Millions of people are affected by natural and human induced environmental hazards and disasters every year, and the impact can be calamitous. From the destruction of building to the spread of disease, it can devastate entire countries overnight. The unplanned growth of urban populations and economies drives exposure to natural hazards ever higher. At the same time poor natural resource management and urban expansion create environmental stresses that exacerbate the impact of hazards such as floods and landslides.
Going forward, the future holds new challenges as climate patterns change. Some of question we hope to answer for each possible natural disaster are: Where is each type of hazard likely to be present and why? What scientific principles govern the processes reasonable for the disasters? How often do these hazards develop into disasters? How can each type of disaster be predicted and/or mitigated? Disaster risk management includes risk assessment, disaster prevention and mitigation and disaster preparedness. It is used in the international debate to underscore the current trend of taking a proactive approach to hazards posed by extreme natural phenomena.
The intention is a comprehensive reduction in disaster risk accounting for all the factors that contribute to risk management in relation to the respective disaster as opposed to a focus on each individual danger.
The main objectives of the seminar are as follows:
- To generate public awareness on landslide hazards in Malaysia.
- To provide a platform for experts to share experiences and knowledge of the best professional judgments of disaster management.