PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that national institutions should work together to strengthen forecasting systems to reduce the impact of landslides and other disasters in Uttarakhand. He stated this after members of the inter-ministerial team of the central government met chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the secretariat on Wednesday after visiting disaster-affected areas in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Bageshwar and Nainital districts.
The team, led by joint secretary of the Union Home Ministry R Prasanna, included under secretary Sher Bahadur, superintending engineer Sudhir Kumar, deputy director Vikas Sachan, chief engineer Pankaj Singh and director Virendra Singh. Dhami said that Uttarakhand is highly vulnerable to disasters, especially during the monsoon season when heavy rainfall causes landslides, floods and waterlogging.
He stated that national institutions should work together to strengthen forecasting systems to reduce the impact of landslides. He added that excessive rainfall this year had caused damage to life and property in several parts of the State. He said that incidents of cloudbursts and landslides in hill areas cause permanent loss of land, making it unusable for farming or construction and stressed the need for an effective action plan.
The inter-ministerial team shared feedback received from affected people and noted that relief efforts carried out by the State government were effective. The team acknowledged the arrangements made in relief camps, including food, shelter, medical facilities and other essential services. It also pointed out that the immediate assistance of Rs five lakh to the families of deceased and those whose houses were fully damaged had provided significant support. The officials informed that the team appreciated the availability of complete data on pregnant women with district administrations and the continuous efforts to ensure their health and safe delivery.
Members said that this initiative could be adopted by other states as well, as per the officials. The team also highlighted that the heavy silt accumulation in rivers due to floods and landslides was raising water levels, which could pose risks in the future.
Chief secretary Anand Bardhan, additional chief secretary RK Sudhanshu, secretary, disaster management Vinod Kumar Suman and additional CEO of State Disaster Management Authority Anand Swaroop were present during the meeting. It is pertinent to mention here that the central government will issue a relief fund based on the report of the inter-ministerial team that inspected the disaster affected areas on Tuesday.
