Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh to work together to mitigate damage from disasters
MoUs to be signed to facilitate exchange & cooperation in various spheres
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Considering similar geographic conditions, natural features and disasters in mountainous States, Uttarakhand and its neighbouring State Himachal Pradesh have agreed to strengthen cooperation in disaster management. The two States will collaborate in the future based on lessons learnt from their experiences, innovations and work culture. This was decided during a visit of the additional chief secretary of Himachal Pradesh Kamlesh Kumar Pant to the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) here on Monday.
Disaster Management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman informed Pant in detail about works being undertaken in the spheres of disaster mitigation, preventive preparations, swift response, risk assessment and awareness in the State. Pant said that both Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are very vulnerable from the geographical aspects with disasters like landslides, cloudbursts, floods and earthquakes being recurrent features. Considering this, cooperation between the two States is vital to minimise the impact of disasters, he said. Pant further commended centres of excellence in the State like the Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre while expressing interest in replicating such institutions in Himachal Pradesh and requesting cooperation from Uttarakhand for such initiatives. He also spoke of deriving benefit from systems developed by Uttarakhand for mitigation and management of landslides. The importance of efficient communication and swift exchange of information during disaster scenarios was also discussed in the meeting. Citing the example of the DDRN system developed in Rudraprayag district, discussions were also held on the possibilities of implementing the system in other areas. The HP additional chief secretary also shared information about work being done in his State considering the rising risk of increasing number of glacial lakes in Himalayan regions. Suman stressed on the need for mutual cooperation for further strengthening the monitoring, early warning and risk minimisation solutions related to glacial lakes. Such cooperation can play a major role in minimising the impact of disasters in the future, he said.
The officials in the meeting also agreed upon Uttarakhand learning from Himachal Pradesh’s experience in construction of earthquake-resistant buildings in mountainous regions. Officials of both States acknowledged that encouraging secure and stable techniques can mitigate damage to a considerable extent. It was also decided that memoranda of understanding will be signed for formalising cooperation between the two States in various spheres to effectively exchange knowledge, technique, training and resources.
