essentially a time critical activity, as millions of
people are out there in the open anxiously waiting for their houses, schools, hospitals, water supply systems,
roads and infrastructure to be rebuilt today. there is therefore, a requirement to simplify all the relevant
rules and procedures, remain close to the government’s existing rules as possible, and develop an operational
manual for all reconstruction and rehabilitation work. this operational manual should remain a dynamic
document and must continue to be improved based on experiences. after achieving systems maturity it can
then be validated and approved by the relevant department of the Government.
capacity building
the reconstruction effort required will always find itself short of the requisite skilled manpower to do soil
surveys, design, approvals, procurement of requisite materials and services and then to undertake large
scale reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure. there is a need to maximize use of local skills, materials,
techniques, resources and capacities, in the planning and execution of projects and programs, taking into
account the need for affordable solutions. along with local and national institutions, civil society needs to
be encouraged and empowered to participate in the recovery process. there is also a need to mobilize
private investment, both human and financial, by harnessing financial, technical and human contributions from
companies and individuals – including the Diaspora living abroad - by providing incentives to participate in
reconstruction. additionally a large pool of people will need to be given skills training in disciplines including
masonry, carpentry, electricity, plumbing and steel fixing to meet the huge demand of skilled workers.
Pakistan Earthquake Management 5

8. develop Structured Mechanisms to Share Information, coordinate Activities
and Share best Practices
in any massive reconstruction and rehabilitation exercise, many stakeholders become involved. they include
Multilateral or Bilateral Donors, international agencies, iNGOs and NGOs, Federal Ministries, Provincial
and District Government and various line Departments. all look for central leadership and guidance from
the Federal Government’s focal agency. Stakeholders need to remain abreast of all developments, know
the common operating picture, response framework and be considered partners in the reconstruction
activities. the focal agency must therefore create structures where the stakeholders are part of overall policy
formulation process at the Federal level through a Strategic leaders Forum. Core Groups should be formed
for policy making related to a particular sector/cluster and Working Groups established within the districts to
coordinate implementation. Such arrangements will facilitate coordination at the field level and also provide a
forum to share best practices and provide feedback to the Core Group to refine and improve output.
open and Transparent Systems Enhance donor confidence
Experience shows that donors’ confidence is significantly enhanced once they find that the recipient
government’s focal agency is efficient, with well-conceived and ably implemented policies, there is openness to
listening to new ideas, and the whole system is transparent and accountable. towards this end, a structured
mechanism of coordination with donors, a deliberate internal and external audit system, supported by
an efficient monitoring and evaluation system for impact assessment, and, finally, ‘international third Party
validation’ will be extremely useful. Creation of a consultative forum comprising major donors and a
Monitoring and Evaluation advisory Committee, will enhance confidence in the whole system. this greatly
encourages donors to provide additional support and funding should it be needed.
Prioritise Sectors in Accordance with the Need to Retain Right Focus
the newly raised focal agency will have to undertake work in approximately a dozen sectors for which there
may not be enough human resources to start simultaneously on all sectoral programs. therefore, priority
must be given to programs in accordance with criticality. the first program recommended is a livelihood Cash
Grant program to facilitate the affected population to sustain themselves after their loss of livelihoods. the
second would be Housing as people need shelter and cannot stay in tents for an indefinite period. the next
programs to be developed would consist of Health, Education, Social Protection of vulnerable Population and
Water and Sanitation and, finally, roads infrastructure, telecommunications, Government Sector Buildings and
Power. Experience shows that it is beneficial to undertake reconstruction efforts following a three-tracked
approach - that of ‘Government Funded’, ‘Donor Funded’ (iO’s, UN, WB, iMF etc),and ‘Sponsor Funded’
(NGO’s, Philanthropists), where the design, approval and monitoring is retained at focal agency level and
physical implementation including design, consultancy and contractor selection, and construction is left to any
of the three. this will help in timely completion of projects.
Civil-Millitary woRkiNG pApeRs 6

