Guwahati: Australian High Commissioner to India, His Excellency Barry O’Farrell AO visited the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) headquarter with a view to sharing knowledge on areas concerning international cooperation between the Australian Government and the Government of India, in the context of disaster management and allied sectors.
High Commissioner was accompanied by Rowan Ainsworth, Consul-General, Australian Consulate-General, Kolkata, Paroksh Prasad, First Secretary, Australian High Commission, New Delhi, and Angelina Nair, Senior Research and Visits Officer, Australian Consulate-General, Kolkata. A meeting at ASDMA was coordinated by Shri.
Gyanendra D. Tripathi, IAS, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ASDMA who was joined by Amitabh Rajkhowa, ACS, Commissioner & Secretary, Revenue & Disaster Management Department; Bhaskar Pegu, ACS, Secretary Revenue & Disaster Management Department, Alakananda Medhi, ACS, SPC ASDMA and other senior officials of ASDMA.
During the meeting, Tripathi presented the landscape of measures adopted by the ASDMA over the years to address the challenges that the state faces due to the interplay of multiple disasters. Climate change induced disasters like recurring floods, erosion, landslide, and thunderstorm has been devastating the communities every year.
Moreover, challenges of environmental degradation, seismic vulnerabilities, etc. are making the task of preventing the adverse outcomes more complex.