India: Call to make engineers, masons assist in North East disaster recovery

An international conference on disaster mitigation and management in India's northeastern region has called for a special cadre of engineers trained to assess damage as well as an "army" of masons and artisans to deal with post-disaster scenarios, reports Business Standard.

The two-day conference, "When the Mountains Move and the Waters Rise", urged governments, scientists, researchers and civil society groups to break out of their silos, disciplines and departments and develop fresh approaches to disaster scenarios.