Assam: Workshop on disaster risk reduction ends at Dibrugarh University

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: A two-day workshop on Community-led Disaster Risk Reduction and Humanitarian Response & Advocacy in the Context of Floods and River Erosion in Assam concluded on Thursday at the Vikshan Conference Hall of Dibrugarh University. The programme, held on August 13 and 14, was organized by North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) in collaboration with the Centre for Social Work Studies, Dibrugarh University, and supported by the Start Network.

The workshop brought together around 30 participants, including local community-based organizations (CBOs), humanitarian and development Civil Social Organizations, flood and erosion-affected community members along the Brahmaputra river, youth leaders, women’s groups, students of social work, and academia.

In his inaugural remarks, Tirtha Prasad Saikia, Director of NEADS, emphasised the urgent need for community-led approaches to disaster preparedness and advocacy, particularly in the face of Assam’s recurring floods and riverbank erosion. Dr Manuj Dutta, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Social Work Studies, extended a warm welcome to all participants.

The technical sessions featured Luit Goswami, Director of Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC), Rajen Saikia, Chairperson of Inter Agency Group, Dhemaji district, and Deborah Sangma, State Coordinator of the Inter-Agency Group, Assam, who shared insights on grassroots resilience, coordination in emergencies and strategies for influencing policy change.

The workshop resulted in an enhanced understanding of localized disaster risks, strengthened community capacities in DRR and humanitarian response, improved stakeholder coordination and the development of advocacy plans aimed at systemic change.

Participants expressed optimism that the knowledge and connections built during the workshop would contribute to more resilient communities across flood-prone areas of Assam. Certificates were distributed to all participants at the end of the programme. Local humanitarian civil society organizations such as SEWA, Jeevan Shiksha, Brahmaputra Foundation, North-Star Club, Socio-Economic Development Organisation, SSF, Lakhimpur, People’s Action for Development (PAD), Pathikrit, and representatives from flood-affected communities of Mohanaghat, Dibrugarh, were present at the event.

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