CM inaugurates 6th World Congress on Disaster Management in Doon
By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 28 Nov: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the 6th World Congress on Disaster Management at the Graphic Era University Convention Hall, here, today. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also released a book, titled ‘Resilient India’, based on the experience of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CM stated that a request would be made to the Centre to set up a National Disaster Management Institute in Uttarakhand. For this land would be made available by the state government and other requirements as desired by the Centre would also be fulfilled by the state government.
Dhami said that special provisions will be made for the disabled and women to face the challenges of disaster. Disaster management courses would be included in universities and educational institutions of the state and workshops also regularly organised.
Experts, researchers and scientists from more than 51 countries are participating in this conference being held from 28 November to 1 December, at which more than 60 technical sessions will be organised.
CM Dhami welcomed all the guests from India and abroad to the Sixth World Congress on Disaster Management (WCDM) and said that Uttarakhand has been the birthplace of research, spiritual practice, knowledge and science since ancient times. From Adi Guru Shankaracharya, Guru Nanak Dev, Swami Vivekananda to Rabindra Nath Tagore, a large number of visionaries of the bygone era visited the Himalayas, especially Uttarakhand, during the course of their spiritual journey. He said that this disaster management global conference is important in view of the current situation in the world. Uttarakhand is extremely sensitive to natural disasters. The solution to deal with natural disasters is a proactive approach. Integrated response to natural disasters can reduce damage and loss of life. He said that all the Himalayan states have to face the challenges of natural disasters. The need of the hour is to share the studies, research and experiences happening at the global level in this regard, he asserted.
The CM added that, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, special attention is being paid to meet the requirements like medical facilities, strong communication system, all-weather roads, construction of heliports and urban planning in the state. Now there is a stronger commitment to deal with the disasters. He said that natural disasters cannot be stopped, but their effects can definitely be reduced by implementing strategies and systems. With better coordination of ecology, economy and technology, a better management system to fight natural disasters can be developed. He also stressed on optimal use of the natural resources instead of over exploiting these as the need of the hour is nature conservation.
Dhami added that the primary objective of this conference is to discuss and address the challenges of climate change and disaster resilience with a focus on the Himalayan ecosystem and communities. Through this event, a special message in the form of “Dehradun Declaration” would be broadcast from Uttarakhand across the world highlighting the responsibilities of human society towards nature and its importance in disaster management. He expressed the hope that this declaration would prove to be an important document in future for the mountainous areas and the entire world from the point of view of disaster management.
Earlier, DG UCOST, Prof Durgesh Pant gave an outline of the conference. He informed the gathering that over 60 technical and plenary sessions will be held to discuss various issues pertaining to disaster management and a large number of research papers will also be presented. He revealed that this global conference is being held at the initiative of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Environment activist and Padma Bhushan awardee Dr Anil Prakash Joshi also addressed the conference on the occasion and said that development and disaster management need to be taken forward together. He said he is not against development because that would affect the poor and underprivileged in the hills and the villages.
The Uttarakhand government is diligently working to achieve its economic development goals in harmony with the ecology balance, said Chief Secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.
Sandhu said it would be wrong to say that development brings landslides even though landslides do happen due to natural reasons.
“We have experienced an increasing incidence of climate change impact in the past few decades,” said Ranjit Kumar Sinha, Uttarakhand’s Secretary in charge of disaster management and rehabilitation.
“There is a need to learn from our collective experiences, what has worked well and what has not, and protect ourselves in our collective journey into a safe and resilient future,” Sinha added.
Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (Retd), the Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, floated the idea of natural disaster insurance and automated disaster warning alerts in natural calamity-prone areas.
Additional Chief Secretary Radha Raturi, Executive Director, NIDM, Rajendra Ratnu, President, Graphic Era University, Prof Kamal Ghanshala, President, WCDMA, Dr Anand Babu were also present on the occasion.
Graphic Era Group of Institutions’ Chairman Dr Kamal Ghanshala expressed gratitude towards the State Government and said that tunnel collapse in Silkyara would play an important role globally from the scientific point of view. In the coming times, this would be seen as a successful campaign.
Earlier, Dr Kamal Ghanshala and Rakhi Ghanshala, Vice Chairperson of Graphic Era Group of Institutions, welcomed Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
WCDM – Day 1
Food For Thought
By Ratnajyoti Dutta
Dehradun, 28 Nov: Food for thought came up at the inaugural session on the first day of the Sixth edition of the World Congress on Disaster Management (WCDM), here, today.
Not many people gathered at the event knew that the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand has 72% of its land area under forest cover.
The state is ecologically rich but faces challenges in economic development.
The issues of economic development often come in conflict with the topic of sustainable development upholding ecological balance.
Not many are aware that the large forest coverage of the state helps retard the issues related to global warming.
It has often been found that Uttarakhand is upholding ecological considerations over its economic developmental goals.
“There is a huge cost of maintaining 72% forest cover for the state,” said Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Uttarakhand’s Chief Secretary, on the first day of WCDM.
Sandhu said the state should be rewarded for promoting ecological balance at the cost of economic development.
“Will somebody compensate the cost that Uttarakhand pays for maintaining its forest cover,” asked the Chief Secretary to the audience at the Silver Jubilee Convention Hall of Graphic Era University where the inaugural session of WCDM took place.
The mega programme on disaster management got into a flying start with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurating the programme in the presence of a host of dignitaries including Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, the Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and renowned environmentalist Anil Prakash Joshi.
Dhami urged the global disaster experts to develop a comprehensive disaster management mechanism to better face natural calamities like cloudbursts, landslides and earthquakes in the coming days.
