Bihar signs MoU with Bangkok firm for disaster risk reduction

As part of programmes to implement the Roadmap for Disaster Risk Reduction in Bihar (2015-30), the state government today signed an MoU with Bangkok-based Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC).
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said this MoU will help reduce disaster risk management in the state.
Bihar often faces disasters like flood, drought and earthquake.
As per provisions of the MoU, the ADPC will provide technical assistance to the state government to implement the Roadmap for Disaster Risk Reduction in Bihar (2015-30), which was approved by the Cabinet in March.
One of the targets of the roadmap is cutting down the loss of human lives in natural disasters by 75 per cent within 2030 in comparison to the current data.

The MoU was signed by the ADPC Executive Director Jingjai Hanchanlash and state Disaster Management Department Principal Secretary Vyasji.

Speaking on the occasion, Kumar said the groundwater level has gone down drastically in the state as Bihar received normal rainfall in only two years since 2005 because of climate change.
But, despite such irregular rainfall, Bihar has been afflicted by floods due to discharge of water from rivers in Nepal, he said and recalled the Koshi tragedy of 2008 which caused large scale loss of lives and damage to properties.
He said the state also faced spectre of natural calamity like earthquake with the region falling under the seismic zone four and five.

In addition, Bihar witnessed severe heat wave this summer with the maximum temperature rising to 44-45 degree Celsius in April due to which fire incidents increased and human lives and properties were lost, he said.
The heat wave-led fire incidents became so frequent that the state government had to issue advisory to the people to cook meals at home and complete religious rituals like 'havan' by 9 AM before onset of heatwave later in the day, Kumar said adding the advisory also asked people to store buckets of water at home to douse fire.
The Chief Minister also expressed concern at increased incidents of lightning strike, which claimed lives of 56 persons in different parts of the state on a single day in June.

All these calamities prompted the state government to put in place a standard operating procedure so that impact of such disasters could be minimised, he said.