{"id":4476,"date":"2025-06-21T00:33:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T19:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4476"},"modified":"2025-06-21T00:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T19:03:09","slug":"over-800-experts-gather-in-bengaluru-to-discuss-community-led-disaster-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4476","title":{"rendered":"Over 800 Experts Gather in Bengaluru to Discuss Community-Led Disaster Resilience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Community Participation Key to Disaster Management: Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

BENGALURU, June 20: <\/strong>Disaster preparedness and response cannot succeed without active public participation, said Karnataka Chief Secretary Dr. Shalini Rajneesh, while inaugurating the international conference \u201cCBDM India 2025\u201d on Thursday. The two-day conference, titled Disaster Resilience: Community-Based Systems to Save Lives and Preserve Health<\/em>, is being held at the JN Tata Auditorium in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.<\/p>\n

Organized by Jeeva Raksha Trust in collaboration with institutions including IISc, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Saragur, the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, and key national agencies such as ISRO and NIMHANS, the event has drawn over 800 participants, including officials from disaster management agencies, the armed forces, healthcare experts, academics, and youth networks.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunity Responsibility is Crucial\u201d<\/h3>\n

Dr. Rajneesh underlined the importance of collective responsibility in disaster management. \u201cThe government can make rules, but unless communities are aware and act responsibly, we cannot prevent tragedies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Recalling the recent landslide in Shirali, Ankola (Uttara Kannada district) that claimed nine lives from a single family, she said, \u201cThis loss could have been prevented if the family had not built a house and tea shop in a known landslide-prone area. The administration could have evacuated them, but such decisions are complicated when people depend on those places for their livelihood. This is the daily dilemma authorities face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Rajneesh also referred to her earlier experiences as Deputy Commissioner of Belagavi, where she faced major challenges during floods caused by the release of water from Maharashtra\u2019s Koyna dam. She stressed that better community awareness and adherence to safety norms can help avoid such situations.<\/p>\n

Flood Alerts and Urban Challenges<\/h3>\n

Speaking on state preparedness, the Chief Secretary shared that Karnataka’s disaster management cell has access to more than 70 lakh farmers through mobile contact lists, enabling the state to quickly alert them during emergencies like floods or droughts.<\/p>\n

On the issue of recurring urban flooding in Bengaluru, she noted that 201 flood-prone locations have been identified across the city. \u201cMany of these locations have constructions without proper government approvals. Eviction or rehabilitation becomes difficult because any action can be seen as anti-people. Hence, we need community cooperation. People must realize the threat to their lives and the inconvenience such encroachments cause during floods,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Dr. Rajneesh also highlighted the rise in climate-related fatalities, stating that 3,080 deaths occurred last year\u2014a rise of 18% over the previous year. \u201cEven man-made disasters are increasing. We must all be alert and involved,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

National Perspective on Community Resilience<\/h3>\n

Joining the conference virtually, Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.), Member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), emphasized that disaster management must start from the ground up.<\/p>\n

\u201cDisasters are not just humanitarian crises\u2014they can change history,\u201d he said. Citing the 1970 cyclone in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), which killed hundreds of thousands and triggered political upheaval, he added, \u201cIn any high-risk area\u2014be it a conflict zone or a floodplain\u2014the community is always the first responder. India\u2019s resilience must be built bottom-up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lt. Gen. Hasnain stressed that \u201cawareness and community engagement are the two most important pillars of disaster response,\u201d urging stronger grassroots coordination along with government action.<\/p>\n

Building Local Health Response<\/h3>\n

Earlier, setting the stage for the conference, Dr. (Flt Lt) M.A. Balasubramanya, Managing Trustee of Jeeva Raksha Trust and Chairman of the Organising Committee, emphasized preparedness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn any disaster\u2014natural or man-made\u2014saving every life is a victory. At CBDM India 2025, we focus on health, speed, and compassion. We are training people, strengthening health systems, and localizing responses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mental Health in Disaster Response<\/h3>\n

Adding to the discussion, Dr. Pratima Murthy, Director of NIMHANS, stressed the importance of integrating mental health support in emergency response frameworks.<\/p>\n

\u201cPsychosocial care must be part of every emergency protocol, from village level to the state level,\u201d she said, noting that emotional trauma often lingers long after a disaster ends.<\/p>\n

Conference Participation<\/h3>\n

The conference brought together delegates from multiple sectors, including state and national disaster response teams, armed forces, health institutions, academic experts, and civil society members.<\/p>\n

Other notable attendees included:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n

    Dr. Ram K. Nair, Technical Director, Jeeva Raksha Trust & Organising Secretary, CBDM 2025<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Dr. M.R. Seetharaman, Indian Medical Association (IMA)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Dr. B.C. Bhagavan, Vice-Chancellor, RGUHS<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    V.V.S. Sreenivas, Director, Institute for Research and Innovation in Disaster Management (IRIDM)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Dr. Navakanta Bhat, Director, Centre for Neuroscience, IISc<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The conference continues on Friday with technical sessions and collaborative workshops aimed at strengthening local capacity and knowledge-sharing for disaster risk reduction.<\/p>\n

    \ud83d\udd39 Key Quotes:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n

    \u201cGovernments can make rules, but it is the community that must act responsibly to prevent disasters.\u201d<\/strong>
    \u2014 Dr. Shalini Rajneesh, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    \n

    \u201cEvacuation becomes complex when people\u2019s livelihoods are tied to disaster-prone areas.\u201d<\/strong>
    \u2014 Dr. Shalini Rajneesh<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    \n

    \u201cIn any high-risk environment, the community is always the first responder.\u201d<\/strong>
    \u2014 Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, Member, NDMA<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    \n

    \u201cOur goal is to build a disaster-ready society with health, speed, and compassion at its core.\u201d<\/strong>
    \u2014 Dr. M.A. Balasubramanya, Jeeva Raksha Trust<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    \n

    \u201cMental health support must be part of every emergency response, from the village to the state level.\u201d<\/strong>
    \u2014 Dr. Pratima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    \n

    <\/div>\n

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    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Community Participation Key to Disaster Management: Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh BENGALURU, June 20: Disaster preparedness and response cannot succeed without active public participation, said Karnataka Chief Secretary Dr. Shalini Rajneesh, while inaugurating the international conference \u201cCBDM India 2025\u201d on Thursday. The two-day conference, titled Disaster Resilience: Community-Based Systems to Save Lives and Preserve Health, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[1024,1023,1014],"class_list":["post-4476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-karnataka","tag-chinnaswamy-stadium","tag-disaster-management","tag-stampede"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4476"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4478,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4476\/revisions\/4478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}