Other States - Uttaranchal   

Scientists told to tackle natural disaster menace

By Our Staff Correspondent

DEHRA DUN, DEC. 7. The Uttaranchal Chief Minister, Narain Dutt Tiwari, has called upon the scientific community to further strengthen their efforts in the field of disaster mitigation and management.

Opening a six-day workshop on disaster management at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology ( WIHG) here, Mr Tiwari wanted the scientists working in various organizations to make joint efforts to tackle the natural disaster menace in the Himalayas- especially in Uttaranchal.

The recent devastating earthquakes, repeated rock-falls, landslides and the recession of glaciers not only affect Uttaranchal but also the entire country and world ecology. " You must expeditiously devise ways to check these menaces sparked off by decades of human interference with nature and suggest ways to reduce the sufferings of the hill people", he said.

Describing the works initiated by the State Government in the field of disaster management, Mr Tiwari said a sum of Rs 10 crore had been allocated for the purpose. He had urged the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to set up a special Himalayan Ecology Fund so that the conservation of this fragile area could be done in a better way.

He urged the scientists to come up with real-time disaster management plans for Uttaranchal, which lay in a highly seismic zone.

The Chief Minister wanted the WIHG to play a vital role in the prediction and mitigation of natural disasters in the State. He wanted similar workshops to be organized in remote areas also so that the common man could actively participate and benefit from them. Also the proceedings and recommendations of such workshops should be made public in Hindi so that all could understand them.

The WIHG director, B R Arora, assured Mr Tiwari of the Institute's total cooperation in disaster mitigation studies.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Scientists told to tackle natural disaster menace

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu