The US Consulate and Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) in association with Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) organized a workshop called 'America with Kerala' here on Wednesday to come up with policy recommendations on disaster management.
"The goal of the workshop is to come up with policy recommendations on disaster management for the state on how to face disasters in a better and more effective way. We have brought in a few experts to share their experiences," said Cultural Affairs Officer in the US Consulate General in Chennai Moulik D Berkana.
"Together we can come up with a plan that will be more effective for India and the United States. These workshops can prove to be very helpful," Berkana said.
The bodies will formulate and share a policy document on disaster management with the state government and concerned authorities at the end of this workshop.
"The US consulate extended their support and expertise on the issue when the state government was looking for help from stakeholders on the issue. It is supported by the State Department of the US through the Consulate in Chennai," CPPR Chairman Dr D Dhanuraj said.
A workshop was also organised for local bodies like Gram Panchayat, district authorities and health department officials to train them on what they can do in case of a natural calamity.
"We have also developed a 40-hour-long course on disaster relief training that can be integrated into university studies," Dhanuraj said.
"This workshop focuses on urban mobility, energy, sanitation, land management and infrastructure for disaster management to learn about the aspects we can induct in policy and the institutional mechanism we can strengthen to avert or reduce the impact of disasters," he added.
The next phase of the workshop is scheduled to be held in Calicut in August this year on community involvement for disaster relief.
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