Inaugurating a two-day 'EAS-India Workshop 2012 on Building Regional Framework for Earthquake Risk Management' here on Thursday, the Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said 'a common understanding of procedures and protocol for the assistance would be a valuable step forward. It should include a system whereby search and rescue teams should get visa and airport facilitation on an immediate basis.'

The event was attended by officials of the national disaster management authorities of the 18 East Asia Summit (EAS) member-nations, including India.

'We can benefit a lot from practical hands-on understanding among countries about how to channelise humanitarian assistance,' Shinde said and added that medical aid should reach the victims of natural disasters without delay and so should food and clothing.

He urged for predicting earthquakes with greater precision. “Though we cannot forecast earthquakes, we should have a clear idea about the regions which can expect earthquakes of a certain magnitude and intensity', he said.

He told the EAS nations to 'harness the knowledge and experience' of earthquake response as this would help strengthen international coordination and cooperation. He also called for using the knowledge so gained to reduce number of deaths in earthquakes.

Referring to the devastation in the 1993 Latur (Maharashtra) and the 2001 Bhuj (Gujarat) earthquakes and the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the home minister appreciated the generosity shown by the international community during these calamities and the rehabilitation efforts.

Shinde stressed the need to have a four pronged strategy to reduce number of deaths in the earthquakes significantly namely (i) to improve building skills and practices in earthquake - prone areas to prevent their collapse and to improve response by strengthening search and rescue capacity, evacuation practices and emergency medical response in time to make them more effective (ii) to assess earthquake risk with greater precision by having a clear idea about the earthquake prone regions and to adapt building codes and regulations accordingly (iii) lay down a system for effective coordination of International assistance following the earthquakes which include a system to provide visa and airport facilitation to search and rescue teams on immediate basis and to deliver medical assistance, food and clothes to the affected population and (iv) to have an expeditious and equitable recovery programme so as to reach all the people affected by the earthquake especially the weaker and deprived sections of the society.

In his keynote address the Vice Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Sashidhar Reddy stressed the need to develop a regional approach towards coordination of logistics for response, rescue, relief and recovery in addition to sharing of best practices in the course of discussions on major earthquakes in the region.

As disasters often transcend national boundaries, he reiterated the need for a coordinated response from national and international agencies for inflow of response material so that in a real-life situation, the pre-decided or agreed protocols can facilitate immediate assistance to save lives.

The Union Home Secretary RK.Singh in his welcome address said that key motivation for organizing and hosting this workshop arises from the awareness that the earthquakes pose a serious threat to lives and property of this region.

He mentioned that the workshop will deliberate upon different aspects of earthquakes: response, risk assessment, mitigation, and recovery. He stressed the need to have a mechanism to coordinate with international agencies and NGOs to establish the same in advance during normal times with a view to provide the relevant and real time information about the earthquake with a view to ensuring immediate relief.

He further said that India should gain international experience and expertise in the area of risk financing and insurance for speedier economic rehabilitation of earthquake victims particularly the poor, to insure their life and property against earthquakes. He hoped that the international workshop would provide a framework and an action plan for strengthening the regional cooperation in the area of risk management.