Dimapur: The Nagaland government is working towards mainstreaming the concepts of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation into policymaking, planning and implementation.
Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) adviser Kazheto Kinimi said this while addressing the inaugural programme of the two-day workshop on strengthening community resilience to climate change and disaster risk in Kohima on Wednesday. The workshop is being organised by the NSDMA, in collaboration with InsuResilience Solutions (Frankfurt School of Finance and Management), Swiss Re and Tata AIG.
Kinimi said the process of measuring risk and resilience is a complex task, which requires detailed scientific analysis of risk and vulnerability of different areas. However, he said such studies will help in developing realistic strategies for disaster prevention and mitigation in the state.
He hoped that the workshop will help in understanding these issues better, help in coordination between various departments and strengthen community resilience to climate and disaster risks.
NSDMA joint chief executive officer Johnny Ruangmei said disaster is no longer a matter of if but a matter of when. He called upon all the government departments to make a frank assessment of their disaster management plan.
Also Read: Assam: Two killed in truck-tempo collision in Barpeta
Ruangmei stressed that all the line departments need to come together and think about what risk they can reduce.
He said the workshop aims to bring out a DRR plan for ecotourism that will make Nagaland the first state in India to have a disaster policy on ecotourism. It also aims to help understand Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ten-point agenda for disaster risk reduction, develop an understanding of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and work towards achieving sustainable development goal (SDG) for DRR, mainstream DRR component into a development programme of each line department and NGOs in responding to DRR.
Ruangmei urged each department to allocate a budget for disaster risk reduction for itself, which is provided under the 14th Finance Commission provision.
Also Read: APDCL dampens Assam CM’s paddy procurement dream in Morigaon
Eugen Doce from InsuResilience Solutions said its mission is to support innovative solutions to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. He added that the institute also works towards fostering the development of needs-based and financially sustainable climate risk insurance products in developing and emerging countries, increasing the resilience of poor and vulnerable households against extreme weather events and natural catastrophes.
“It is an important contribution of the German government-funded by the KfW Development Bank to achieve the target of the international initiative on climate risk insurance InsuResilience,” Doce said.
In the technical session on the first day of the workshop, insurance mechanisms against extreme weather events, challenges in the context of climate change and DRR in Nagaland, and policy praxis of disaster management were discussed.