9. owner driven and community owned Approach is a Preferred option
internationally, reconstruction has seen three different models adopted. Firstly, a ‘Government Driven’
approach where the government provides everything from financing to physical construction and
rehabilitation. Secondly, a ‘Donor Driven’ approach where different donors undertake reconstruction and
rehabilitation with the help of iOs, iNGOs, NGOs or own aid agencies through directly funding them. in the
third case, an ‘Owner Driven’ approach can be adopted where the government provides the financial subsidy,
training and design options to the beneficiaries, and leaves physical construction to the house owners. this
greatly helps the owners build customized houses in accordance with their own needs, ensures quality, and
enhances local skills development and speedy construction. a comparison of the progress achieved between
a Donor / Government Driven approach vis-à-vis an Owner Driven approach clearly favors the Owner
Driven approach. likewise, the focal agency must involve the communities in all construction activities be it
WatSan schemes, Health or Education infrastructure or livelihood Programs (Skill Development, Community
livelihood rehabilitation Plans (ClrPs) and Micro Credit Facilities). involvement of communities helps evolve
people-centered solutions, greater acceptability of programs, keeps the communities involved and ensures
quality and speed of reconstruction.
Software Interventions are Equally Important
We must never lose sight of the ultimate aim of the entire effort, which is to improve service delivery. Brick
and mortar buildings are therefore not enough. Software intervention must be undertaken in all social sectors
including Education, Health, Water and Sanitation and Social Protection of vulnerable Population with a view
to providing quality human resources through training them to run the newly constructed facilities efficiently
and effectively. For example, providing psychosocial support to handle Post trauma Syndrome victims through
dedicated programs such as providing child and women friendly spaces and skill development centers were
found to be extremely helpful in the earthquake affected areas.
Risk Reduction, Gender balance and Environmental Safeguards should be Mainstreamed
a careful analysis of the disaster reveals that damage to property and loss to lives could have been avoided
if disaster risk reduction and environmental considerations were mainstreamed to ensure sustainable
development. in order to ensure that all physical structures are seismically resistant, and communities
are trained to be disaster resilient, the right moment to mainstream these issues is now. this includes risk
mapping, land zoning, resource mapping, capacity building, training of communities, school safety programs,
creation of relief store warehouses at appropriate locations and appropriate building codes. likewise, for
every major project it will be beneficial to carry out an Environment impact assessment (Eia) or the initial
Environmental Evaluation (iEE) prior to undertaking the project to avoid environmental degradation. Since
a good percentage of the population consists of women and girls, it is extremely important that all benefits
of reconstruction accrue equally to both men and women, be it safeguarding their rights such as housing and
livelihood cash grants, ensuring equal opportunities in skill development and availability of micro credit grants,
or empowering them to be part of the decision making process as in village reconstruction Committees. all
these steps will ensure long-term sustainability of the projects and programs.
Pakistan Earthquake Management 7

10. Alternative Fast construction Technologies be Encouraged Right from the outset
For a speedy reconstruction phase it is essential to start evaluating fast construction technologies from the
beginning. though this will have a maturation time for the local industry to absorb, once fully assimilated and
human resources are trained, it will drastically cut the overall reconstruction time.
decentralised Grievance Redress System
in disaster areas people do not have access to the legal departments and courts, and, likewise, the courts
do not have the capacity to handle such huge number of cases. the focal agency will therefore have to
develop a very localized and decentralized grievance redress system for quick dispensation of justice to the
affected population by involving the representatives of District administration, Principals of local educational
institutions and the local elders of that area. this will assist in bringing the left-out affectees into the
beneficiary net.
A Well Thought out Pro-active communication Strategy
it is essential to evolve a well thought out pro-active communication strategy involving all stakeholders from
the outset to avoid misperceptions and unduly raise peoples’ expectations. this can be done through an
information campaign using print and electronic media, regular briefings to all stakeholders including media
and parliamentarians, and by arranging visits of international and national media and representative of donor
organizations/countries to the affected areas.
don’t Shy away from Taking New Initiatives
While a particular school of thought may consider it to be ‘mission creep’, all opportunities to add value to the
reconstruction and rehabilitation must be seized. likewise initiatives that could benefit communities must be
taken. a few examples - rain Water Harvesting, Disaster risk reduction, vulnerability Survey, Establishment
of legal aid Centers to help specially the vulnerable population, rural landless Program, Full Spectrum
rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Special focus on under developed areas, establishment of Social
Welfare Complexes and Women Development Centres.
Early Recovery and Reconstruction Effort to be Planned Simultaneously
although reconstruction is a long term process and may take three to five years, early recovery provides
for an interim solution in the midterm spanning over six to eighteen months. Since both these programs
run concurrently, there is every possibility of duplication and confusion with regard to site selection of
early recovery structures. it is of the utmost importance to have very close coordination in planning and
execution of early recovery and the reconstruction effort. it ensures seamless transition from early recovery
to reconstruction compliments the reconstruction efforts and ensures that resources are optimally utilized
by making early recovery structures wherever it is necessary. For example schools or hospitals that are
constructed in the last year of the reconstruction plan may have an early recovery structure but the schools or
hospitals which are being reconstructed in first year may not require a proper early recovery structure.
Civil-Millitary woRkiNG pApeRs 8

