Dimapur, October 11 (MExN): “Evading the Bureau of Indian Standard for safety construction of buildings, 99% of the buildings in Nagaland are reported to be unsafe,” Moa Longkumer, engineer and assistant professor in Disaster Management at the Administrative Training Institute in Kohima said today. Indicating strong chances of a catastrophic disaster in the event of an earthquake, Longkumer said the state is least prepared to handle real disasters. Longkumer was speaking at a seminar on Disaster Management in Dimapur.
Pointing out the high possibilities of a massive earthquake in the North East region in future, Longkumer said Nagas need to start taking preventive measures. Soil erosion and rock-falls have already become a regular occurrence in the state, he said. He said the grim reality of the state is that there is no proper management and no preparedness to cope in case disaster strikes.
Longkumer said a lot of the soil erosion causing landslides across the state is a result of uncontrolled development and haphazard construction of buildings. “Our soil is sinking but people are still building multi-storied buildings…hazardous buildings will become our graveyards,” he lamented. Calling earthquake as ‘the mother of all disasters,’ he said Nagas are most vulnerable to the disaster as the soil in Nagaland is weak. He said Nagas must do away with ad-hoc buildings and construct stronger houses, better roads and bridges for longevity. “We must integrate disaster into development so that we don’t have to start from scratch after a disaster,” he said. Longkumer said although the state has woken up to the reality that a disaster could strike, there is still a lot more that needs to be done.
Also pointing out the problem of landownership with regard to taking up disaster management measures especially during landslides, Longkumer said it is high time Nagas compromise for issues that relate to the safety of the society and families, first. He said corrective measures cannot be taken if people hold on to ‘landownership’; thus, putting peoples’ lives at risk. He reminded that people must take measures through resources available within their capacity. Longkumer also called for a ‘broad-minded approach’ when coping with disasters.
Longkumer spoke at length the underlying causes of disaster and elaborated on the terms related to disaster management; measures that should be adopted and ways to prevent and mitigate disasters. The seminar was attended by students from schools and colleges. Members from several churches also attended the seminar. Dimapur Municipal Council Advisor, Vikholie Nienu attended the programme as chief guest. The seminar was organised by the development wing of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council- Nagaland Development Outreach and sponsored by the department of Urban Development, Nagaland.
