Over 540 delegates take part in Nahan college's virtual International conference
The Department of Geography at Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar Government Post Graduate College, Nahan, hosted a virtual international conference today on ‘Himalayan Environmental Issues and Disaster Risk: Multidisciplinary Perspectives’. Regarded as the first-ever international academic conference in the history of the college and Sirmaur district, the event marked a significant milestone in strengthening higher education, research and global academic collaboration in the region.
Deliberations centred on the growing environmental fragility of the Himalayan region, often described as the ‘Water Tower of Asia’. Experts underlined how climate change, glacier retreat, deforestation, biodiversity loss, hydropower expansion, tourism pressure and unplanned urbanisation had intensified ecological degradation. Rising incidents of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, earthquakes, avalanches and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) were highlighted as serious threats to infrastructure, livelihoods and sustainable development.
More than 540 delegates from universities, research institutions and government bodies across India participated in the conference, representing states like Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. The event featured an eminent panel of international and national experts, including Dr Ashok Verma from NASA (USA), Dr Suresh Vishwakarma (Canada), Raisa Torres Ramírez (Ecuador), Dr Anwesha Borthakur (Germany), Dr Neelay Srivastava (Thailand), Dr Praveen K Thakur from ISRO, Dr Devendra Pradhan from the India Meteorological Department, and Dr Pritam Chand from the Central University of Punjab. High-altitude specialists and Everest summiteers also shared valuable field experiences.
Eleven technical sessions witnessed the presentation of over 400 research papers covering glacier dynamics, geomorphology, biodiversity conservation, disaster risk reduction, GIS and remote sensing, climate modelling, early warning systems, waste management, watershed sustainability, and policy frameworks aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Principal Dr V K Shukla described the conference as a landmark academic achievement that provided a crucial platform for scientists and policymakers to deliberate on practical solutions. Organising Secretary Dr Jagdish Chand emphasised the importance of such initiatives for bridging the gap between scientific research, policy formulation and grassroots implementation, thereby strengthening climate-resilient development in the fragile mountain ecosystems.
