Japanese expert speaks on Disaster Management at SMU

GANGTOK, 08 Dec: Prominent Disaster Management Education Expert from Japan, Seiji Suwa, delivered a lecture on Disaster Management Education Theory and Practice on Saturday. The lecture was organized by the Japan Foundation and held at the Sikkim Manipal University, informs a press release.
“Before the Kobe Earthquake in 1995 disaster countermeasures in Japan basically focused on the ‘Response-Oriented Approach’. Now it is shifting to ‘Preventive Approach’ by the lesson of Kobe Earthquake”, said Mr. Suwa. He added that any disaster mitigation programme must emphasise on human lives, mutual help and compassion, the release mentions.
“Scientific lesson is an important lesson that must be handed down from generation to generation. Recovery must be well-designed and trauma counseling is a must during disasters”, he stated. Stressing on good construction practices to reduce casualties he said, “Earthquakes don’t kill, buildings do”.
“Given the fact that even India is not immune to disasters, a nation-wide curriculum is necessary on disaster management, especially for the schools and students. Teach the children not only how to survive disasters but also how to support people and how to contribute to the society. To implement these three types of education, we need to have social and scientific knowledge, we need to repeat trainings, and we need to learn from the past disasters”, said Mr Suwa.