Orange alert issued for U’khand by IMD
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 25 Jul: India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange Alert for several districts of Uttarakhand from Monday onwards and the southwest monsoon remaining active across the State. Keeping this under consideration, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman on Saturday directed all the district administrations to maintain a high level of preparedness and ensure swift response to any rain-related emergencies.
Chairing a review meeting at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) here on Saturday, Suman reviewed the damage caused by the monsoon in various districts, along with ongoing relief, restoration and rehabilitation works. He directed the district authorities to submit detailed damage assessment reports to the State government without delay to facilitate timely action.
Emphasising on the need for continuous monitoring of the evolving situation, Suman asked the officials to regularly analyse information received from the districts and take prompt action wherever required. He instructed the Public Works Department (PWD), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) authorities and other executing agencies to restore all the blocked roads at the earliest, with particular priority being given to rural roads. He also sought details from officials regarding the difficulties being faced in reopening the roads and asked them to resolve such issues immediately to ensure uninterrupted delivery of relief and essential services to affected areas.
The meeting also reviewed the water levels in major dams and barrages across the State, with the Secretary directing the concerned departments to maintain constant surveillance. He informed the meeting that the IMD had issued an Orange Alert for Dehradun and Bageshwar districts on July 27; Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Nainital and Dehradun on July 28; and Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Tehri, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Bageshwar on July 29. In view of the forecast, all district administrations have been instructed to strengthen advance preparedness, ensure rapid response and maintain heightened vigil in vulnerable areas.
Suman further directed that night-time vehicular movement in hilly regions should be regulated or restricted wherever necessary to minimise the risk of casualties due to landslides and other rain-related hazards. He also instructed that the number of pilgrims staying overnight at each of the Char Dham shrines should be reported daily to the State Emergency Operations Centre to facilitate prompt decision-making in the event of any emergency.
The review meeting also assessed the ongoing Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Suman sought details regarding the present location of pilgrimage groups, the condition of the route and the arrangements in place, directing officials to accord the highest priority to the safety and security of pilgrims. In view of the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, he also issued instructions to the concerned districts to ensure effective crowd management, smooth traffic regulation, deployment of disaster response teams, adequate medical facilities and robust communication systems.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Executive Officer (Administration) Prakash Chandra, Additional Chief Executive Officer (Implementation) and DIG Rajkumar Negi, Joint Chief Executive Officer Dinesh Kumar Punetha, Dr P.D. Mathur, experts from the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) and nodal officers of various departments.
During the meeting, Suman also directed all district administrations to identify and honour officers, employees and disaster management personnel who display courage, dedication and exceptional service during disaster situations. He said such personnel would be felicitated on Republic Day, Independence Day and Uttarakhand Foundation Day in recognition of their outstanding contribution to disaster response and public service.
The Secretary further instructed all districts to upload details of disaster management equipment, machinery and trained human resources available in their respective jurisdictions on the India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN) portal. He said the database would enable authorities to quickly identify the availability of equipment and trained personnel in different districts and deploy them promptly to affected areas whenever required.
Suman also announced that under the World Bank-assisted Uttarakhand Preparedness and Resilient Environment Project (UPREPARE), tehsils across the State would be technologically strengthened to improve disaster preparedness and response. As part of the initiative, video conferencing facilities, digital display screens, laptops, computers, high-speed internet connectivity and Wi-Fi infrastructure will be established at tehsil headquarters. He said that these facilities would significantly improve coordination and decision-making among the State, district and Tehsil administrations during emergencies and could also be used as disaster control rooms whenever required.
