Two-day meet to discuss Joshimath, lessons from Turkey on agenda

New Delhi: The centre is holding a two-day meet starting on Friday to discuss the land subsidence of Joshimath. Parts of the town have been sinking for no clear reason.

Subject experts, practitioners, academicians, and delegates will discuss cross-cutting issues on disaster risk reduction based on the 'Sendai Framework'. The 10-point agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be discussed.

The National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) is being organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).

Kamal Kishore, member secretary of the National Disaster Management Authority or NDMA, issues related to all sorts of rapidly changing disaster risks in the wake of climate change would be discussed. According to the union government, the "devbhoomi" is affected by over-construction or the obstruction of the natural flow of water, reported NDTV.

Kishore added that the focus of the meeting will be on capacity building. "Building resilience in changing climate is the theme this year. So, issues related to subsidence-hit zones in Uttarakhand and in Jammu Kashmir are on agenda."

Atul Karwal, Director-General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said lessons learnt from the Turkey earthquake and how to implement those lessons in Joshimath are also on the agenda. "Issues related to natural calamities would also be discussed. In fact, a separate session is being organised as to what lessons have been learnt from the Turkey earthquake."

A senior functionary in the Home Ministry said that all stakeholders would share knowledge, experiences, views, and ideas, and discuss the latest developments and trends in disaster risk reduction (DRR), identify gaps, make recommendations, and forge partnerships to further accelerate disaster risk reduction efforts. Around 1,500 officials are expected to participate. This includes state ministers, representatives of local bodies, heads of specialised disaster management agencies, academicians, representatives from private sector organisations, media, and civil society organisations.