Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashmir (KU) Prof Talat Ahmad Wednesday urged a rethink on the modern construction practices in Jammu and Kashmir in view of its seismicity and vulnerability to natural disasters.
A statement of KU issued here said that addressing the valedictory session of the three-day workshop on disaster risk reduction organised by the Department of Geography and Disaster Management (DGDM), Prof Talat, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said: “J&K is very vulnerable to disasters including floods, avalanches, landslides and earthquakes and this vulnerability calls for a rethink on the ongoing modern construction practices in vogue where very heavy marbles are being used in construction of big houses and other structures. In case of a high magnitude quake, it’s the collapse of this concrete material which may lead to loss of more lives and greater damage to infrastructure than the intensity of the quake itself.”
Former IAS officer and former advisor to J&K Governor Khursheed A Ganai said disaster prevention starts with understanding the causes of disasters and creating a multi-level institutional framework on disaster mitigation and prevention.
Dean of Academic Affairs Prof Shabir A Bhat called for a community-level engagement of the workshop participants to spread the message of importance of disaster management.