Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan delivering a talk on post-disaster management and sustainable development, organised by the Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kozhikode on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has said that Kerala should devise future development projects in line with the impact of climate change on its environment.
He was delivering a talk on post-disaster rehabilitation and sustainable development, organised by the Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Thursday.
Mr. Satheesan claimed that the State Disaster Management Plan had not been revised after 2016. He wondered why disaster management techniques had not changed in Kerala all these years even after the advancement of technology and improvement in mitigation methods the world over. Mr. Satheesan alleged that the State government had not yet linked its disaster management plan with distinguished institutions such as the School of Environment Studies at the Cochin University of Science and Technology.
There should be coordinated efforts between the Ministries of Earth Sciences, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the disaster management authority. Precise warnings on natural disasters could be given using Artificial Intelligence technology after examining soil structure and changes in the environment. Though it was not possible to control the nature, the impact of disasters on human lives could be reduced. Along with modern knowledge, the traditional wisdom of farmers and fishers too could be utilised, he said.
Mr. Satheesan said that one of the main reasons for the natural disasters in Kerala was either the ignorance on or the denial of the dangers facing the western coast. Earlier, the State used to see climate refugees from West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh because of the turbulence in the Bay of Bengal. โThat phenomenon has now shifted to the Arabian Sea, which is causing natural disasters here.โ
The Congress leader demanded that the rehabilitation package for Wayanad should be customised with the needs of each family. He said that modern development projects should be developed to address the changes brought about in the nature due to human involvement. Ahammed Devarkovil, MLA, and Vineesh Vidyadharan, chamber president, among others, were present.
