Workshop on International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction organised at IUST

Awantipora, Oct 14: To mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) held a day-long workshop on Monday.

The workshop was organised by the Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction, IUST, and sponsored by the Department of Disaster Management Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR), Government of Jammu and Kashmir.

The event, titled "Empowering the Next Generation for a Resilient Future," featured inaugural, poster, and technical sessions. The inaugural session began with a screening of a short film on disaster management produced by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (DJMC), highlighting disaster risks and preparedness.

In his presidential address, Prof Shakil A. Romshoo, Vice Chancellor of IUST, emphasized the vulnerabilities related to disasters and the need to devise mitigation strategies, integrating them into course curricula from the school level onward. He reaffirmed IUST’s commitment to knowledge generation, dissemination, and contribution to policy formulation.

Prof. Bishal Nath Upreti, President of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management and chief guest on the occasion, shared a four-pronged strategy to mitigate disaster risk. “These include having a clear understanding of disasters, improving governance, investing in disaster preparedness, and enhancing response mechanisms,” he said. He added that every year, tens of thousands of people die because of cyclones. “Disasters are not going to stop, but we need to work on our disaster preparedness,” he stated.

The guest of honor, Snober Jameel, Under Secretary of DMRRR, Government of J&K, highlighted the need to generate awareness among youth to build a resilient future and prepare them to face any disaster. While praising IUST for organising the workshop, she remarked that this is a platform for everyone to “share our knowledge and learn from the experts.”

Prof. Shakeel Ahmed, Visiting Professor at IUST, noted that while it is not possible to completely eliminate disasters, “we can always minimize the risk by building skills for disaster management.” Earlier, Dr. Irfan Maqbool Bhat welcomed the guests and stated that the workshop should help create knowledge that will ensure a safer future for the people of J&K.

The proceedings of the inaugural session were conducted by Dr Heeba Din, Assistant Professor at DJMC.

Later, a poster presentation session was held, followed by two technical sessions on earthquake hazards and GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) hazards, where leading experts from J&K and other parts of India shared valuable insights on strategies and tools to ensure a disaster-resilient future.