Govts need to chalk out disaster mgmt plans: Jt Collector

Workshop on Climate Proofing held in NelloreA

Nellore: District Joint Collector B Lakshmikantham said that climatic changes such as global warming and holes in the ozone layer were leading to natural disasters and as a precautionary measure, the governments need to chalk out disaster management plans.

Speaking at a workshop on Climate Proofing at the Golden Jubilee Hall here on Tuesday, Lakshmikantham said that Andhra Pradesh has a coastline of over 960 km and due to the climatic conditions, Nellore district would be frequently hit by thunderstorms, cyclones, tsunamis and floods in the months of May, July, October and November.

Therefore, it was necessary to formulate disaster management strategies to protect the lives and properties of the people. A The Joint Collector said that it was necessary to visit the villages that were highly prone to cyclones and floods and find out from the people the problems that they were facing and their living conditions. A He said that Disaster Prevention Committees should be setup in each such village. Already a district-level Disaster Prevention Committee was setup, he said.

Lakshmikantham said that firewood plants and Eucalyptus trees should be planted near the coastal areas to minimize the impact of floods. A He said that the officials concerned should also formulate plans from the social perspective. He called upon the officials concerned to make good use of the workshop.

Giving a presentation on the precautionary measures that have to be taken during climatic changes and natural disasters, the Senior Technical Advisor of Indo-German Environment Dr Ashin Chaturvedi said that several villages in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were prone to cyclones and tsunamis and it was necessary to identify such villages and take preventive measures. He said that it was necessary to organize workshops in Vishakhapatnam and Nellore to come up with new innovative strategies or solutions to prevent disasters.

He said such climate proof plans would be implemented initially in Sriramapuram, Ramudupalli and Pooladoruvupalem villages falling within the precincts of the Kavali division. A The District Revenue Officer B Rami Reddy, Kavali Revenue Divisional Officer Subrahmanyeshwara Reddy, representative of the Climate Proofing Programme Gopalakrishna Murthy, Joint director of agriculture BV Rao and a host of other officials were present on the occasion.