Message from the Editor

Dear Readers,

Greetings!

I am delighted to welcome you all to the NDMA blog, "Aapda-Samvaad". We are here to have a conversation with you on things we are passionate about - disaster prevention, preparedness, mitigation; better response, recovery and reconstruction - in short, Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR). Now, why do we want to talk to you? Population growth, rapid and unplanned urbanisation coupled with steep environmental degradation means all of us are living amidst risks and are vulnerable, in varying degrees, to disaster losses. DRR is no longer a choice if we wish to reduce these losses, both in terms of lives and livelihoods. It's important that we consciously weave DRR in all our activities so that we do not give away years of development by letting a hazard turn into a disaster.

The Government of India is committed to the cause of DRR and is a signatory to the Sendai Framework for DRR (2015-2030) which has laid down seven time-bound loss reduction and capacity enhancement targets closely linked to development.

It's a daunting task and the Government can't do it alone. It requires community participation - each one of us needs to contribute if we want to build a resilient neighbourhood, a resilient community and a resilient nation.

This blog is a step forward in that direction. We hope it inspires you to pause and think of disaster risks that surround us and do your best to reduce these existing risks and stop creation of new risks. Our little efforts will go a long way in making India disaster resilient thereby ensuring that the fruits of development reach to all our fellow countrymen.

We also invite you to join us on this journey towards a disaster resilient India. Feel free to contribute to this blog - experiences, insights, observations, photos, videos and anything else that you may think of - by writing to us at ndma.awareness@gmail.com with your photograph and a short bio. If it fits the bill, it will be on our blog.

Here's urging you to come on board - we promise it's going to be a great ride!

Let's work together towards resilience.   

R.K. Jain, IAS (Retd.)

Member, NDMA