Chamba gears up for mock drills at Chamera hydel sites
A pre-planning meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) was held in Chamba under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner-cum-DDMA Chairman Mukesh Repaswal to review preparations for upcoming mock drills simulating natural disaster response.
The mock drills are scheduled for May 15 and 16 at strategic locations associated with the Chamera hydroelectric power projects. On May 15, exercises will be conducted at Chamera Power Station-I (Dam Site and Power House) and Chamera Power Station-II (Rajera Power House and Bagga Dam Site). On May 16, the drill will take place at Chamera Power Station-III (Dharwala Power House and Kharamukh Dam Site). All drills will commence at 11 am.
DC Repaswal outlined the drill scenario, which involves simulated heavy rainfall lasting over 48 hours and sudden cloudbursts leading to a rapid rise in water levels. These conditions are designed to test spillway capacity and downstream emergency response mechanisms. The objective is to assess the preparedness of hydropower stations and the coordination between various departments and emergency services.
Key areas of focus during the meeting included evacuation strategies, public information systems, readiness of rescue and relief equipment, medical response planning and standard operating procedures for safety and media engagement. Repaswal stressed the importance of full participation and prompt coordination from all departments to ensure the success of the drills and enhance disaster resilience.
Attendees included Additional Deputy Commissioners Amit Mehra and Kulbir Singh Rana, SDM (Civil) Priyanshu Khati, District Revenue Officer Vikramjeet Singh, Executive Engineer Dinesh Kumar (PWD) Jitendra Sharma (Jal Shakti Department), RTO Ram Prakash, Deputy General Manager PK Trivedi (Chamera Power Station-III), Manager LS Bisht (Chamera Power Station-I) and other officials representing hydroelectric projects and line departments. The meeting concluded with a call for vigilance, timely response and inter-agency collaboration to minimise risks in real disaster scenarios.
