Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) , an independent international centre for research and consultancy in engineering-related geosciences in Norway, will assist Kerala in the area of disaster management and help the State manage the ravages of natural calamities in a scientific manner.
NGI will extend help to Kerala in preventing coastal erosion and in the construction of the Wayanad tunnel path also, a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said.
Norway extended its assistance to the State during the visit of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who is currently on a European tour
Following an appeal by Mr. Pinarayi, Dominik H. Lang, the Director, Natural Hazards at Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, promised to send experts from various sectors to Kerala to impart their knowledge and technical expertise on minimising the impact of natural hazards .
NGI is already providing its technical assistance to the Indian Railway in constructing rail tunnels. In Ladakh too, it is Norwegian technology that is being utilised to study the nature of rocks at a depth of 7 km. Mr. Vijayan suggested that the same technology of NGI could be of use in Kerala in Wayanad where a tunnel pathway has been proposed.
NGI’s technology for predicting the possibility of soil erosion or landslip ahead is being used successfully in many nations and the institute is cooperating with many Central Government institutions too. In the area of coastal erosion also, NGI has evolved many modern yet natural solutions
Mr. Vijayan explained the devastating impact of the recent natural calamities in Kerala and suggested that NGI might be able to step in with suitable technologies to help the State combat these problems better.
NGI suggested that it might be able to help Kerala with necessary technical assistance in flood mapping.
How NGI can cooperate with the Universities and other research institutions in the State may be explored after the Norwegian experts visit Kerala, Dominik Lang said.
The Kerala delegation included six members, including a technical expert of Indian origin, Rajendra Kumar
