Ms.Borah Mridusmita (India)
My name is (Ms.) Mridusmita Borah, and I am a Visiting Researcher at
ADRC from India. I am a Project Officer (Disaster Risk Reduction) for
the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) for the Stateof Assam, India. Prior to taking my current position, I had worked withvarious research organizations and institutions and gained experience
working with applications for GIS & remote sensing technologies ingeology, land use, disaster management, and rural development. I also
worked with an NGO. I have a Master of Science in Applied Geology, andtherefore am quite familiar with the anthropogenic and natural phenomena that cause disasters, aswell as the earth’s processes that contribute to those disasters. I joined ASDMA in 2014 and havebeen actively working on implementing DRR activities in the state since then. ASDMA is one of themost pro-active disaster management authorities in India, and Assam was recently declared the 4th
most Disaster Resilient State in India per the Disaster Resilience Index, a report published by theIndian Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the UNDP.
India shares borders with Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, China,Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Assam is situated in northeastern India and shares borders with China,Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. India has a total area of about 3.287 million sq. km., comprisedof 29 states and 7 union territories. Of these 36 regions, 27 are prone to disasters. Population growth
has a direct impact on the increase in anthropogenic activities and thus escalates the possibility ofdisasters caused by human intervention. Natural disasters are also quite common in my country.
As the DRR officer in my state, I am responsible for developing DRR policies relevant andsuitable to that state. My work is varied, and includes CBDRR projects, the School Safety National
Flagship project, identifying local DRR innovations, conducting trainings, preparing departmental
plans, and the development of local policies and guidelines. However, while preparing DRR
policies/guidelines for my own state, I take into consideration the national guidelines of the Indian
Ministry of Home Affairs as well as the NDMA. I design DRR pilot projects for relevant disasterprone areas of my state with support from technical experts within my organization. My organization
also engages in collaborations with technical agencies like UNICEF, IAG, the Red Cross, and Save
the Children on policy support and project implementation. I coordinate with these agencies for theeffective implementation of DRR in the state. I am also working on a pilot project called Developing
Flood Resilient Villages, and the second phase of the project is now in the planning stage. Theproject was initiated in May 2016 and the first phase activities are nearly complete. The first phaseof this pilot project has been considered by the World Bank to include the project initiatives underAssam Flood, Erosion and River Management Modernization Project.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge the relentless efforts of ADRC to support knowledge cocreation programs, enable research, and promote DRR in Asian member countries. I feel privileged
to be a part of the 2018 Visiting Researcher Program, where I can represent India and enhance myknowledge of DRR.
I hope this trip will give me fruitful insights for planning the second phase of the CBDRR
pilot project. Jai Hind!! (Victory to India)