A five-day field training cum implementation workshop for students was organised by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) in association with Department of Geology, North-Eastern Hill University, which concluded today.
Over 120 students drawn from various colleges, PG students from NEHU as well as Research scholars from NEHU including two Russian scientists Lozovskii Ilia and Dr. Prorokova Mariia who are on a visit to NEHU, participated at the workshop on, “Post Flood Reconstruction Measures using Nature-based Solutions”.
Accordingly, during the five days program pertinent topics were discussed and two days were spent in the field for demonstration and implementation of the nature based solutions so that when similar rainfall occurs the less impact on the slopes is there and for disaster resilience.
The Pahamlang landslide site was selected for the training and implementation. During the field visit all participants and the college students from colleges in Ri Bhoi district especially Alpha College of Arts and Commerce, Nongpoh got first-hand information and learned the ways to stabilize landslides with the help of Vetiver Grass Technology.
The local communities were also involved so that they are able to get trained, contribute, and help providing the nature based solutions in the times to come to stabilise the area, while a nursery in NEHU with the help of Department of Botany is being developed to make available the vetiver grass as and when required.
During the fieldwork students were exposed to different components of slopes consisting of soil, debris and rock and various reasons for slope stabilisation including controlling the drainage and slope gradient.
The participants were trained by Rtn Vivek Kumar, Vice-President of Rotary Club of Orchid City Shillong, who is also pursuing his research in the field of hydro-geochemistry, to determine the physico-chemical characteristics such as pH, Conductivity, Biological Oxygen Demand etc. of water before and after treatment using the nature based solution so that the lakes and rivers can remain clean and even remain potable.
He introduced how nature-based solutions can effectively help in reducing water pollution post rainfall and flood.
Prof. Chandan Ghosh of NIDM informed how the Vetiver Grass can prevent further damage by preventing future landslides and its other uses were also discussed throughout the workshop.
Many participants pledged to plant the grass saplings in areas around their home for further spread of awareness of this technology and congratulated the organizing team for a successful workshop and were very eager to see the development and usage of the technology in the coming days.
