Representatives from international aid agencies meet in New Delhi Oct. 6 to discuss ways to minimize the risk from natural and man-made disasters. (Photo by Ritu Sharma)
More than 200 delegates from India and abroad have met to discuss ways of engaging communities to reduce the risk of disasters in the face of increasing natural and man-made calamities across the world.
"The international conference on disaster risk reduction specifically carried the theme of communities as a solution. A community of disaster survivors and those vulnerable to hazards need to be engaged in the process of disaster management and risk reductions," Father Frederick D'Souza, executive director of Caritas India, told ucanews.com.
The conference organized by Caritas India, the social service arm of the church in India, was a learning process, he said. All views, suggestions and critiques "given to us by experts from different levels will be analyzed so we can see the way forward on how we can reach out to people in a better way in times of disaster," he said.
The two-day conference, which wrapped up Oct. 7 in New Delhi, included participants from Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Singapore, Vietnam as well as elsewhere from Australia, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
According to the United Nations, more than 1.5 billion people have been affected worldwide by disasters in the past decade. During that time, Caritas India has responded to 14 emergencies including tsunamis, earthquakes, flash floods and cyclones, providing relief to more than 1 million people in India.
Father D'Souza said that while responding to all these emergencies, Caritas India saw significant contributions from community leaders in mitigating the effects of the disasters.
Tony Castleman, country head of Catholic Relief Services, told ucanews.com that affected communities play a vital role in reducing disaster risk.
"For engaging communities for disaster risk, we need to see what they are already doing for disaster risk, such as coping with climate change, preserving water, food and important documents. We can build on and enhance some of these practices," he said.
The participants also deliberated on making communities aware about the use of new technologies in reducing disaster risk.
Tapan Mahapatra, program officer of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department, told ucanews.com that new technologies are emerging every day and have proved their importance in various fields.
Mahapatra said that in rural areas, where the Internet is not as readily available, mobile phones serve as a great source for communicating vital information on disasters.
"Whatever technology is available should be used to the fullest in saving lives and reducing disaster risk," he said.