COUNCILLORS want to establish a national emergency relief centre in Bahrain.
The proposal, tabled by the Southern Municipal Council, aims to co-ordinate humanitarian support in times of crisis.
Bahrain already has a National Disaster Management Committee, which prepares the country’s emergency services for major incidents and draws up contingency plans.
However, councillors argue a body is also needed to co-ordinate the aid response for those affected.
Services
“It will ensure that emergency relief services are provided at once by all of those concerned, according to their specialities, whether it is a fire, heavy rain or any other emergency that requires multiple interventions,” said councillor Eman Al Gallaf, who first proposed the idea.
The Southern Municipal Council has now asked the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry to allocate land for the project.
It also wants the ministry to liaise with other government organisations that would be involved in the relief work.
Ms Al Gallaf, chairwoman of the council’s services and public utilities committee, said the centre would help streamline the humanitarian response to an emergency by unifying the work of various public agencies.
“I believe this centre would ensure more protection for lives and property,” she added.
“It will also reduce the burden on government departments, since plans would be drawn up for each scenario and all would be made aware of what to do in each case.”
She added the centre could also respond to non-emergency cases, such as electricity cuts, and pointed to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre as an example to follow.
That centre, established in 2015, also provides humanitarian assistance overseas.
“It would not necessarily have the same scope of work as the Saudi centre, but we could learn from its experience,” she said.
The GDN reported in June that the National Disaster Management Committee had already identified 20 locations as disaster relief shelters, which could house people in the event of an emergency.
It has also drawn up strategies to ensure water, medicine and food supplies are not disrupted.
However, Southern Municipal Council chairman Bader Al Tamimi said the establishment of a dedicated crisis relief centre could be a significant step forward.
“The emergency relief centre project is futuristic and would make a huge difference for Bahrain 20 years from now,” he said.
The project, which was unanimously approved by the council, has been referred to the Cabinet for review.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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