The Hindu Business Line : ‘Resources networking vital for disaster management’

On the anvil
Cyclone-risk mitigation project covering five States and eight Union Territories with the project cost of Rs 1,600 crore.
Earthquake-risk mitigation project in all zone III, IV and V States.
A dedicated disaster communication network covering all the States with an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore.

Our Bureau

Hyderabad, Oct 21 Networking of national and international resources for effective disaster management is very important, according to the former President, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Speaking at the inauguration of the first World Congress on Disaster Management here on Tuesday, Mr Kalam said that it is very essential to know what we have in our country for disaster, forecast, management and relief.

“One of the most important aspects is mapping relief measures possible in the country with various institutions. All that we need is knowledge of availability of the resources and the allocation in time, so that relief and rehabilitation pain is reduced to a minimum,” he said.

The former President also said that during the board meeting of the Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), they discussed the type of contribution it can makeduring the occurrence of natural disasters.

“After looking into the progress of EMRI, we found that by 2009, it can form emergency response services in 11 States; we also realised that there would be 5,000 ambulances with life-support systems.

“The EMRI Board suggested that it is possible to configure the nation as five regions – southern, northern, eastern, western and north-eastern– to offer the EMRI services,” Mr Kalam said.

Mock exercises

While addressing the gathering, General N.C Vij, Vice-Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority, said that it was conducting mock exercises at different places in the country with the objective of testing the adequacy and efficacy of the plans and sensitising the stakeholders about their roles.

“Another important area that we are concentrating on is the mitigation projects. Currently, five mitigation projects are on the anvil and the detailed project reports are being prepared,” he said.

Mitigation projects

The NDMA has identified cyclone-risk mitigation project covering five States and eight Union Territories with the project cost of Rs 1,600 crore, earthquake-risk mitigation project in all zone III, IV and V States, a dedicated disaster communication network covering all the States with an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore. The subject also includes a national reserve for four lakh people and a pilot school safety programme.

General Vij also said that with regard to preparedness and response, the NDMA has also operationalised seven battalions of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) with the eighth one in pipeline – being raised at Greater Noida.

“We have projected a requirement of four additional battalions,” he added.

More Stories on : Natural Calamities | Andhra Pradesh

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page