CS reviews flood management, mitigation plan for Kashmir

Jammu, Apr 27:  Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo Saturday chaired a meeting of the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department to review the flood management and mitigation measures being evolved for Kashmir.

The chief secretary asked for devising an effective strategy to deal with the flood-like situation in Kashmir.

He said that floods were disasters which require prior preparedness to alleviate the damage caused by them.

Dulloo called for evolving proper SoPs to deal with the floods as like the ‘Code Blue’ being followed in hospitals, where every concerned individual is fully acquainted with his or her role and responsibility in times of emergency.

He called for having a detailed flood mapping and inundation map of each area in the districts to act accordingly.

The chief secretary exhorted the DCs and Divisional Commissioner to have proper planning in place to deal effectively with natural disasters.

He also asked for having a direct communication link with the public in times of such disasters so that they do not panic and get actual information about rescue measures and places available for the public.

Dulloo suggested mapping of mobile towers so that customised messages to people in case of emergencies can be sent.

He also asked for the identification of rescue centres in all flood-prone having all the requisite amenities.

The chief secretary also asked to work out a proper backup strategy to augment the efforts of the administration in case of any possible emergency.

He also asked to make training and exercises an important part of the preparedness plan.

Dulloo took stock of the functionality of dewatering stations in Srinagar City and asked for periodically checking them for efficacy.

He reviewed the working of the Emergency Operation Centre and the vital installations present in the flood-prone areas.

The chief secretary called upon the divisional administration to carry out an exercise of creating a backup for such installations.

ACS Jal Shakti, ACS Forest, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Secretary PWD, Secretary Health, Secretary Grievances, Secretary DMRR&R, IG Traffic, Deputy Commissioners, SPs, Chief Engineer I&FC and UEED, and representatives of NDRF and other concerned officers attended the meeting.

During the meeting, ACS Jal Shakti, and Shaleen Kabra threw light on all the measures taken by the department to deal with such kind of natural calamities in J&K.

He said that J&K besides increasing the carrying capacity of the River Jhelum and Flood Spill Channel had adopted other state-of-the-art technologies to have better information and coordination to mitigate its effects.

Kabra said that the department had installed the Early Warning System and automatic water sensors besides carrying out audits of embankments to deal with floods effectively.

He said that the ‘Kashmir Flood Watch’ mobile app and website give updated information about the water levels in rivers.

The ACS Jal Shakti also revealed that other requisite information is also transmitted to the public through both traditional and social media handles simultaneously.

The meeting was apprised of the works carried out, so far, by the department.

It also laid out the plans of the department besides the contingency plan it has devised for the eventuality.

The meeting also presented the stock position of different flood mitigation items available with the department in its stores.

The meeting was informed that the central flood committee is being headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, while the District Coordination Committees were headed by respective DCs.

The meeting discussed the river capacity, first overflow, danger level of water, and level for declaration of flood as per the gauge readings at Sangam, Ram Munshi Bagh, and Asham.