A day-long national seminar on "Disaster Management with specific reference to Landslides and Avalanches" was organised by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in association with Central Road Research Institute, Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment and Institution Of Engineers (India) at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Dr V K Aatre, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister .

While lauding the efforts made by the BRO in his inaugural address, Dr Aatre voiced an apprehension that global warming, atmospheric movement and green- house effects might be the root causes of rapid natural disasters today. Disasters like landslides and snow avalanches in the North and North-Eastern areas of India should be given a serious consideration, he added. He asked the various organisations and agencies engaged in the management of disasters and the participants of the seminar to concentrate their studies on
the physical and mathematical systems.

In his address, Lt Gen Prakash Suri, Director General Border Roads, said BRO has to deal with disasters in its day-to-day routine in the process of execution of tasks. The immediate need is to understand the requirement of disaster management skills from the BRO perspective in order to take precaution and remedial actions to minimise the damages of life and property, he added.

While delivering the key-note address, Maj Gen SS Sharma (Retd) stressed the necessity of setting up an independent organisation under the aegis of the Department of Science and Technology to study
and forecast natural disasters. Afforestation may be the only measure to control landslides, loose soil erosion and snow avalanches, he opined.

Other dignitaries who were present during the seminar were Prof PK Sikdar, Director, Central Road Research Institute, Mr Raman Singh, Additional Director General, Border Roads and Dr AR Tiwari, Chief Engineer, DDG (B&T). Papers were presented on topics like landslide hazard, rescue operations, avalanches, protective measures, jute geotextile in hill slope management, cloud bursts, snow and ice management and control scheme in two sessions. Lt Gen Prakash Suri presented a BRO memento to Dr VK Aatre on the occasion.