We must invest in resilient infrastructure today for a better tomorrow: PM Modi

Emphasising the need for investment in resilient infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the focus should shift towards resilience in infrastructure once relief and rehabilitation are carried out after a disaster strikes.

Addressing a gathering at the 6th edition of the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure via video message, the Prime Minister reflected on the "impressive growth" of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure since its inception in 2019.

Prime Minister Modi underlined that it is now a global coalition of 39 countries and 7 organizations. "This is a good sign for the future," the PM added.

"We must invest in resilient infrastructure today for a better tomorrow. Resilience must be factored into new infrastructure creation while also being a part of post-disaster rebuilding. The focus should shift towards resilience in infrastructure once relief and rehabilitation are carried out after a disaster strikes," he said.

Noting the growing frequency and severity of natural disasters where the damage caused is usually evaluated in dollars, the Prime Minister highlighted that its true impact on people, families and communities is beyond numbers.

PM Modi drew attention to the impact of natural disasters on humans and mentioned earthquakes destroying houses making thousands of people homeless and natural disasters disrupting water and sewage systems putting people's health at risk.

He also touched upon natural disasters that can impact energy plants leading to potentially dangerous situations. Underlining that nature and disasters have no borders, the Prime Minister said that disasters and disruptions cause widespread impact in a highly interconnected world.

"The world can be resilient collectively, only when each country is resilient individually," PM Modi said. He stressed the importance of shared resilience due to shared risks and said that CDRI and this conference will help the world come together for this collective mission.

"To achieve shared resilience, we must support the most vulnerable", the Prime Minister remarked.Referring to the Small Island Developing States at high risk of disasters, Prime Minister Modi mentioned a CDRI program for funding projects across 13 such places.

He gave examples of resilient housing in Dominica, resilient transport networks in Papua New Guinea, and enhanced early warning systems in the Dominican Republic and Fiji. He expressed satisfaction that CDRI also has a focus on the Global South.

The Prime Minister recalled the formation of a new Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group with financing at the heart of its discussions during India's G20 Presidency and said that such steps will take the world to a resilient future along with the growth of CDRI.