The participants in a workshop on Monday stressed the need for taking integrated steps for effective disaster management and lessening the losses caused by natural calamities.
Rupantar, a Khulna-based organisation, in cooperation with Oxfam arranged the workshop titled

DERGAON, July 29

The Government has taken special moves with the assistance of UNDP to mitigate the floods and landslides in various parts of the country including Ratnapura, Nuwara-Eliya, Badulla, Kandy, Kalutara, Colombo and Gampaha Districts owing to the rains, Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.

Disaster management has assumed unprecedented importance these days with the realisation that the destructive impact of any disaster can be mitigated to a great extent if the necessary preparedness is there. While it is impossible to stop the occurrence of natural disasters like earthquake or tsunami or even floods, the resultant loss can be minimised if we initiate adequate measures before, during and after the calamity.

The Disaster Management Cell of the Kamrup (M) district organised a daylong workshop on disaster management for the corporate officials of Guwahati here recently.

The workshop, organised for the first time for corporate houses, was inaugurated by VK Pipersania, Principal Secretary, Revenue & DM Department. He laid stress on basic knowledge of disaster management to corporate houses, especially in a city like Guwahati, which comes under the most vulnerable zone for earthquake.

N Hazatika, State Programme Officer, DRM was also present on the occasion.

PANJIM, JULY 22

The Ministry of Water Resources has provided a Budget outlay of Rs 649 crore for

The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) has established the first ever Disaster Risk Reduction Management Cell here on Friday.

District Coordinator Officer (DCO) Israr Khan inaugurated the cell during a ceremony. Speaking on the occasion he appreciated establishment of the cell and said that after the October 8, 2005 earthquake, it was need of the hour to train people to cope with natural calamities.

The DCO said that Mansehra was a high-risk district where floods and landsliding were common following the devastating earthquake.

North East India Committee on Relief and Development (NEICORD), an organisation working for relief and development in the north eastern region, recently inaugurated a raised flood shelter on the July 10 constructed for the community of Daokabaha village in Chirang district. NEICORD has been working in this district for the last two and half years focusing on disaster risk reduction at the grass root level.

Severe drought in California CALIFORNIA governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared emergency in nine Central Valley counties experiencing severe drought. Agriculture in San Joaquin Valley, under emergency, constitutes a us $20 billion industry. It is experiencing its worst drought in 88 years.