Prime Minister Narendra Momdi stressed the need to evolve local models of housing and town planning as per new technologies. “Enriching local technology and material with the new technology is the need of the hour. When we link the examples of local resilience with future technology, only then we will be able to do better in the direction of disaster resilience”, he added.
Inaugurating the 3rd Session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) in New Delhi, he underlined that the lifestyle of yesteryears was very comfortable and it was experience that taught us how to deal with natural calamities of drought, flood and incessant rain.
Modi said that the theme of event “Building Local Resilience in a Changing Climate” is familiar for Indian tradition as this element is clearly visible in the wells, architecture, and old cities. He said, In India, the system, solutions and strategy of disaster management has always been local.
He pointed out that it was natural for previous governments to place disaster relief with the agricultural department. He recalled that when natural calamities like earthquakes struck, it was dealt at the local level with the help of local resources.
However, the Prime Minister said, it is a small world that we live in today where learning from experiences and experiments of one another has become a norm. On the other hand, he also noted that the outbreak of natural calamities have also increased in number.
Drawing the analogy to the single physician in a village who would treat everyone, the Prime Minister shed light on the fact that we have specialist doctors for every ailment in today’s day and age.
Similarly, the Prime Minister stressed the need to develop a dynamic system to deal with natural calamities. He highlighted that by studying natural calamities of the past century, an accurate assumption can be made while also stressing on revising these methods in due time, be it material or system.