11. Undue Political Influence Needs to be checked
During the process of reconstruction and rehabilitation, it is often seen that political influence often
undermines an equitable distribution of resources in a transparent and principled manner. in order to check
misuse of political clout, especially by vested political interests, it is better that, based on the damage and need
assessment, the entire reconstruction plan is conceived in the beginning as one entity, resources allocated
on a yearly basis, approval of the highest authority obtained and, finally, a strategy document published. this
document should then become a sacrosanct document that cannot be modified or altered without prior
clearance of the highest authority itself. these guard against any undue political interference. the principle
of prioritizing the projects and schemes should be based on the accessibility of the area, the number of
beneficiary population, hazard-free sites and equitable allocation of resources to all affected districts.
Relief and Early Recovery - Whose agenda is it Anyway?
it is evident from our disaster experience that relief and early recovery is the UN agenda whereas large
multilateral donors like the World Bank and asian Development Bank tend to take a back seat and are mostly
interested in the reconstruction phase. this disconnect between the two important players affects the two
phases of disaster response due to their dependence on each other. the involvement of multilaterals from the
first phase of response will add value to whole exercise and bring about sustainability in the operations.
data Management
the essence of data management is to be able to identify and arrest the problem in time. in the early period
of response, problems are not easily detectable but solvable. later, problems are easily detectable but not
solvable. the experience shows that the focal agency will be flooded with all kinds of data from various
sources and unless all the streams are tapped and brought into a system, all the data collected will not add
value to the response. For example, there is a clear linkage between the physical progress of a project on
the ground and financial disbursement against the project. if the physical progress data is linked with the
financial data it helps in making informed decisions and reduces reliance on anecdotal evidence for decision-
making. Feeding all the data into a central repository will ensure the compiled data is transferred to all and
the generation of need-based reports which are vital for tracking the progress of all the activities. as such the
information Clearing House (iNFOCH) established in Erra allowed donors to identify gaps and plan their
activities accordingly.
Sunset clause
Erra was established as a time and event specific organization with limited scope and mandate which could
either come to an end after the expiry of its term or could be subsumed in any other organization. regardless,
it was important to have a sunset clause for Erra so that all the work done and knowledge accumulated
could be transferred to others. the identification of the succeeding organization from the beginning helps in
a smooth transition from one organization to another through institutional linkages and overlap between the
two organisations for some period of time.
Pakistan Earthquake Management 9

12. civil-Military and Military to Military cooperation
the role of national and international militaries is well established in disaster response due to the comparative
advantage militaries have in areas including logistics, human resources and mobilization time. Pakistan had
huge cooperation from foreign militaries deployed by their respective governments to augment the available
response resources within the country to respond to the earthquake relief efforts. the humanitarian
community at times feels uncomfortable working with militaries but wherever they chose to work together
in the earthquake areas it brought about complementarity in the operations and expeditious delivery on
the ground. Establishing good civil-military coordination mechanisms and liaison processes enhances a more
effective and cohesive response.
donor coordination
Donors, immaterial of their size, are looking for stronger coordination with the government and to be led by
a focal agency. the lead government agency has to put in place adequate coordination mechanisms so that all
the donors and partners can be heard in order to achieve a cohesive effort. Formation of a dedicated donor
coordination cell and G-7 forum at Erra helped in facilitating coordination among the donors as well as
between the donors and the government. Within the G7 forum, major donors agreed to let each other lead
a particular sector based on their expertise, and to interact with the government in matters relating to those
sectors. For example, the World Bank was asked to lead the rural housing sector and all other donors assisted
and supported the World Bank in its dealing with the government. this also helped the government as it then
only had to deal with one big donor for a particular sector.
civil Society Support
it normally manifests in two ways: a horde of volunteers wanting to help; and, secondly, providing emergency
sustenance support by way of food, shelter, medical assistance etc. While this can be a valuable contribution,
the problem arises when they do not find a structured mechanism through which they can provide this
assistance to ensure it is properly directed and ‘captured’ to avoid duplication. in this regard, the nodal agency
must develop proper guidelines and through its communication strategy, make known what kind of assistance
is required and where. the District authorities must take it forward from there and ensure that the assistance
is not only captured in their databases but also directed to the place where it is needed most. all volunteers
must come logistically self-sufficient so as not to cause a burden on the district administration. they must be
able to work in line with their competence be it in camp management, health clinics, logistical hubs, bolstering
convoys/helipad security, distribution of relief goods and other activities.
Civil-Millitary woRkiNG pApeRs 10

13. coNcLUSIoN
these guidelines are by no means the last word and, as the focal agency proceeds, with its task, new lessons
will be learned. However, these provide a starting point for any organization to kick-start the process. these
have been distilled through a very exhaustive, deliberate and intensive experience of managing disasters and
should be able to prove their efficacy in handling major disasters.
Pakistan Earthquake Management 11