Intl meeting on disasters, mitigation strategies

Chennai, Jan 7: An International Roundtable Meeting of non-alignedand other developing countries will be held in Vellore tomorrow toshare experiences on lessons from natural disasters and discuss policyissues and mitigation strategies.

As many as 20 delegates from abroad, including from South Africa,Syria, Egypt, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, UAE, Mauritius, Brunei,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, will attend in the five-daymeeting.

The meeting is organised jointly by the Centre for DisasterMitigation and Management (CDMM) at the Vellore Institute of Technology(VIT) University, Vellore, and the Centre for Science and Technology ofthe Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries, New Delhi.

Addressing a press conference here, CDMM Chairman R K Bhandarisaid various country reports to be presented and discussed at themeeting would focus on developing culture of preparedness and safetythrough joint initiatives and lessons learned from some of thedeadliest of earthquakes, floods, cyclones, landslides and tsunamis.

The experts from different countries with diverse backgroundswould interact with one another to decode the messages that naturaldisasters reveal almost in every case, he added.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs S Regupathy wouldinaugurate the Roundtable Meeting, while National Disaster ManagementAuthority Member M Sashidhar Reddy and Mr Sri Woro Budiati Harijono, aformer Deputy Minister in Indonesia would be the Guests of Honour.

UNI