Dehradun. On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, a mock drill will be conducted in all 13 districts on November 15th to effectively respond to earthquakes and other disasters caused by earthquakes and to establish better coordination between various line departments. On Wednesday, an orientation and coordination conference was held under the chairmanship of Secretary Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman to prepare for the mock drill. During this, all districts were briefed in detail on various aspects of the mock drill.
Secretary Disaster Management Vinod Kumar Suman stated that the Chief Minister had directed the state-level mock drill to be conducted to strengthen coordination between various line departments and central government agencies, to effectively conduct relief and rescue operations during earthquakes and other related disasters, and to ensure optimal utilization of resources.
He informed that the USDMA has begun preparations for the mock drill.
A table-top exercise will be held on November 12th, and mock drills will be conducted in all 13 districts of the state on November 15th.
He stated that the mock drills will be conducted under the IRS (Quick Response System). He explained that during the table-top exercise, all districts will report on their preparations, including the availability of resources, their deployment, and their plans for the mock drill.
Present at the meeting were Additional Chief Executive Officer (Administration) Anand Swaroop, Additional Chief Executive Officer (Administration) (DIG) Rajkumar Negi, Joint Chief Executive Officer (Md. Obaidullah Ansari), Director of ULMMC Dr. Shantanu Sarkar, Dr. Bimalesh Joshi, and officials and experts from USDMA, ULMMC, and U-Prepare. Officials from all districts and experts from various institutions participated in the online meeting.
Suman, Secretary, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, stated that Uttarakhand is a vulnerable state from an earthquake perspective. All districts fall in Zones 4 and 5. Therefore, to mitigate the effects of an earthquake, an effective response is essential not only at the government and administration level, but also at the community level. He explained that the USDMA is continuously working to strengthen the earthquake warning system. In collaboration with IIT Roorkee, the number of sirens and sensors is being increased. The Bhudev app has been developed, which will send alerts to mobile phones in case of an earthquake of magnitude greater than five.
Evacuation plans will also be rehearsed.
How people will be rescued in the event of an earthquake, designated routes, transport resources, and safe locations will be identified. In addition to clear guidance on maps/charts for public convenience, effective rescue plans will be developed for children, women, the elderly, and the disabled.
Relief camp arrangements will be tested.
Relief camps will be set up during the mock exercise. They will be evaluated in real time, ensuring proper arrangements for electricity, water, food, first aid, infant feeding, and pregnant women. Police and Home Guard personnel will also be deployed in relief camps to ensure the safety of women and children.
Mock drills will test district preparedness – Swarup
Additional Chief Executive Officer (Administration), Anand Swarup, highlighted the objectives of the earthquake mock drill. He explained that the mock drill aims to test district preparedness for earthquakes, strengthen coordination and response capabilities among various departments, verify the availability and usefulness of relief and rescue equipment, evaluate relief camp operations and the availability of food, water, and healthcare facilities there, test the effectiveness of the warning system, practice pre-determined evacuation plans for vulnerable areas, and strengthen community participation and response.
Negi: Additional Chief Executive Officer (Implementation), DIG Rajkumar Negi, stated that mock drills will be conducted on scenarios such as the rescue of people after a multi-story building collapse, the safe evacuation of children and teachers from damaged college/school buildings, the collapse of bridges and flyovers, flood relief and rescue operations following a dam failure, the safe evacuation of people from apartments and shopping malls, relief and rescue operations following a chemical leak in an industrial area, a glacier lake burst, railway track damage, and landslides. He also stated that mock drills will be conducted at night to demonstrate how effective relief and rescue operations can be conducted in the event of an earthquake at night.
