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2018 UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowship for an Indian
The Embassy of Japan and UNESCO New Delhi jointly organized an event on 7 August 2019 to congratulate Dr Narakula Srinivasa Rao recipient of this years UNESCOKeizo Obuchi Research Fellowship Dr Rao is a Researcher at the National Geophysical Research Institute Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Hyderabad Under the Fellowship Dr Rao will be based at the UNESCO International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management ICHARM in Tsukuba Japan to undertake research on Impact of waterrelated disasters on hydrological cycle over the Indian subcontinent from land and space data assimilation for a duration of nine months The opportunity is timely given the increase in climaterelated disasters and the need to improve integration of hydrological and meteorological forecasting systems in which ICHARM is specialized Present at the event were Mr Toshihide Ando Deputy Chief of Mission Embassy of Japan Mr Eric Falt Director UNESCO New Delhi along with other colleagues Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra Director General India Meterorological Department and Mr Kamal Kishore Member National Disaster Management Authority We believe that this fellowship is highly relevant in view of the increase in extreme weather conditions witnessed in India in 2018 and 2019 said Eric Falt while congratulating the Indian fellow It is an opportunity to strengthen the capacity for the development of forecasting systems that give earlier flood warning in situations where a few hours can make a major difference he further added The UNESCO Keizo Obuchi fellowships programme was established by the Government of Japan in 2001 to support innovative and imaginative postgraduate research in areas of environment with particular attention on disaster risk reduction intercultural Dialogue information and communication technologies and peaceful conflict resolution which is in line with UNESCOs mandate and programmes