Islamabad: Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Amjad Hussain visited the headquarters of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Islamabad on Monday, where he was received by NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik along with other senior officials.
During the visit, the NDMA Chairman briefed the Chief Minister in detail on the authority’s ongoing initiatives and projects aimed at reducing disaster risks, enhancing preparedness, and ensuring effective emergency response across Pakistan, with particular focus on Gilgit-Baltistan.
The Chairman explained that advanced scientific and technological systems are being deployed to issue timely early warnings in disaster-prone areas, and that immediate relief and rehabilitation operations are carried out in close coordination with relevant institutions following any natural disaster.
He further informed the Chief Minister that Gilgit-Baltistan’s glaciers are being continuously monitored using modern scientific methods, with each glacier assigned a unique identification code to enable effective tracking of its movement, size, and potential hazards.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Amjad Hussain appreciated the efforts of the NDMA Chairman and his team, thanking the authority for its continued support to Gilgit-Baltistan.
The Chief Minister said the glaciers of Gilgit-Baltistan represent Pakistan’s largest natural freshwater reserve, making their protection, monitoring, and sustainable management a national priority. He praised NDMA’s automation, scientific monitoring, and technology-driven systems, expressing confidence that these measures would further strengthen the region’s capacity to cope with natural disasters.
He stated that the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan would deepen its institutional cooperation and coordination with NDMA to adopt a more effective, collaborative strategy for disaster risk management.
The Chief Minister emphasized that the impacts of climate change are now an undeniable reality, with Gilgit-Baltistan among the regions most severely affected. He noted that the risks of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), flash floods, and landslides are steadily increasing, and stressed that climate change must be given priority at every national forum. He called on the federal and provincial governments, along with all relevant stakeholders, to work in close coordination to safeguard communities, infrastructure, and natural resources through comprehensive, joint efforts.