Pol leaders,scientists need to join hands to combat disasters:

Political leadership, community partnership and scientists should join hands to face the real-time challenges during natural disasters, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said today.

Addressing the 1st Asian Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction, Rijiju said India is now in a better position to carry forward the mission of developing a comprehensive roadmap on regional framework for disaster risk reduction for mutual benefit of Asian countries.

"While political leadership and community partnerships are required for the successful implementation of effective, science-informed initiatives, the research community has a responsibility to formulate applicable methodologies and tools that respond to real-world challenges," he said.
 

The Union Minister of State for Home said there is a need to shift focus from disaster management to disaster risk management for which national and international partnerships and networks can ensure the dissemination and sharing of good practice and scientific findings.

"In the backdrop of the disaster risk profile of the Asian countries, the necessity to discuss specific aspects in multilateral coordination such as establishment of clear channels of communication for international assistance, creation of a database of Disaster Response capabilities for rapid deployment and pre-positioning of material to shorten response time etc., stands well established.

"The case studies and lessons learnt during the recent disasters highlight the need for further sharing our experience and expertise in the field of Disaster Management. Further, notwithstanding the efforts in the past, several gray areas have emerged during our deliberations which need to be further discussed in future events and fine-tuned for timely response in eventuality of disasters," he said.