Defence Secretary inaugurates Annual Research Symposium of NBRO
- Steps taken towards strengthening the capacity of the NBRO and it will be strengthened with further regulatory powers with the enactment of proposed National Building Research Institute Act says Defenec Secretary.
The 11th Annual Research Symposium – 2021 on “Innovation Geared Building Resilience” organized by National Building Research Organization (NBRO) commenced today (Dec 14) the Water’s Edge Hotel, Battaramulla.
Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne graced the event as the Chief Guest. The Defence Secretary is also the Secretary of the State Ministry of National Security and Disaster Management.
The Defence Secretary was received by the Director General of the NBRO Eng.(Dr.) Asiri Karunawardena upon his arrival at the venue. The two-day Symposium is being held under the theme “Innovation Geared Building Resilience”.
Sharing the Head Table with the Defence Secretary were the Maj. Gen. Sudantha Ranasinghe DG Disaster Management Centre and Mr. Abdul Rahim Siddiqi, Country Director, World Food Programme.
A moment of silence was observed as tribute to all the lives lost due to natural disasters in the country.
This event was hosted as a hybrid form event where limited physical participation of researchers, disaster management practitioners, policy makers and eminent experts from local and international institutions and many others participants through the online platform.
During the proceedings of the inaugural session a book titled “Technical Guidelines for Disaster Resilient Construction” was launched together with the launch of yet another innovative service in the form of a Mobile Application on “Real Time Landslide Early Warning Dissemination”.
Addressing the gathering the Defence Secretary said, that under the President’s policy statement ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’, steps are taken towards strengthening the capacity of the NBRO and it will be strengthened with further regulatory powers with the enactment of proposed National Building Research Institute Act.
He said that management of the disasters is a pressing issue due to impacts of climate change and that the situation is likely to intensify in future due to the co-occurrence of multiple stressors in the form of both natural and human induced.
He highlighted the importance of scientific research and innovations play in disaster risk reduction by enhancing better risk reduction response, mitigation, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
As the key Research & Development and Technical agency of the State Ministry of National Security and Disaster Management the NBRO provides extensive and multidisciplinary technical guidance in disaster management, housing and construction sectors while promoting disaster resilient housing and building construction technologies with a view to creating disaster resilience in the country, he said.
He praised the contribution of the NBRO in achieving pre-determined goals of the disaster risk reduction in Sri Lanka and the technical support provided during disasters caused by extreme weather situations which required proficient and crucial decision making within a short stretch of time for the Government to make timely decisions.
Stressing the importance of collective action in stimulating the streamlining of disaster resilience in the socio-economic development of the country, the Defence Secretary requested all the stakeholders of disaster management sector and other institutes under the State Ministry of National Security and Disaster Management and line ministries to collaborate with the NBRO and the Disaster Management Division of the State Ministry, when and where necessary in accomplishing the development goals of Sri Lanka.
Eng. (Dr.) Asiri Karunawardena also presented a souvenir to the Defence Secretary during the event.
The keynote address was made by Eng. Mike Stannard from Wellington, New Zealand through online platform.
A gathering of industry experts, senior state officials and representatives of line agencies were also present at the occasion.
