TERI calls for joint relief, rescue system in Himalayan nations

In the wake of another major earthquake that jolted Nepal with tremors hitting parts of India on Tuesday, environment think-tank TERI urged Himalayan nations to forge a joint response system for relief and rescue operations.

The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI)'s director general (acting) Leena Srivastava said: "In view of the continued instability of the Himalayan region and the concerns in the scientific community of an impending unprecedented earthquake, the countries of this region need to immediately evolve a joint and coordinated response strategy and a mechanism for delivering relief to the affected areas."

As a first step, TERI said the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation Agreement on Rapid Response to Disasters, which was first approved in 2012, must be "ratified for implementation".

Srivastava said TERI has also set up a fund that will be matched by the 'Lighting a Billion Lives Campaign'. Its employees will contribute to the monetary pool.

As its first trench, the TERI would send 1,000 solar lanterns to affected communities, Srivastava said in a statement.