Webinar held on Built Environment Performance in Recent Disasters: Lessons Learnt
Srinagar, 1st September 2025
The Indian Buildings Congress (IBC) J&K Chapter commemorated the 34th Foundation Day of IBC with a webinar on *“Performance of Built Environment in Recent Disasters: Lessons Learnt.”* The session brought together engineers, architects, planners, builders, academicians and policymakers to reflect on recent disaster events and translate lessons into resilient practice. Welcoming participants, Er Aamir Ali, Chairman, IBC J&K Chapter, said that the recent impacts of floods, earthquakes, cyclones, and other hazards underscore that “while development is essential, resilience in the built environment is non-negotiable.” He noted that the performance of buildings, bridges, and lifeline infrastructure during disasters directly determines community safety and the continuity of essential services, urging professionals to reflect on past experiences, identify shortcomings, and translate lessons into action. Inaugurating the webinar, Er Chinmay Debnath, President, Indian Buildings Congress, highlighted IBC’s growth into a respected professional body contributing to national policies, building codes, research, and innovation in the construction sector. He emphasized IBC’s pivotal role in promoting safe, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure across the country, and called for sustained focus on research, dialogue, and action in sustainable construction and disaster-resilient infrastructure. Given the region’s fragile mountains, seismic vulnerabilities, and climate-related risks, he underscored the urgency of embedding resilience as a core value in planning, design, construction, and maintenance. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Dr. Amir Ali Khan, Head, Resilient Infrastructure Division, National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, and Member, Advisory Committee of J&K SDMA. He raised concerns over the rising frequency and severity of disasters in hill regions, citing the cloudburst in Uttarakhand as an example of recurrent hazards. He stated that persistent encroachment of floodplains reflects gaps in risk-sensitive land-use planning. Elaborating on core Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) concepts—hazard and vulnerability—he discussed their practical applications. While expressing concern about the growing impacts of water- and climate-related hazards, he reminded that earthquakes remain highly deadly and demand sustained attention. He stressed the need to integrate traditional knowledge and best practices into disaster preparedness and development planning. Dr. Khan referred to recent extreme events in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, including the Tawi Bridge collapse, linking failures to poor construction practices and weak land-use planning. Citing the 2014 Kashmir floods, he noted that older city areas were relatively less impacted, whereas newly developed zones suffered more due to neglect of traditional risk-mitigating practices. He underlined the relationship between disasters and development, urging stakeholders to choose a pathway that safeguards communities: sustainable and resilient development aligned with standards and codes. He called for improved construction practices in line with BIS and NBC standards, risk-sensitive urban planning, and the strategic integration of climate resilience and DRR measures.
The webinar was attended by hundreds of participants from across India, including Er S.R.S. Madni, Former Secretary to Government, PHE Department; Er Yogesh Mohan Mehra, Chief Engineer, PWD Haryana; Dr. Narayan Rao, IIT Indore; Rahul Jugran SDMA Uttarakhand, Dev Dutt Sharma (IAS Retired) Himachal Pradesh, Ar. Masroor Ahmed Shah, Project Manager, Building Centre Srinagar; Dr. Rajni Srivastava, Allahabad; Dr. Suhail Aijaz Shah, Professor, Kashmir College of Engineering and Technology; Er. Irfan Shafi Parray; Er. B.L. Rawat; Er. Ankur Nanda and Er. Sunil Seth from IBC J&K Chapter; Members of the Civil Engineering Students Association (CESA), NIT Srinagar; students and staff from SSM College of Engineering, Parihaspora, and students from various polytechnics, IITs and Degree Colleges. Er. S.R.S. Madni said that there is need to learn lessons from nature and refrain from vandalizing forests, streams and rivers. He observed that our elders also constructed buildings and structures but they were rooted in harmony with the environment, many of which have stood the test of time.
