Steady stream flowing, manual early warning system put in place
State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel headed by commandant Navneet Bhullar reached the lake on the Rishiganga river on Saturday. It was ascertained that a steady stream of clear water is flowing and that presently there is no danger posed by the lake formed by debris of the disaster which occurred nearly a week ago on Sunday. However, with the government not taking any chances, the SDRF has developed a manual early warning system from Pang to Tapovan.One team each of the SDRF has been posted at Pang, Raini and Tapovan. Equipped with binoculars, satellite phones and public address systems, the SDRF teams will raise the alarm and alert people in nearby villages and the area upto Joshimath in case of any emergency situation. The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) additional CEO and SDRF DIG, Ridhim Agrawal informed that the SDRF teams are maintaining communication consistently via satellite phones. The teams will immediately provide information in case there is case there is any rise in the level of water. In such a situation, it would take between five to seven minutes to make people leave the areas near the river. In the next few days, an early warning system will be set up in the disaster affected areas. The system will alert the public via siren in case the water level reaches the danger mark.
Meanwhile, Garhwal commissioner Ravinath Raman held a meeting with officials concerned to review the progress in rescue and relief efforts in the disaster affected areas. He directed that officials that keeping safety in mind, the search and rescue operation should be speeded up. Seeking information from the various departments and forces about the efforts, he also sought information about the issues being faced in the rescue operation. He said that the rescue team should not take risk at the vulnerable spot of the Tapovan-Vishnugad power project barrage. The NTPC general manager informed that about 136 metres of the tunnel in which persons were trapped has been cleared of debris. Drilling has also been commenced and in about 10 to 12 hours, the actual situation inside the tunnel might possibly be known.
Sunday, 14 February 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
