HP first Himalayan state to have atlas for disaster management

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said Himachal Pradesh was the first state in the Himalayan region to have a Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (HVRA) Atlas.
"A paradigm shift has been made in disaster management. From classical relief centric to the holistic approach. Managing disasters is necessarily a collaborative and complex exercise warranting integration of disaster risk reduction strategies with involvement of local communities," Singh said presiding at the State Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction.
"Himachal Pradesh falls in seismic five zone, most vulnerable to earthquakes and natural and man-made disasters. There is a need to foster and enable an environment for developing a culture of prevention and undertake concerted measures to facilitate the integration of disaster management into development planning," the CM said.

"Disasters can strike any time. We should be ready to face these as and when they occur. It is imperative various government departments and stakeholders evolve a participatory process of decision making in disaster management and mitigation," said Singh, releasing the 2017 HPSDMA calendar.
The calendar's key features will aware Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies(ULB) on disaster management.
Singh stressed PRIs, ULBs and NGOs can supplement the government's efforts to handle disasters and reduce its impact.

"The objective of this platform is to anchor the knowledge of research technologies, innovations and best practises to provide greater interaction and interface among various disciplines of disasters management," said Himachal Pradesh Revenue minister Kaul Singh Thakur.

He said, "I hope stakeholders across HP and representatives from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Swiss Development Corporation, UNDP, SEEDS India will share experiences and debate issues related challenges and future plans."
Member NDMA, Lt General (Retd) NC Marwah shared plans to mitigate disasters and measures for better implementation of Sendai Framework.