SKUAST-K holds brainstorming on disaster risk management

Srinagar, Dec 9: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir Saturday held a brainstorming session on disaster risk management at the Shalimar campus.

The brainstorming session was organised by SKUAST-K’s Division of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura under the World Bank-ICAR-funded National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) for the institutional development of SKUAST-K.

Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, who was the chief guest at the occasion, stressed the need to mitigate the negative impact of climate on agriculture. He said as the unseasonal rains, early snow and droughts have serious ramifications on the agri-economy and livelihoods of people, there is a need to have well-placed early warning systems.

Vice Chancellor, Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora, Prof Shakeel Ahmad Ramshoo, who was the guest of honour, delved in detail about the disaster vulnerabilities of the Kashmir region. He also highlighted the need for focused research on disaster management.

The one-day event also attracted experts like Dr Anand Kumar Sharma former ADG Meteorology New Delhi, Dr Jai Deep Mukharji, principal scientist IARI New Delhi, Dr Mohammad Sultan Bhat, Professor Department of Geography, University of Kashmir, and Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, head IMD Srinagar, besides, the university officers, field officers, KVK experts, agronomy scientists, students and research scholars in good. The disaster vulnerability of the Himalayan region was discussed threadbare and the need for an early warning system to alleviate the risks was also discussed. The impact on various sectors of the economy including agriculture, horticulture, tourism, urban planning and overall infrastructure development was highlighted and the need to have focused research on disaster management to develop accurate forewarning systems and evolve mitigation strategies was underlined by all the experts.

Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Rihana Habib Kanth, welcomed the participants and Prof Amal Saxena Head, Division of Agronomy, FoA Wadura proposed the vote of thanks.