Recent earthquakes highlight the need for a risk reduction strategy, especially for urban centres. With expanding cities, risk to human lives, buildings and infrastructure also increases. Urban safety has thus gained importance in recent years.

India has made some major advances in seismological research in the past few decades. However, gaps continue to remain, and populations remain vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis. Initiatives like microzonation, and scientific drilling may yet provide a solution to these problems.

Shailesh Nayak led from the front for a major part of the ten years that the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) completed on July 27, 2016. As secretary to the Government of India from 2008 to 2015, the distinguished scientist formulated innovative projects that made science part of a common man’s life. In his illustrious career he integrated new initiatives such as the monsoon mission, seismological and cryospheric research, to name a few. Talking with Sulagna Chattopadhyay, the gifted gentleman outlined his vision for the dazzling future of the MoES.

The authors are scientist C, scientist F, scientist B and director, respectively, at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad and secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences. srinivas@incois.gov.in

Monitoring from space, aerial and in situ platforms in coastal regions will help develop models for interactions between ecological and anthropogenic processes, helping sustainable management of coastal zones.

Dr Shailesh Nayak, Secretary Ministry of Earth Sciences and Chairman, Earth Commission.

Dr. Shailesh Nayak’s calm aura, ease and lucidity spoke of an authority that complemented his tall frame. Self effacing about being the pioneering scientist in shaping the recent Tsunami Warning System, Dr Nayak was happy to have placed the best possible technology worldwide, which would send real time warnings and protect the coastal populace of our subcontinent. Strengthening the technological base he asserted was his foremost concern, as it would assist a better understanding of earth processes as well as create a service base for data dissemination to user groups in the sectors of agriculture, disaster management, sports and more. Worried about the empirical nature of monsoon models, he believes that monsoon predictions would improve dramatically with enhanced observation systems. In about three years, he emphatically adds, the systems would be in place and by 2012 accurate predictions would make it easier to manage extreme events of rainfall.