Srinagar: Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) and RMSI Private Limited today organized a day long workshop on Multi Hazard Risk Assessment for Jammu and Kashmir at SKICC here.
The speakers emphasized the need to increase public awareness about disaster mitigation besides increasing their capacity to respond promptly and effectively to a crisis or emergency.
The workshop was attended by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole, Chief Executive Officer, JKERA/JTFRP, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz, DIG Central Kashmir, Sujit Kumar, Deputy Commissioners of various districts and heads of other departments while Secretary DMRRR Nazim Zai Khan, Deepak Singh from World Bank and other officers participated online.
The workshop brought together participants from disaster management authorities, ERA, Irrigation and Flood Control, Kashmir University, National Institute of Technology Srinagar, Police, Fire and Emergency and other allied departments on a single platform so that a coordinated mechanism is evolved to reduce the social and economic fallouts of a disaster. It further focused on an enhanced cooperation and sharing of best practices among the disaster management agencies and experts in the region for better utilization of mitigation planning strategy in disaster management.
While delivering the inaugural address, Chief Executive Officer, Economic Reconstruction Agency, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah said that JK is a multi disaster prone area and the aim of the workshop is to generate awareness about the ways to minimize the social and economic impacts of a disaster.
He said that the purpose of the workshop is to change the mindset from relief, rescue, and rehabilitation to preparation, prevention and mitigation. He said that the government aims to turn the focus from post disaster management to pre disaster risk mitigation to prevent loss of lives and minimize the economic impacts of a disaster.
Emphasizing the need for mainstreaming this discourse, he said that community has to be taken onboard for coordinated efforts and there is a need for mainstreaming the disaster mitigation efforts. He said that JK being vulnerable to multiple natural hazards, the Government of J&K is taking several initiatives to improve the disaster risk resilience of the UT like updating the building codes, urban flood management and mathematical survey of Jhelum and Tawi rivers. He said that the drainage system has been augmented and 49 dewatering stations in Srinagar have been upgraded.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole said that there is a need for coordination among all departments and increasing interactions in schools.
He further said that JTFRP has taken a comprehensive view of all the natural disasters in J&K that would be vital to strengthening Disaster preparedness and mitigation in J&K.
