Kolhapur, IIT-Mandi Join Hands to Boost Disaster Management

Kolhapur Collector AmolYedge made an announcement that the district disaster management department and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on April 18. It is meant to enhance disaster preparedness and response systems in the district.

The MoU was signed by district disaster management officerPrasad Sankpal and Dr. SatvasheelPawar, Head of the Finance Department of IIT-Mandi.

Kolhapur has been identified as a multi-disaster-prone district, often being affected by natural and man-made disasters such as heavy rain, floods, landslides, forest fires, road and industrial accidents, and accidents during mass religious gatherings. In this regard, the disaster management department has brought about some new strategies like community-based disaster management, active participation of women, and the implementation of wireless messaging systems to facilitate unbroken communication during disasters.

"DrSatvasheelPowar, a youth from Kolhapur, is working as the dean of the very important finance department at IIT-Mandi. Detailed discussions were held on how to help and cooperate in reducing the disaster vulnerability in the flood situation that occurs in Kolhapur cities, as well as to make the disaster management system of the district more capable," said Collector Yedge.

Since Kolhapur is a highly disaster-prone district, the district administration approached IIT-Mandi with a request for collaboration, which has advanced technology and technical manpower. The institute is already established in offering technical assistance to many administrative and governmental organizations in India.

Collector Yedge also emphasized that the district needs specialized technical assistance for mitigation of floods and landslides, especially under the Maharashtra Resilience Development Programme (MRDP) that is being implemented in collaboration with the World Bank.