Rains on the way, Himachal reviews steps to combat emergencies

Shimla, June 12

The State Disaster Management Authority, in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), conducted a tabletop exercise on disaster management here today. The aim of the exercise was to simulate emergency situations and exercise the roles and responsibilities of key disaster managers, while learning from domain experts about the latest trends in disaster relief. The scope encompassed contemporary disaster issues in the state, including flood, landslides and glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).

Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena said the exercise was held to prepare and check standard operating procedures (SOP) to meet various exigencies during disaster. He said the preparedness and response in case of a disaster needed to be properly coordinated and the entire exercise must be drilled to the lowest level. “This mock exercise will help us in getting to know of the efficacy of incident response plan (IRS) at the ground level,” he said.

He further said the tabletop exercise was a landmark event for exchanging knowledge, capacity-building and strategic planning in disaster management. It would provide a valuable platform for stakeholders to collaborate, share knowledge and enhance their preparedness for effective disaster management in the state.

Saxena said a mock drill would be conducted on June 14 under the guidance of consultants and observers of the NDMA, Army and ITBP. The exercise would help in drawing an effective disaster and IRS plan and target any shortcomings, he said.

NDMA Senior Consultant Major General (retd) Sudhir Behl conducted the exercise through a video-conference in which senior officers of the NDRF, Army, ITBP and state government, besides all DCs and senior district-level officers participated. He gave a detailed presentation on conducting mock drills.

The multi-stakeholder exercise brought together central ministries, disaster management institutes, early warning agencies and disaster management organisations. As key stakeholders in disaster management, the NDMA, SDMAs, and the Indian Army recognised the importance of learning from past experiences.

Revenue and Disaster Management Special Secretary DC Rana said hypothetical scenarios based on floods, landslides, GLOF etc. would be created for the mock drills that are to be held across the state, in which all districts will participate. The exercise will be conducted in coordination with the NDMA, Army and para military forces personnel.

Tribal district checks preparedness for disaster

Kinnaur: Dr Amit Kumar Sharma, Chairman of District Disaster Management Authority and Deputy Commissioner of Kinnaur, held a meeting today at the DC office to discuss disaster preparedness in light of the upcoming monsoon. He instructed officials of the ITBP, Army, Police, Home Guards and Health Departments to remain vigilant during the monsoon and directed all departments to prepare disaster plans to ensure rescue and relief operations can be conducted whenever needed, especially in case of cloudbursts and landslides in the tribal district.

The DC directed GREF, NHAI and PWD to deploy adequate machinery and labourers at sensitive locations to enable immediate relief operations in the event of a landslide. — OC