India to step up support to multi-hazard warning system RIMES

New Delhi: India today announced to step up financial support for developing an integrated multi-hazard warning system for the Asia-Africa region for better coordination in efforts to respond to natural disasters.

The first ministerial meeting of the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for Africa and Asia also decided to evolve a financial mechanism as appropriate to enable RIMES to realise its full potential.

"For this purpose a sub-group of ministers could be constituted with appropriate terms of reference to recommend such financial mechanism," a joint declaration adopted at the end of the day-long meeting said.

It also welcomed India's active consideration to financially support prioritised projects of the RIMES Master Plan and requested financial support from international donor agencies.

Speaking at the conference, Earth Sciences Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said funding proposals of RIMES to be implemented in Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Philippines, Nepal and Bhutan were under active consideration for full support.

He promised continued support of India in the institutional development of RIMES and in providing resources to meet the needs and demands of member states.

Ministers and representatives of 21 member states of RIMES from Papua New Guinea to Comoros and Uzbekistan attended the day-long conference.

Minister of State Earth Sciences Ashwani Kumar lauded RIMES on up-grading the multi-hazard early warning systems of tsunami and hydro-meteorological hazards to enhance the technical capacity of all partner nations to be fully prepared for emergency response to trans-border hazards.