Conference dates and venue

March 12–14, 2011.

The conference will be held at the School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. The School is located 12 km (30 minutes by road) north of the town (as well as railway station) of Kottayam, at Athirampuzha, and 90 km (2 hours by road) south of the Cochin (Nedumbassery) Airport. Participants who would like to get an airport or railway station pickup may mail the details of their exact itinerary (this must include the Train number/name, or Flight number & airline, time of arrival etc) to travel4u@itsgroups.in (our travel agent: 09745511622) with a copy to drvc2011@gmail.com.

Supported by funds from

Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi
Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India
National Disaster Management Authority

About the Conference

The School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University is organizing a Disaster Management Conference entitled Disaster, Risk and Vulnerability Conference 2011 (DRVC 2011) on 12–14, March 2011, in association with the State Disaster Management Authority of the Government of Kerala, Trivandrum, and the Indian Medical Association – Kerala Disaster Management Cell. The DRVC2011 is a partner conference of the Applied Geoinformatics for Society and Environment (AGSE) series of conferences of the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

The conference aims to bring together specialists, practitioners, academics, students and the public to a common platform. Discussions on disaster management, risk and vulnerability reduction can lead to increased awareness of disasters and its various hues, strategies for resiliency, and newer technologies for disaster management. This is an important component of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which state that ’Disaster Risk Reduction and increasing resilience to all types of natural hazards in developing countries can have multiplier effects and accelerate achievement of the MDGs.

The three-day conference provides an ideal venue for networking amongst disaster management enthusiasts, and the conference aims to throw up newer ideas that could go a long way in streamlining disaster management activities of the nation. The conference would be a premier event for disaster management professionals, scholars and students offering unique educational and operational knowledge sharing within the broad spectrum of disaster management. It will provide an opportunity to gain valuable education, training and best practices to assist you and the community to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters.

Why Disaster Management?

Disasters, whether natural or man-made, have had adverse effects on human beings ever since the dawn of our existence. In response, communities are trying to battle disasters by developing various disaster response and management strategies. The concept of disaster management encompasses multidisciplinary approaches and almost always the interface between the earth and life systems. The need for interdisciplinary contribution demands diverse expertise in Disaster Management, much more than in any other field of operation. Convergence of expertise of individuals from various disciplines is essential for developing professionals in the field of disaster management.

Thematic Sessions

The conference aims to update the knowledge base of disaster management professionals by communicating the latest practices and developments evolved in various parts of the globe. The conference will discuss the good practices and lessons learned in the following themes.

1. Science and facts of Disasters

   •  Hydro-meteorological disasters

   •  Earthquakes and landslides

   •  Industrial and Chemical disasters

   •  Disaster Resistant Construction

   •  Fire & Emergency Service

    

2. Disaster Management and public administration

   •  MDGs and Disaster Risk Reduction

   •  Disaster management and government policy making

   •  Economics of disasters: micro-finance and insurance

   •  Corporate Sector in Disaster Management

   •  Urban risk management – Infrastructure and Communication

   •  Post Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

    

3. Disaster Response and Emergency Management

   •  Role of NDRF in disaster response

   •  Mass casualty Management

   •  Humanitarian Aid and Logistics

   •  Public Health Emergencies

   •  Sanitation, safe water, food and nutrition

   •  Adaptive Social Protection

    

4. Technological Applications

   •  Remote Sensing and GIS Applications

   •  Risk Assessment and Vulnerability analysis

   •  Early warning and Disaster Communication

   •  Crowd sourcing and Citizens as sensors

    

5. Community Participation and Education

   •  Community-based DM and public awareness

   •  NGOs in disaster management

   •  Disaster resilience in vulnerable sectors

   •  Needs assessment – Post disaster reconstruction and recovery

   •  Training tool kits for Disaster Management

   •  Disaster Management Education in India

    

6. Cross-cutting themes

   •  Psychosocial support & mental health services

   •  Gender issues in Disaster Management

   •  Disasters and Climate Change

   •  Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainability

   •  Conflict Management

   •  Social and Emerging Issues — Terrorism, alcoholism, suicides

Call for Papers

Papers are invited on the above or related themes for oral presentation. Abstracts not exceeding 500 words along with title, author(s) and complete address including e-mail and telephone contact numbers should be emailed to the Convener at drvc2011@gmail.com.

The due date for abstract submission is January 5, 2011.

After submitting the abstract, authors are encouraged to prepare full-length papers not exceeding 5000 words (see template) including Graphs, Tables and Figures in .doc or LaTeX format. The deadline for submitting the full-length paper is January 20, 2011. The selected papers after peer-reviewing would be published in an ISBN volume of high standard. Email intimation of full paper acceptance would be given by latest on January 25, 2011.

Click here for help on word templates.

Important Dates

Abstract Submission: January 5, 2011
Full length Paper Submission: January 20, 2011
Intimation of Full length paper Acceptance: January 25, 2011
Registration Deadline: February 10, 2011

Registration

Interested participants can register @ Rs.1000 for academicians and professionals and @ Rs.500 for students. Accommodation is not included and any such needs should be intimated well in advance and expenses have to be borne by the participants. Registration fee may be remitted either by Bank Transfer to the Convenor, DRVC2011, State Bank of Travancore MG University Campus Branch, Kottayam, Kerala A/C No.67138384787; IFSC Code: SBTR 0000669 or by Demand Draft drawn in favour of the Convener, DRVC 2011, payable at State Bank of Travancore, MG University Campus Branch, Kottayam 686 560, Kerala. Post/email your registration forms (and DD.s) to Dr A.P. Pradeepkumar, Convenor, DRVC 2011, School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam 686 560, India.

