Jalrahat: A flood relief drill underway in city

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 29: For the first time ever, a coordited and comprehensive action plan is in the offing to rescue marooned people during urban flooding in Guwahati.

A three-day mega flood relief drill exercise ‘Jalrahat’ – an exercise for tackling urban flooding, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief - jointly conducted by the Armed Forces, the Government of Assam, the tiol Disaster Magement Authority, the Assam State Disaster Magement Authority and other agencies which began yesterday, was in full display on the southern banks of the Brahmaputra near Bhutth in the Santipur area of Guwahati today.

The mock drill exercise, which lasted for over an hour, kept the spectators on the edge of their seats as personnel from the Armed Forces, the vy and the Air Force, the tiol Disaster Magement Authority, the Assam State Disaster Magement Authority and other rescue and relief agencies worked in tandem and precision to rescue marooned people from rooftops and inundated areas. It also showcased how people can save themselves from floods by adopting simple techniques with materials that are available in their surroundings and at homes. The highlights of the drill exercise were aerial recce, rescue by boats, rooftop rescue by helicopters, rescue by aerial ropeway, diving operation, small team incision and extrication operation (sky ops), manual rescue from multi-storey buildings and dropping of food supplies by helicopters.

Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal said the plan put in place will help to rescue marooned people in the event of flooding in Guwahati city. “With the kind of sophistication induced in our technology systems, the rescue and relief operations have got a shot in the arm,” he added.

Extending his special thanks to the Armed Forces and other agencies involved in the drill exercise, Sonowal pointed out that such exercises should be carried out in rural, far-flung and interior areas so that people of those areas get valuable tips on how to save themselves at the time of calamities. “It will be a good endeavour if such drill exercises conducted here to tackle urban flooding in Guwahati, are carried out in the rural, far-flung and interior areas of the State to create awareness in a big way. People in those areas must get the opportunity to see such exercises so that they get valuable tips as to how to fend themselves and others in the event of tural calamities,” he added.

The Chief Minister lauded the initiative of Prime Minister rendra Modi on putting a comprehensive disaster rescue and relief operation mechanism in place to reach out to people at the time of exigency.

In his welcome address, Lt. Gen Devraj Anbu, GoC of 4 Corps, said the key facets of the tiol Disaster Magement Plan, 2016 have been integrated encompassing understanding of disaster risks, disaster risk reduction and enhancing disaster preparedness to save precious lines.

Anbu said that disaster magement right from the planning stage has been evolved with coordited efforts of the Armed Forces, the Army, the vy, personnel of the tiol Disaster Magement Authority, the Assam State Disaster Magement Authority and other agencies.

The GoC further said that the three-day exercise would include static demonstrations at the Assam Engineering Institute playground today with summing up tomorrow.