Speakers at a seminar emphasized the need for a coherent grassroots community-led strategy to identify vulnerabilities and develop an action plan for effective disaster management and risk reduction. The seminar titled “Earthquake Awareness and Preparedness” was jointly organized by the Institute of Geology and Directorate of Students Affairs, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) in connection with the 17th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005, said a press release received here on Wednesday. The speakers called for an inclusive capacity-building program for the service providers, sustained awareness campaigns on Disaster Risk Management (DRM), and the establishment of multilayered disaster response teams backed by emergency response centers at the gross root level. Addressing the seminar as chief guest, Chief Secretary AJK Dr. Muhammad Usman Chacher said that no country in the world was immune to disasters and such events do not respect any border, religion, or origin. “I can proudly say that today, the State government and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) are now in a much better position to deal with any disaster-like situation,” he added. Dr. Chacher underlined the need for capacity building of the organizations directly or indirectly dealing with catastrophes. He said it was after the devastating earthquake in 2005 that the importance and need for robust and effective disaster management and disaster risk reduction were truly realized. “The calamity was taken as a wake-up call that led to the establishment of a comprehensive disaster risk management system in the country”, he said. Referring to the recent flash flood in the country, the Chief Secretary said that we were facing a cascade of accelerated climate events with great frequency and with this challenging phenomenon; we confront extreme weather events as a new normal in the region. Dr. Chacher further said that such a situation merits timely preparation by all the actors and the academic role of being the expert and the professional was very crucial. He appreciated the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir for holding a seminar on such an important topic and thanked the guest speakers for enlightening the audience on this very core issue of concern. The Chief Secretary expressed his hope that the outcomes of the workshop would be fruitful and recommendations may enable the government and other relevant agencies to devise a comprehensive mechanism to safeguard the people of the region and their properties. Addressing on the occasion, the Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi highlighted that random and unscientific construction patterns and tremendous increase in population since the last major earthquake combined with a warning level of seismic hazard and high liquefaction potential index leads to the insecure future of the region.