Second India Disaster Management Congress begins today

The second India Disaster Management Congress will be held in New Delhi from tomorrow. The three day Congress is expected to bring together 1500 scientists, scholars and practitioners working on different aspects of disaster risk reduction and management from across the world. Each Thematic Session shall have a minimum of six paper presentations.

A number of issues pertaining to disaster risk reduction, management, emergency response and various cross cutting issues during disaster events will be the focus of discussion in this congress.

A total of 28 Technical/ Thematic Sessions are proposed to be organized in around 13 Thematic Clusters namely:

-   Geological disasters (Earthquake, Landslide and Avalanche),
-   Hydro Meteorological Disasters ( Flood, Cyclone, Drought),
-   Man Made Disasters ( Industrial and Chemical, Nuclear Emergencies & Road Accidents),
-   Science & Technology ( Early Warning and Disaster Communication, Geo-Information System),
-   Social and Economic Issues (Gender, children and Financing Disaster Management),
-   Disaster, Development and Governance (Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in Development and Involvement of   Communities,
-  Civil Society and NGOs in Disaster Management), Education, Training and Capacity Building for Disaster Management,
-  Disaster Response ( Role of Armed Forces, NDRF, Police and Civil Defense and Incident Command System),
-  Emergency Health Management ( Public Health Emergencies and Mass Causality Management,
-  Psycho-social Care and Pandemics),
-  Emerging Issues and Concerns ( Climate Change and Urban Risk Management),
-  Corporate Sector in Disaster Management,
-  Role of Media in Disaster Management and Post Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction: International Experiences and Best Practices.

The congress will have participants from various Government and Non-governmental, international organizations, research and academic institutions which are concerned with various issues related to disaster management. International experts have been invited as guest’s speaker from across the globe.

The valedictory session will be chaired by the former President of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The valedictory session will be an opportunity to highlight and bring to notice issues, challenges, shortcomings and opportunities and road map ahead in the field of disaster management.

The Congress is being organized by NIDM in collaboration with the Ministry of Home affairs, National Disaster Management Authority, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Development Programme, United States Agency for International Development, World Health Organization and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery.

The idea of holding the India Disaster Management Congress was conceived in order to provide a platform for interaction and integration of knowledge on various aspects of disaster risk reduction and management. The first India Disaster Management Congress was held at New Delhi in November 2006 which was the largest knowledge conference on disaster management ever held in this part of the world. More than 1200 delegates from all over the country attended it and 350 technical papers were presented. The First India Disaster Management Congress had 7 Thematic Clusters and 18 Thematic Sessions.