Click here to download the Registration Form for DRVC 2011.

National Disaster Response Force Training

The DRVC 2011 will give a new experience to its delegates. Apart from the normal paper presentations, lectures and discussions, the third day of the DRVC 2011 would be an exclusive one-day training programme on disaster response and emergency management by the National Disaster Response Force, Arakkonam Battalion. It includes demonstration, display of disaster equipment, practical sessions on Search and Rescue, Medical First Response etc.

IMA Kerala Disaster Management Cell Training

Session on EMERGENCY MEDICINE and MANAGEMENT in the DRVC 2011. Organised by the IMA Kerala Disaster Management Cell. Click here for programme.

Contacts

Dr. A. P. Pradeep Kumar
Convenor, DRVC2011
School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam 686 560, India
Mobile: 09895 24 5380
Email: geo.pradeep@gmail.com

Faisel T Illiyas
Organizing Secretary, DRVC2011
Mob: 09447 20 3981
Email: faiselses@gmail.com

C A Latha
Honorary Secretary, SDMA & Assistant Commissioner (Disaster Management)
2nd Floor, Revenue Complex, Public Office, Trivandrum 695 033
Tel: 0471 2324120

Conference Organizing Committee

Patron

Dr Rajan Gurukkal
Vice-Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University

Chairman

Dr. E.V.Ramasamy
Director, School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University

Convenor

Dr A.P. Pradeepkumar
Reader, School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University

Members

Dr A.P. Thomas

Director, Advanced Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, Mahatma Gandhi University

Dr C.T. Aravindakumar

Professor, School of Environmental Sciences and Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University

Dr Mahesh Mohan

Lecturer, School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University

Mr Faisel T. Illiyas

Organizing Secretary, School Of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University

National Organising Committee

Dr. Chetan N. Patel

Chairman, Indian Medical Association HQ, Disaster Management Cell, New Delhi

Dr. Bhoop Singh

Director/Scientist-F, Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi

Dr. S.M. Ramasamy

Vice Chancellor, Gandhigram Rural Institute, TamilNadu

Dr. S.A. Abbasi

Coordinator, Centre for Pollution control and Environmental Engineering, Puducherry

Dr. G. Madhu

Professor, School of Engineering, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin

Dr. Shibu K. Mani

Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

Professor Vineetha Menon

Department of Anthropology, Kannur University, Kerala

Dr. K. Vinod Kumar

Head, Geosciences Division, National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad

Dr. K.G. Thara

Head, Institute of Land and Disaster Management, Govt of Kerala

Roy Alex

Director (Programs), ESAF, New Delhi

Dr. Sreekumar S

Reader, Department of Geology, Christ College, Irinjalakuda, Kerala

Professor S.K. Sekar

Director, Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, VIT University, Tamil Nadu

Harikrishnan G

Scientist B, Defence Terrain Research Laboratory, (DRDO), New Delhi

Dr. K.P. Jai Kiran

Dept of Geology, University College, Trivandrum

Dr. V. Sivanandan Achari

School of Environmental Studies, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin

Tentative list of Keynote Speakers

P. G. Dhar Chakrabarti

Director, National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi

Dr. Suryaprakash

Associate Professor, National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi

Shri. G. S. Saini (VSM)

Director, National Civil Defence College, Nagpur

Dr. Janki Andheria

Professor, JTCDM, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

Dr. K. Muthumani

Head, Advanced Seismic Testing and Research Laboratory, SERC, Chennai

Dr. Bhoop Singh

Director/Scientist-F, Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi

Shri.Sandeep Chachra

Executive Director, ActionAid India, New Delhi

Dr. Jayakumar C.

Senior Specialist, National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi

John Mathai

Scientist, CESS, Trivandrum

Dr. F.-J. Behr

Dept of Geomatics, Computer Science and Mathematics, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Dr. Pijush Samui

Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, VIT University, Vellore

Invited Talks

M. Shashidhar Reddy

Vice-chairman, National Disaster Management Authority

Dr. Vinod Chandra Menon

Member, National Disaster Management Authority

Prof. S.K. Sekar

Director, Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, VIT University, Vellore

Shri P.S.B. Nair

Senior Commandant, National Disaster Response Force, 4th Bn, Arakkonam

Dr. Arasu Sundaram

Director, Anna Institute of Management, Chennai

Smt Annie George

NGO Coordination and Resource Centre (NCRC), Nagapattinam

Captian Vivek Khanna

Pioneers group, New Delhi

Sri G. Sankar

Scientist, CESS, Trivandrum

Dr. R.B. Singh

Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi

International Advisory Committee

Professor Dr. F.-J. Behr

Department of Geomatics, Computer Science and Mathematics, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Email: franz-josef.behr@hft-stuttgart.de

Axel Hoffmann

TerraMetrics, Inc., PO Box 270101, Littleton, CO 80127-0002 USA
Email: hoffmann@terrametric.com

Riju Stephen

Health and Human Services, City of Houston, Texas, USA
Email: Riju.Stephen@cityofhouston.net