PADF Signs Earthquake
Relief MoU with PAGS
By Hazem Kira
Irshad
Rana |
Newark, CA: Pakistan American
Democratic Forum (PADF), a nationwide grassroots civic organization
for social development, community building and leadership
training, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration
with the Pakistan Academy of Geological Sciences (PAGS) to
carry out relief work and literacy enhancement for earthquake
prediction and hazard mitigation.
The two organizations will seek to bring about organized transfer
of the latest earthquake related knowledge. California is
the epicenter of earthquake research in the USA. Stanford
University, University of California, Berkeley, US Geological
Survey, Palo Alto and the Park City, California, are the centers
where cutting edge earthquake research is underway. PADF will
contact these institutions and obtain publicly available electronic
or hard copies of research material and convey the information
to CEPHAM in an organized and directly usable format.
“This MOU will help fill an important knowledge gap
and could potentially save Pakistan millions of dollars in
consultation fees with expensive internationally agencies,”
says Irshad Rana, the PADF International Coordinator and former
consultant with United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
“It will also help alleviate human suffering by expediting
the reconstruction process and inculcating public consciousness
toward earthquake safety and prevention.”
One of the primary aims of PADF in this effort is to develop
long-term support structure for the reconstruction leading
to the rehabilitation of the earthquake survivors and also
help create conditions conducive to earthquake hazards awareness
and measures to mitigate the consequences of such natural
disasters in the future.
Similarly, PAGS has formed a Commission (CEPHAM – Commission
on Earthquake Prediction and Hazards Mitigation) to study
and promote the arts/sciences of earthquakes in Pakistan with
the goals of earthquakes prediction and hazard mitigation.
This Pakistani NGO (PAGS) is an apex learned body of the Geological
Sciences and duly recognized by the government of Pakistan
and the International Union of Geological Sciences. CEPHAM
is headed by Mr. Muhammad Ali Mirza, former Director-General
Geological Survey of Pakistan.
The collaboration will be carried out in the following ways:
? Post-electronic files containing the relevant research literature
on PADF website dedicated for the Kashmir Earthquake relief
work, namely: voiceofpakistan.net. Among the categories on
the website, one will be dedicated to the postings of earthquake
science/engineering related subjects
? PADF will solicit subject matter experts in the US to write
articles/papers on the latest earthquake research/ideas and
post the same on the PADF website under the International
Journal of Pakistan Studies; www.ijops.org
? PADF will attempt to collect information specifically requested
by the staff of CEPHAM and send the same to Pakistan via website
or mail
? PADF may organize contacts between the visiting Pakistani
subject matter experts and CEPHAM to promote the growth of
earthquake knowledge in Pakistan
? PADF and CEPHAM may co-sponsor international conferences
in Pakistan to promote earthquakes knowledge and the exchange
of ideas between scholars, engineers and scientists
? PADF may sponsor the exchange visits of scientists, engineers
and technicians in order to promote earthquakes knowledge
for the benefit of hazard prone areas of Pakistan. This may
include the on-site visits of construction experts for the
purpose of inspecting and advising on the reconstruction efforts
in the devastated Kashmir and NWFP
Those wishing to help with this project should contact Mr.
Irshad Rana at (510) 979 – 0416.
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