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Leading geographers to discuss ways to manage natural resources
ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY'S Geography Department is gearing up to host the three-day XXVIIIth Indian Geographers Meet from November 16. The conference will address problems of 'Managing our Natural Resources: With a Focus on Land and Water' as its focal theme, besides holding a number of technical sessions on different branches of Geography.
ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY'S Geography Department is gearing up to host the three-day XXVIIIth Indian Geographers Meet from November 16. The conference will address problems of 'Managing our Natural Resources: With a Focus on Land and Water' as its focal theme, besides holding a number of technical sessions on different branches of Geography.
Members of the Institute of Indian Geographers, other geographers and scientists from allied disciplines from all over the country are expected to attend the meet and share their research findings, present papers and participate in the proceedings of the Meet.
Informing about the conference, Head of the AU Geography Department and the president-cum-convenor of the meet, Prof HN Mishra said that the technical sessions will comprise various sections like 'Contemporary Thinking in Geography' dealing with issues related to changes in the content and methodology of the disciplines, philosophical issues, over emphasis on and neglect of certain aspects of geography among others.
"Similarly, a session on 'Physical Geography' will deal with topics related to Geomorphology, climatology, hydrology, biogeography environment, environmental resources and environmental issues as well as natural hazards. A session on 'Human Geography' will take up the technical evolution and societal changes, changing pattern and problems of rural and urban settlements, population growth and problems besides migration and impact as well as study of disadvantaged ethnic groups," Prof Mishra said.
The technical session on 'Economics Landscape' will take up issues like agriculture, industry and transport conservation and development of resources, planned development as well as regional and national environment and development conflict.
"A session on 'Applied Geography' has been planned that will deal with regional studies and regional planning, geography and public policy, political geography while another session on 'techniques in geography' will take up GIS and remote sensing in geographical studies and computer cartography," he said.
Prof Mishra said that a special feature of the meet will be a special session on 'Managing our natural resources with a focus on land and water'. "Natural resources constitute the assets, which enable humans to realise their cultural, social, economic and spiritual goals. During the last two centuries, the land and water resources of the earth have been put to great strain. They are no longer treated as indispensable for the very survival of humanity, let alone the great civilisation that we boast of," he said.
Both are considered as resources for exploitation rather than the very foundation for life to exist and evolve further into higher levels of consciousness.
"The meet has therefore invited papers on themes like current land use pattern in India and its implications for productivity, soil fertility and food security, problems of dessertification, erosion, exhaustion and pollution of land, need for organic farming. Other topics to be discussed in special session include climatic change and its implications for land and water resources of the country, surface water resources of India, its use and misuse, among others.
Prof Mishra informed that Professor RN Dubey Memorial Lecture will also be organised by RN Dubey Foundation in collaboration with IIG during the conference. "The IIG has instituted an award out of the funds received from Prof DN Singh, the present president, and Prof HS Sharma, the last year's president, for the best paper presented at the meet by a research scholar below the age of thirty. The award carries a certificate and a modest prize in cash," he added.
Prof Mishra said that another attraction during the meet will be the special exhibitions to be put up by the National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation, National Remote Sensing Agency and Census of India.
