Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts (My Speech Dated 23rd April 2025)

Dilip Changkakoty

 

                                             Photo courtesy Shri Pranab Sharma, Numaligarh, India


World Heritage Day 2025 -


ICOMOS India – North East Zone
Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: A Five-Year Review of Preparedness and Action

 

Respected Colleagues, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Namaskar.

It is my honour to speak on a theme that is not only relevant, but deeply urgent for our times: Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Learning of North East Zone of ICOMOS India Actions.

The North East of India—rich in its tangible and intangible heritage—is also one of the most ecologically and politically sensitive zones in the country. From natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides, to socio-political unrest, and social conflicts, the region faces challenges that can seriously endanger heritage assets, both monumental and cultural.

 

Over the past five years, ICOMOS India's North East Zone has not only observed these vulnerabilities, but has actively engaged with them. Our actions have been grounded in fieldwork, community dialogue, academic analysis, and institutional cooperation.


I. Understanding the Threat Landscape

Let us begin with the threats. In the North East, natural disasters are frequent— annual floods in Assam and Tripura, earthquakes in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, climate-induced landslides in Sikkim, Meghalaya and Nagaland. These events do not merely displace people; they erode memory, identity, and built heritage.

Conflict, too, has its mark. Ethnic tensions and territorial disputes have in some instances endangered cultural landmarks, tribal memory, and ritual spaces. Even the intangible—the oral traditions, musical expressions, and indigenous ecological wisdom—can suffer rupture when communities are displaced or divided.

 

II. Actions and Interventions: 5 Years in Review

Over the past five years, we have undertaken multiple initiatives. Allow me to highlight a few of our key actions:

 

1. Documentation of At-Risk Sites

Our members have identified and documented many places, from the earthquake sensitive monastery in Tawang to the flood-hit sattra in Majuli. This leaves room for both conservation planning and the possibility of a future UNESCO tentative listing.

2. Disaster Risk Preparedness Workshops/Webinars

We have been organizing capacity building workshops/webinars for local stakeholders, architects, government officials and students in general. A notable example is the workshop/webinar conducted in collaboration with ICOMOS ICICH, the Delphic Council, Society of Srimanta Sankardev & others, which focused on traditional construction resilience and retrofitting practices.
 
3. Community Engagement 

We have consistently promoted people-centered heritage protection. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to take grassroots steps to preserve the traditions of rituals that were endangered during the disaster.

4. Policy Dialogue

We have been cooperating with the administrations of the States of North East India since the Government of India directed the District Magistrates in charge of Heritage. Our collaboration continues to help integrate disaster risk management into heritage planning at the district level.

5. Rapid Assessment Protocols

Our national committee has developed a Rapid Assessment Tool for post-disaster heritage impacts. This tool has been helping authorities to take timely decisions for heritage recovery and conservation.


III. Learning and Reflections

 

What have these years taught us?

 

  • Preparedness is not optional. Heritage cannot be a passive victim of disaster. It must be prepared—through mapping, risk assessment, and training.
  • Local knowledge is critical. The North East’s indigenous practices often contain deeply sustainable wisdom. Bamboo architecture, earthquake-resilient stilts, and sacred ecological zones need to be studied and revived.
  • Heritage can unify. In times of conflict, shared heritage—rituals, music, craftsmanship—can provide a platform for dialogue, reconciliation, and identity.
  • Technology must meet tradition. We now employ drone-based surveys and 3D scanning, but never at the cost of community engagement. The heart of heritage lies with the people.

 

IV. Looking Ahead

As we plan for our Annual General Meeting and Scientific Symposium in Guwahati with collaboration of Assam Royal Globle University, Guwahati, this theme calls us to deepen our commitment.

We would like to propose: 

  • A Regional Task Force on Heritage and Disaster Preparedness.
  • A Heritage Resilience Fellowship, encouraging youth from the region to study and innovate.
  • And crucially, a roadmap to guide state heritage policy to integrate risk preparedness, traditional knowledge, and participatory conservation.

Conclusion

In the North East, the land sings in many tongues, and each voice tells a story of survival, beauty, and legacy. But these stories are fragile—threatened by flood, fractured by conflict, and often forgotten in policy.

As ICOMOS India, we have not only the expertise, but the ethical duty to protect these heritages. Let us move forward together—resilient, rooted, and ready.

Thank you.


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