Outbreak of disasters can be minimized only by proactive approach: Uttarakhand CM

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], March 22 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday inaugurated the "International Conference on Use of Modern Technology for Disaster Management" in Dehradun.

He said that the Himalayan states are extremely vulnerable from the point of view of disasters.

"Earthquakes, landslides, cloud bursts, forest fires etc natural calamities keep on happening here, due to which it is natural to cause huge loss of people and money. The only way to deal with these disasters is a proactive approach. The outbreak of disasters can be minimized only by a proactive approach," he said.

The Chief Minister said that along with disasters, earthquakes are a big threat to our state, to avoid such disasters, special attention has to be paid towards the use of modern technology for pre-disaster warnings.

He expressed hope that in this two-day conference, there would be an in-depth discussion on these subjects. He said that after the Kedarnath disaster in the year 2013, under the efficient leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the way the reconstruction works were carried out in Kedarnath on a war footing, Kedarpuri was not only reconstructed in a very short time but Baba Kedar's abode could be given even more panoramic and supernatural form.

"Taking lessons from the Kedarnath disaster and other disasters that occurred in the state after that, our disaster management department, with the help of its experiences and related orgzations, will be able to develop such a system by which we will be able to protect our state as well as other states in the coming times will be able to help during disasters," Dhami stated.

The Chief Minister said that apart from earthquakes, most of the disasters used to happen in the rainy season only, but in the last few years, disasters are coming in every season. In view of this, Dhami said the state needs special preparation to face disasters. With awareness and early warning, the damage caused by disasters can be greatly reduced. In October 2021, the Meteorological Department had warned in advance of heavy rains, due to which the possible damage could be reduced significantly, he emphasised.

The Chief Minister said that whatever conclusions will emerge in this workshop, they will be able to be imbibed not only at the level of theory, but also at the practical level, and can be easily implemented on the ground at the time of natural calamities in the Himalayan states.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Dhami also inquired about the situation in the state from the Secretary, Disaster Management, Ranjit Kumar Sinha in view of the late evening earthquake on Tuesday.

Dhami instructed the Secretary, Disaster Management, to inform him about the situation after getting information from all the districts and to exercise vigilance.

Earthquake tremors were felt in several parts of North India on late Tuesday evening.