The land subsidence in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath that displaced many people, and the role of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) after the Turkey earthquake, will be among the many disaster-related topics that will be discussed at the third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) conference to be held in Delhi from March 10-11.
The session whose main theme is ‘Building Local Resilience in a Changing Climate’ will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 10.
The session is aligned with the 10-point agenda promulgated by the Prime Minister to build local capacities, especially amid a rapidly changing disaster risk scenario in the wake of climate change. Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a ministerial session with State government Ministers.
Kamal Kishore, Member Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on March 6 that many stakeholders including private individuals will discuss the way forward for disaster management in the country.
“Due to climate change many new forms of disasters are being witnessed. We are are seeing drought and floods in places where they never used to occur. Cases of lightning have also increased. The focus of the sessions will be to take awareness about disaster management to the local level,” Mr. Kishore said.
He said around 1,500 persons are expected to attend the conference and in the past three months 19 pre-events have been organised across the country.
Responding to a question by The Hindu on whether Joshimath land subsidence will be discussed, Mr. Kishore said “all disaster-related issues will be discussed.” He added that one session is dedicated to analysing long-term mitigation measures for disasters such as landslides and the States will also share their experiences in handling such issues.
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Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said for the past two years, the Jal Shakti Ministry has taken several initiatives to improve the depleting water table in Punjab.
Atul Karwal, Director-General, NDRF said that Commandant Gurvinder Singh who led the operation in Turkey will be making a presentation at the conference. “There are two dimensions to it, one is what have we learned from international deployment and secondly what what needs to be implemented in the country,” he said. Hitesh Kumar Makwana, Additional Secretary, MHA, said Mr. Modi will deliver the inaugural speech on March 10.
A senior government official said the expert committee that was formed after locals in Joshimath complained of cracks and fissures at their homes and commercial spaces had suggested a complete halt on any kind of construction activity in the area.
According to preliminary findings, landslides and silting were the reasons for the disaster. “Only one-third of Joshimath was affected by the subsidence. Various bodies including private institutes are studying the issue to suggest a long-term solution,” said the official.
In January, Joshimath was declared a landslide-subsidence zone and more than 180 families were shifted to safe zones.
Published - March 06, 2023 08:25 pm IST
