State level workshop

SHILLONG, NOV 24: A State Level Workshop on Public Private Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Adaptation organized by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), New Delhi in collaboration with the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), Meghalaya, was held today at Pinewood Hotel, Shillong. Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister, Prof RC Laloo graced the inaugural programme as Chief Guest.

Prof. R. C. Laloo in his inaugural address said that Public Private Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Adaptation is very relevant in today’s time where we are witnessing a rise not only in urbanization and industrialization but also in the number of disasters both man-made and natural. Though Meghalaya is not a highly industrialized State, we are definitely ambitious on this account and have a fair share of private medium and small scale industries spread all over the State, apart from the public industries, he added.

Stating that this medium paced rise of industrialization in the State needs to be partnered with appropriate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation activities so as to ensure that disasters does not impede industrial development and also industrial development does not lead to any disasters, Prof. Laloo said that Meghalaya has the opportunity of steering its industrial development in a manner that takes hazards, risks and vulnerability into account for the safety and continuity of not only the industrial plants but also the population, infrastructure and the environment that the industry is placed in.

Government-industry-community interface plays a major in off-site risk management and in responses during emergencies. Role of various services and subject experts ranging from geologists, meteorologists, hydrologists, GIS/ geography and land-use/regional planning, law  and jurisprudence, emergency and community medicine, socio-psychological and trauma care, communication, etc. can be accessed for resilience building activities. At the State level – State Disaster Management Authority, Department of Factories and Boilers/Industrial Health and Safety, Labour, Department of Health, Environment, Pollution Control, Police, Fire, Industry & Commerce etc., are directly responsible for disaster response and can play a major role in disaster prevention-mitigation and disaster response related organizations in the context of industrial disasters, he informed.

He hoped that this workshop will go a long way in encouraging and motivating the private sector for taking up disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation activities for sustainability and resilience building.

The objective of the workshop is to develop a better understanding of the need for risk sensitive investment planning in private sector to secure their assets and investment, promote business continuity planning in private sector industries and corporate houses in the events of disasters, facilitate partnership between private sector and State and city Authorities to promote DRR by ensuring CSR investment in disaster risk reduction activities, promote private sector to act as supporting pillar during disaster response to mitigate the impact and reduce the loss of life and property and to improve urban resilience by engaging public-private players through new business opportunities in disaster risk reduction.

Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya incharge Revenue & Disaster Management, Shri P. W. Ingty, Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Revenue & Disaster Management, Shri H. B. Marak, Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills District, Shri P. S. Dkhar, Executive Director, SDMA, Meghalaya, Smti I. Mawlong, Consultant, Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Adaptation, New Delhi, Shri S. Tandon and City Project Coordinator, UNDP, Shillong, Smti M. Mukherjee, among others was also present at the inaugural programme.

The inaugural programme was followed by a technical session on the topics, viz, “USAID-MHA-UNDP Project on Developing Resilient Cities through Risk Reduction in the Context of Disaster and Climate – An Overview”, “Role of Public and Private Sector Industries in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Meghalaya” and “Public Private Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation”.

By Our Reporter