'Incorporate disaster issues in school curricula'

Food and Disaster Management Ministry takes out a colourful procession from in front of the National Museum in the city yesterday to mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction.Photo: STAR

International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) was observed in the country as elsewhere across the world yesterday with a call to incorporating the issue of disaster risk reduction in the school curricula.
Different government and non-government organisations chalked out various programmes, including rally, seminar and discussion highlighting this year's theme 'Disaster risk reduction begins at school'.
On the occasion, a colourful procession was brought out from National Museum that paraded different city streets and ended in front of Shishu Academy. Food and Disaster Management (FDM) Adviser Tapan Chowdhury inaugurated the procession where representatives of FDM ministry, Disaster Management Bureau (DMB), Directorates of Relief and Rehabilitation, Foods, Weather and different NGOs took part.
DMB and Ministry of FDM jointly organised a seminar on 'Disaster risk reduction begins at school' at Public Works Department (PWD) in the city where participants underscored the need for incorporating the issue of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) into the school curricula and take necessary steps to raise awareness about disaster preparedness.
Dr Jamilur Reza Choudhury, vice chancellor of Brac University, said students have to be made aware through incorporating the disaster issues into their curricula and extracurricular activities.
"A total of 3,500 shelters were found to be required to provide shelter to around seven million people living in the High Risk Areas (HRA) who are likely to move to shelters. Unfortunately, there is a shortfall of more than 1000 shelters, leaving around 30 per cent people in HRA still unprotected," he said while presenting the keynote paper at the seminar.
He also called on all to abide by the National Building Code 1993 while constructing buildings and suggested special training for the engineers and architects so that they become familiar with the laws.
Abdul Bari Khan, secretary in charge of ministry of FDM, said teachers should get special trainings so that they can raise awareness among the students. KH Masud Siddiqui, director general of DMB, also spoke on the occasion.