Islamabad: UN-Habitat held a meeting of specialists to create guidelines for bolstering schools against earthquakes in vulnerable regions of Pakistan. The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) brought together representatives from various governmental bodies like the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), along with UN agencies, NGOs, community groups, and engineering experts. The objective is to create actionable guidelines that assist professionals in assessing at-risk school structures, employing efficient strengthening techniques, and tackling operational hurdles during implementation.

Hamid Mumtaz Khan, Deputy Programme Manager at UN-Habitat Pakistan, discussed insights from the Disaster-Resilient School Infrastructure (DRSI) project. Funded by JICA, this initiative reinforced 150 schools and 300 WASH facilities across eight districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He highlighted the resilience of these upgraded schools during recent moderate tremors and floods, showcasing the value of sound design and building practices.

Lead technical consultant, Jitendra Kumar Bothara, explained the focus of the guidelines: identifying and prioritizing at-risk schools, devising efficient strengthening tactics, and enhancing implementation effectiveness.

Attendees stressed the long-standing challenge posed by the lack of a standardized approach for evaluating and ranking vulnerable educational institutions. These new guidelines will aim to resolve this issue by presenting straightforward assessment procedures, practical reinforcement solutions, and field-tested best practices. This comprehensive approach will contribute to enhanced safety in schools throughout Pakistan.