Nadma to develop national risk register

A National Risk Register (NRR) will be developed to provide an assessment of disaster management and its risks and impacts on the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the NRR would be developed by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma). 

She said the NRR can be used as an instrument in the decision-making process in development projects, disaster mitigation programmes and rescue operations.

“We want to know the impact or risk of a disaster. Through the NRR document, we will use it as an instrument in the decision-making process, and we will also strengthen the National Disaster Control Center, which are among strategies to empower Nadma as a disaster reference centre,” she said in an interview with Bernama and RTM at her office in Putrajaya recently.

She said the register would include information on disaster recovery trends, population and economic activities that are at risk, such as chemical plants, to see the impact, should a disaster hit the affected area.

Dr Wan Azizah, who is also the minister responsible for Nadma, said the agency has outlined eight more focus areas to be implemented this year, including disaster risk reduction, as the thrust of the country’s development.

She said the government would ensure disaster-related policies were taken into account in the formulation of the country’s policies, such as the 12th Malaysian Plan and at ministry and department levels.

Nadma would also focus on coordinating low-cost and high-impact prevention and mitigation projects with the cooperation of government agencies at all levels, she added.

Apart from that, she said, Nadma would also focus on integrating science and technology in disaster management; strengthening the Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue (Smart); ensuring inclusive disaster management by taking into account those with special needs; community empowerment in disaster management; strengthening logistics management and increasing its relevance at international level.

The deputy prime minister also touched on the use of drones by the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM), which she said is a rescue aid in disaster management and its use would be expanded throughout the country.

So far, only three states, namely Perak, Johor and Penang, had two drones each, she added.

“The drones can be used, for example, for rescue operation at sea, where the drones can be used to send life jackets to the victims,” she said, adding that the drones could lift weight of five to 25kg.

Dr Wan Azizah also said the construction of the Southern Regional Civil Defence Training Centre would be ready and it would be handed over to APM in April.

The APM courses this year will also involve other countries, such as Qatar, Jordan, Bosnia and Pakistan, which are members of the International Civil Defence Organisation, she added. — Bernama