Speeches & Remarks 2005

Remarks by George Deikun, USAID India Mission Director at the Indian Earthquake Safety Initiative (IndESI) Peer Review Panel Wrap-up Meeting, New Delhi, December 9, 2005

As prepared for delivery

I am very happy to be here today and participating once again in an event that brings U.S. and Indian seismic experts and engineers together to make Delhi a safer place in which to live.  I would like to welcome the special guests who have joined us here today including Mr. S. Reghunathan, the Chief Secretary of Delhi; Mr. R. Narayana Swami, Principal Secretary (Home), Government of Delhi (GoD); Mr. V.V. Bhatt, Principal Secretary (Finance), GoD; Mr. G. K. Marwah, Divisional Commissioner, GoD and Mr. Sanjay Marwa, Joint Secretary, Delhi Disaster Management Authority.  I would also like to take this moment to congratulate the many participants in this week's series of peer reviews under this important initiative.

Since I last met with many of you in May, this project involving GeoHazards International, the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Ministry of Home Affairs has already accomplished much toward strengthening the existing buildings and enhancing the skills of Indian engineers. 

You have analyzed several critical lifeline buildings including a school and a hospital and are finding feasible solutions to making them more resistant to earthquakes.  We hope that this work will serve as a model for other earthquake prone buildings in Delhi and as well as other cities in India.

More importantly, during the process of working together to analyze the structures of these buildings, there has been a valuable exchange of knowledge between Indian and U.S. colleagues, particularly in California.  A number of key seismic engineering experts including the National Seismic Advisor, representatives from Indian Institutes of Technology and the Delhi Public works Department have participated in this effort. This exchange has improved the engineering skills in both countries and will leave a legacy for the application of these skills in Delhi and other places in India.

Earthquakes in India, including the earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir on October 8 of this year, cause untold destruction and loss of life.  Most death and destruction in an earthquake are caused by the collapse of man-made structures. Since scientists are still not able to successfully predict earthquakes, the best option is to build houses and other facilities resistant to them.

The structural analysis and retrofit design of these buildings has not been the only success of our cooperation.  The non-structural mitigation aspects of this project are equally important.  They have helped to raise awareness about earthquake safety.  Simple, easy, economical steps can be taken to reduce injuries and save lives during and after an earthquake.
 
In other USAID supported activities to improve disaster management, we are working with a number of USG agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U. S. Geological Survey and the U. S. Forest Service.  These programs involve Indian counterparts such as the India Meteorological Department, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, the National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting and the Central Water Commission on a range of disaster management issues.   Recently, as a result of our cooperation, the U.S. Incident Command System is now being adopted in the Indian context.

With the successful implementation of initiatives in disaster preparedness and mitigation, I am confident that India will soon become a leader in disaster response in the region.  This is already evidenced by the assistance provided to the victims of the Bam earthquake in Iran in 2003, to the tsunami affected countries in 2004 & 2005, to Pakistan after the October earthquake and to the United States after Hurricane Katrina.

Once again, thank you all for your time and for your participation in this effort which I believe will help to make the city of Delhi a safer place.

Thank you.