Space technology can play a crucial role in policy planning for a State like Uttarakhand which is prone to natural disaster, said Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
He was speaking at a special session on future of emergency road management with reference to Uttarakhand held as part of a one-day workshop on National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) organised jointly by the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad here on Thursday.
Appreciating the scientists of NRSC for creating the NDEM web portal, Rawat said that database available on the portal can be used for better management of post-disaster rescue and relief works which will be especially useful for Uttarakhand and other Himalayan States. Rawat also appreciated works undertaken by USAC on the occasion.
Earlier, speaking at the inaugural session, State Science and Technology minister SS Negi said that reconstruction works undertaken throughout the year in disaster affected areas of Uttarakhand are disrupted during the two months of monsoon which is a big detriment to development. He said, "There are about 127 artificial lakes in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand which should be scientifically studied to ascertain if they could fuel disaster. This should be followed by regular monitoring and permanent solution. Scientists could also use use space technology to ascertain the number of sites susceptible to disaster in Uttarakhand so that construction works in such areas are limited to prevent the loss of life and property. Such identification of danger-areas would also help in timely shifting of planned development works," he added.
Science and Technology secretary Deepak Kumar said that USAC should attempt to identify the problems and disasters being encountered in the Char Dham Yatra so that planned measures can be taken in this direction.
The NRSC Hyderabad group director Dr Vinod Kumar informed the gathering in detail about the NDEM. He said that the NDEM portal version II will have multi scaled database which will enable better management in emergency scenarios. USAC director Prof Durgesh Pant said that coordination is being established among various departments and institutions for developing an emergency disaster management programme to mitigate damage from disaster in Uttarakhand.