Radar system to forecast natural calamities soon PANAJI: A radar system to forecast natural calamities is set to be installed at the state meteorological centre soon, Rajya Sabha member from Goa Shantaram Naik said on Sunday.
Naik was speaking at the 44th Engineers' Day celebrations at Dona Paula organized by the Goa chapter of the institution of engineers (India). Speaking on the theme 'Engineering Preparedness for Disaster Mitigation', Naik said that a system to forecast natural calamities was the first step to disaster management. Naik said that the North and South Goa collectors have identified flood-prone areas in the state, but proper planning in risk-prone areas is still awaited. Naik stressed on the need to include disaster management in school curriculums. Naik said, "Around 58.6% of our landmass is prone to natural disasters and 12% of land is prone to floods. Out of 7,516 km, 5,700 km is prone to floods and tsunamis and 68% to draught." He appealed to the engineering community and other experts in the field to volunteer to lecture students on the subject to prepare them to face any eventuality. Naik advised the association of engineers to constitute a disaster management cell of their own and said that a representative of the association should be nominated on disaster management committees of the state government and at the district levels. Director of fire and emergency services Ashok Menon made a case for a separate cadre of fire services. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Radar-system-to-forecast-natural-calamities-soon/articleshow/10036646.cms ~Avelino
