PANAJI
With disaster management infrastructure finally in place, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in collaboration with the stakeholders in the State government will conduct a mock drill to tackle disasters such as floods and cyclones, on Friday.
The mock exercise will be led by NDRF’s two teams of 50 members each along with Fire, Districts Disaster Response Force, among others.
Setting up of triage camps, mobilization of ambulances, medical staff, shifting of rescued personnel to trauma centres/hospitals and other supporting activities will be a part of the day-long drill. There will also be police presence to ensure there’s no panic among the citizens and to maintain the law and order.
The NDRF officials, on Wednesday, displayed the equipment for rescue and relief operations at the Secretariat.
After a two-year delay, the State government installed 38 early cyclone warning dissemination towers, which will automatically raise an alarm upon receiving an alert, 72 hours in advance.
Chief Engineer of the Water Resources Department Pramod Badami said that they have also constructed 11 disaster-resistant shelter homes in the coastal belt. WRD is the nodal office and the implementing agency for the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project.
Addressing a joint press conference of the State authorities and NDRF officials on Wednesday, Badami said that four crucial compositions of the project such as capacity building at the local level, disseminating early warning information to the people in vulnerable areas, construction of shelters in coastal areas and improvement of electrical infrastructure will be entirely completed by month-end.
“The towers are fitted with high beam lights and will blow sirens in case of any warning at night,” he added.
The State has also constructed 11 multipurpose cyclone shelters having a capacity of 500 persons each with medical facilities. These structures along the coastal belt are disaster-resistant.
The nodal agency has also set up an underground lighting system in the potential cyclone-affected areas of Anjuna, on a pilot basis, which will be subsequently replicated in other coastal areas.
The authorities, in 2020 had revealed plans to install 39 towers ” 19 in North Goa and 20 in South ”across the coastline.
The earlier deadline set by the nodal agency was October 2020 after the government awarded the contract to BIPS System Ltd.
The laying of underground power cables in the coastal belt is also undertaken to ensure if a cyclone hits the state, the electricity supply is not disrupted.
