Minister of Defence and National Security, Adam Shareef Umar has stated that airports must be prepared to assist the public of any disaster that may take place. The Defence Minister made the statement at the inauguration ceremony of Maldives Get-Airports-Ready for Disaster (GARD) Workshop held at Velana International Airport.
Velana International Airport play a critical role in channeling humanitarian teams and relief goods quickly in the immediate aftermath of a disaster caused by natural hazards like floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, cyclones, Defence Minister Adam Shareef said during his speech at the opening of the workshop. The Defence Minister said it is important to have necessary airport infrastructure and local transport connections to smoothly deliver lifesaving support to impacted communities and that the team on site needs to be trained in the necessary protocols and know-how to handle the dramatic rise in air traffic and flow of goods and people that typically follows a natural disaster. A workshop such as GARD is a major step taken on disaster prevention and mitigation, Minister added.
Speaking at the ceremony, Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company Limited, Adil Moosa agreed on the importance for the airports to be prepared. Effectively channeling relief efforts from airports to affected communities require appropriate infrastructural capabilities and efficient administrative procedures, Adil said. MACL is committed to working together with all emergency counterparts to follow up on implementation and further strengthening the resilience, he assured.
At the function held to inaugurate the workshop, Resident Representative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Maldives, Shoko Noda noted that airports can play an important role in the resilience of a country to potential natural disasters and are critical to its emergency response capability. Shoko Noda, who is also the Resident Coordinator of United Nations in Maldives expressed that airports played a vital role in the transportation and aid services in the 2014 Water Crisis and 2004 Tsunami Disaster. Impact of 2004 tsunami showed the extent of damage that can be caused by a disaster, and the need to react quickly to contain additional losses, Shoko Noda added. The workshop is an opportunity to develop strong and effective contingency plans to manage the flow of emergency relief goods to the people in need and expressed hope that GARD will assist in the ongoing efforts of UNDP to support the Maldivian government to prepare for future disasters, she said.
Director of Humanitarian Affairs and Lead Trainer of GARD, Chris Weeks emphasized on the importance of a clear and flexible action plan that can help airport operators to minimize logistics bottlenecks. He noted that Maldives is very dependent of airports in times of water crisis and other natural crises and added that one needs to be prepared in times of a disaster to decrease the negative impact on the economy of the country.
Over 35 officials and experts from the Maldivian airport authorities, government ministries, the armed forces and other humanitarian responders will participate in the four-day GARD workshop, led by specialists from Deutsche Post DHL Group and UNDP. During the workshop, the participants and trainers will assess and evaluate the current level of preparedness at the airports, conduct training exercises, and develop specific recommendations and an action plan to ensure that the airports in the Maldives are prepared for future disasters. Deutsche Post DHL Group and UNDP will support the Maldives authorities to build resilience against future natural disasters.