Society should work to mitigate economic loss: UN

With economic losses from disaster increasing by the day, the United Nations wanted the society and community to work towards mitigation of such a problem.
"We want to work towards what community and society should do to mitigate economic losses," Margareta Wahlstorm, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, told reporters here.
Stating that the world was getting richer by the day, Margareta said the quantum of economic losses due to cyclone Phailin was much more than the super cyclone in 1999. "As the world is getting richer by the day, so also the economic impact due to disaster," she said.

The UN representative said in the past 20 years, the world has witnessed a number of catastrophe during which huge economic losses have been reported.
Stating that the issue would be discussed at the international conference on disaster mitigation in 2015, Margareta said the people living in disaster-prone localities should build houses to resist the calamity. "Quality of housing and location, what is acceptable, needs to be done to reduce economic losses due to disaster," she said.
She also said that climate change action plan needed to be in place in order to reduce the impact of calamity.
On the Odisha government's achievement in reducing the human casualty in cyclone Phailin, Margareta said: "We will highlight it (Odisha's actions).