Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Nov 18: A 2-day national seminar on “Retrospective and Prospective of 2014 Kashmir Floods for Building Flood Resilient Kashmir” was organized jointly by the Dept. of Earth Sciences, Kashmir University and Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR).
The experts discussed threadbare various aspects of the Kashmir floods. Seminar proceedings specifically focused on – genesis and magnitude of 2014 extreme flood, key issues related to recent Kashmir floods and future planning for flood risk reduction in the Jhelum basin.
The key technical, social, economical and institutional issues related to the recent flooding phenomena were identified and the participants of the seminar suggested a set of recommendations for addressing these key issues in order to reduce the risk of the people to flooding in future.
Considering the fact that the development of flood control infrastructure for absolute protection from extreme flooding is a time taking process, the experts suggested phasing the intervention priorities to reduce the risk of the people and property to floods. The experts suggested that there is an immediate need to develop a comprehensive scientific understanding of the causes and consequences of the recent extreme flooding in Jhelum basin. The participants deliberated threadbare on what needs to be done next in order to minimize the disastrous consequences of the extreme weather events in the mountainous Himalayan state, if and when, such an eventuality arises in future again.
About 45 invited participants drawn from various Central and State Government agencies, academia and civil society attended the seminar. Muzaffar Ahmad, Member, National Disaster Management Authority, A. B. Pandiya, Chairman-Central Water Commission, Wajahat Habibullah, Chairman National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Principal Secretary, Irrigation and Flood Control, Prof. Shakil Romshoo, HOD, Earth Sciences, KU, Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Dy. Director, National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, Dr. G. Srinivasa, Head, Disaster Management, ISRO, Hyderabad, Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Head, Water Resources Div. National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, Sushobha Barve, Executive Director, Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation and a score of the Heads of the Department from State and Central Government agencies and a few prominent members of the civil society attended the seminar.
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