Dhaka: South Asian nations agreed on Thursday to set up a disaster management centre in India to help the region better handle calamities like Tsunamis, earthquakes and floods that have ravaged it in the past year.
The agreement came at a meeting of SAARC officials in Dhaka, ahead of the summit.
India has been victim of two of the world's worst disasters in the past year, the Tsunami and the Kashmir earthquake.
"Cooperation in disaster preparedness and disaster management is a priority area for SAARC," India's representative, E Ahmed, said referring to the SAARC nations.
"India's offer to host a SAARC regional centre for disaster management has been welcomed and accepted in principle," he said.
"This is a recognition of India's abundant experience and capabilities in this regard, which we are prepared to put at the disposal of SAARC member states."
SAARC, a 20-year-old economic grouping, includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.
India is working on a plan to set up an early warning system for ocean disasters like Tsunamis and a monitoring system costing $28 million is being built in Hyderabad.
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