Div Com of Kashmir inaugurates webinar on World Habitat Day

The speakers during the webinar stated that urbanization in the contemporary world should be disaster sensitive and should plan construction keeping in view the environmental disasters which have created havoc in the past.

The webinar was organized to observe World Habitat Day with a theme Accelerating Urban Action for a carbon-free World. It was organized by the  Institution of Engineers India (IEI) J&K Centre Srinagar in collaboration with  divisional administration Kashmir, National Institute of Disaster Management

(NIDM), J&K Forest Department, NIT Srinagar, SSM College of Engineering, Parihaspora and J&K State Emergency Operation Srinagar.

Addressing the participants, Pole said the people in the past were not concerned about the habitat of other living beings but since Global Warming hit the world,  people started showing concern about other habitats.

“It is the Global warming and other climate changes which made people realize the importance of ecosystem and sustainable development,” he said.

The Divisional Commissioner said there was a need for holistic development of habitat, not just for humans, but for animals, flora and fauna as well.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman IEI J&K State Centre Srinagar, Er Aamir Ali, said that cities and urban areas were primarily responsible for maximum greenhouse gas emissions and global carbon dioxide emissions which resulted in climate changes.

“The excessive emission of carbon dioxide due to excessive use of vehicles,  energy consumption, rampant construction practices and unscientific waste management has become a global threat,” he said.

Ali called for joint efforts to create sustainable and carbon-neutral cities and towns.

Dr Amir Ali Khan from NIDM while speaking during the Webinar stressed for capacity building of the general public besides building infrastructures.

“Under the name of urban planning, various big projects are being executed but there is a need to make urban planning sensitive for disaster risk reduction,” he said.