Panaji: 16 November,2022

 

The First Oceanographers and Hydrographers Conference under the umbrella of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) commenced at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa on 15th November. The conference is being conducted from 15 to 18 November at Goa and Hyderabad.  The hosts for the event include eminent institutes in the fields of Oceanography and Hydrography such as the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), National Institute of Hydrography (NIH), National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) at Goa and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) at Hyderabad.

The theme for the conference is “Our Ocean is Our Future”. On the first day of the conference, the Heads of Oceanographic and Hydrographic Institutes of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka engaged in discussions on sharing of knowledge and best practices. They identified each other’s strengths and capabilities in the field of Ocean Observation, Ocean Modelling, Hydrographic Surveys, and Ocean Information & Advisory services with the overall aim of adopting a collaborative approach to address regional challenges related to the oceans.

It is important to note that the Indian Ocean plays a vital role in directly impacting the livelihood of a vast population in the littoral nations of the Indian Ocean Region.  There is, therefore, a need to develop a much deeper understanding of ocean science. Dr. M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences in his opening remarks stated that it is important for us to share “what we know” and identify “what we need to know”.

The conference is a significant milestone for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), more so when the current decade of 2021-30 has been declared as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. It also works towards the fulfilment of the Honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) through collaborative efforts of the oceanographic and hydrographic communities of CSC nations.

The Colombo Security Conclave is a multilateral forum for addressing regional security challenges in a collective manner. The grouping includes Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka in addition to India. Bangladesh and Seychelles are currently observers in the forum.  

G.Kumar/S.Thakur/PM

 

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