Page 3 - Disaster Management

Bill moots disaster management body for state capitals, big cities

Congress' Manish Tewari said the proposed legislation entrusted the rule-making powers upon the Centre and encroaches on the domain of the state governments

Assam floods: Home minister talks with CM Sarma, assures him of all help

The flood situation in Assam improved gradually even as over 5 lakh people in 17 districts are still reeling under the deluge, official sources said on Tuesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah telephoned Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to enquire about the situation, reiterating assurance of all help from the Centre, while Sarma also received a call from his Odisha counterpart offering use of the eastern state's disaster management system to mitigate the challenges. Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Monday and apprised him of the flood situation, a Raj Bhavan source said here. The Prime Minister said that the Centre is with the state government to deal with the situation and empower the state in mitigating the impact of flood. Modi also assured the governor of his support and assistance in helping the state government in carrying out the rehabilitation work, the source added. They said over 5,11,000 people remained affe

Water level in Ganga rises amid heavy rainfall in Rishikesh, says SDRF

Currently, the situation is normal at the moment and all the travellers and citizens in the town are being alerted by the water police and SDRF teams

Assam floods top points: Red alert in state, death toll rises to 52

Assam floods: Brahmaputra river is expected to recede by 35-65 cm by Saturday night, authorities advise continued caution near the riverfront as the water levels remain dangerously high

PIL filed in Supreme Court over multiple bridge collapse incidents in Bihar

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Bihar government to undertake a structural audit and set up an expert committee to identify bridges that can be either strengthened or demolished based on the findings. Ten incidents of bridge collapse have been reported in Bihar's Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran and Kishanganj districts in over a fortnight. Many have claimed that heavy rainfall might have contributed to the incidents. The PIL, filed by advocate and petitioner Brajesh Singh, raised concerns about the safety and longevity of the bridges in the state that witnesses floods and heavy rains during monsoon. Besides setting up a high-level expert panel, it also sought real-time monitoring of the bridges as per the parameters of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. In the PIL, the petitioner said it was a matter of grave concern that Bihar is the most flood-prone state in India. The total flood-affected area in the state is ..

Telangana to expand disaster management wing of GHMC to offer various svces

The Telangana government has decided to expand the disaster management wing of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to offer various services, including protecting government assets like water bodies against the threat of encroachments. A preliminary decision has been taken at a meeting held by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to name the expanded wing as Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA), an official release said on Monday night. In view of the expansion of the geographical area of Hyderabad, the CM directed expanding the purview of the disaster management wing up to the city's Outer Ring Road (ORR). The wing would serve the GHMC and also the 27 municipal bodies, 33 Gram Panchayats neighbouring the city. CM Revanth Reddy directed Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari to prepare a draft on the reorganization, requirement of personnel, duties, allocation of funds and responsibilities of the wing. The CM decided that the disaster managemen

DDMA issues guidelines to minimise impact of heatwave; details here

As per IMD, the maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius was recorded in the national capital on Wednesday

DoT plans trials for drone & balloon-based 5G restoration during disasters

The Department of Telecommunications will likely conduct trials in the coming months to assess the effectiveness of this initiative

Hoarding collapse: DDMA orders removal of 8 oversized hoardings in Dadar

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) for Mumbai on Friday directed the Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner to remove eight oversized hoardings installed by Ego Media Private Limited in Dadar area as they "may endanger the lives of general public," an official said. A hoarding installed by Ego Media collapsed on a petrol pump in Ghatkopar on May 13, killing 16 people and injuring more than 75. The official said that DDMA chaired by additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Joshi issued a notice to GRP commissioner and directed him to remove within three days eight hoardings on GRP premises. "It is noticed that, there are eight other oversized hoardings (i.e. more than (40ft x 40ft) erected on Government Railway Police premises within the Western Railway-jurisdiction of Railways, which are erected not in consonance with the policy of BMC i.e. (in terms of) location, size, type, structural audit etc," the notice read.

Asia world's most disaster-prone region in 2023, shows WMO report

Asia continued to bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023, making it the world's most disaster-hit region, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization. Floods and storms led to the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, and the impact of heat waves intensified, said the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) State of the Climate in Asia - 2023 report. According to the report, sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean hit record highs, and even the Arctic Ocean experienced a marine heat wave. "Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heat waves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Citing

Boat capsizes in Jhelum River, Srinagar: Six drowned, several missing

Adverse weather conditions, heightened by heavy rains over the past few days, caused landslides in the region, complicating rescue efforts

UN praises Odisha govt's disaster management, food security, millet mission

UN resident coordinator in India Shombi Sharp has commended the Odisha government's initiatives in disaster management, food security, 5T governance, Human Development Indicators (HDI) indicators, and the Millet Mission during a meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas here. Sharp, visiting Odisha, discussed the state's development trajectory and its collaboration with UN agencies, noting their fruitful partnership. He lauded Odisha's progress in enhancing HDI indicators and its disaster management efforts, particularly under Patnaik's leadership, which prioritised community-led systems following the Super Cyclone in 1999. Sharp highlighted Odisha's recognition as a leading state in disaster management, citing international accolades for its handling of Cyclone Phailin and Cyclone Fani. "Today, Odisha is recognised as a leading state in managing disasters. The UN felicitated Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2013 for handling the Cyclone Phailin in 2019 with the Ne

5 dead, over 100 injured in Jalpaiguri cyclone; WB CM Mamata meets victims

Four people died and over 100 were injured as a sudden storm wreaked havoc in parts of Jalpaiguri district in northern West Bengal on Sunday, officials said. Several hutments and houses were damaged, trees uprooted and electric poles came crashing down as strong winds accompanied by hail struck most parts of the district headquarters town and many areas of neighbouring Mainaguri, they said. Among the most affected areas were Rajarhat, Barnish, Bakali, Jorpakdi, Madhabdanga and Saptibari, the officials said, adding that several acres of agricultural land and crops suffered damages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the storm, and said he had spoken with officials and asked them to ensure proper assistance to those affected by it. "My thoughts are with those affected by the storms in Jalpaiguri-Mainaguri areas of West Bengal. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones," Modi said on X. "I would also urge all @BJP4Bengal Karyakartas to assist those .

Kolkata building collapse leaves 5 dead, CM Mamata assures stern action

At least 10 people were rescued after an under-construction building collapsed here late on Sunday night, officials said. The five-storey building collapsed in Hazari Mollah Bagan in the Garden Reach area. A search operation is underway to find survivors who may be trapped under the rubble, they said. "An under-construction building collapsed in the Garden Reach area late on Sunday night. We have rescued a few people. The recuse operation is still going on," a police official said. Ambulances were stationed at the spot. In a post on X, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said, "I urge @chief_west, Secretary @HomeBengal, @CPKolkata to immediately involve West Bengal State Disaster Management Team for immediate Rescue & Relief." "I am receiving frantic calls regarding probable casualties. Please dispatch any team which can help in rescuing the victims, be it Fire Servicemen, Police or any other team," he said. Adhikari also shared pictures from the ...

Govt developed early disaster warning systems, saved many lives: Amit Shah

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced a multi-dimensional disaster management plan and under this vision, the government raised prompt response forces and developed early warning systems that helped save millions of lives, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday. Shah also said that to build a disaster-resilient country, the prime minister has adopted a zero-casualty approach in India's response to calamities and the disaster response teams now operate as fully professional forces driven by the goal of securing every life. "PM @narendramodi Ji introduced a multi-dimensional Disaster Management Plan. Under this vision, the Modi govt raised prompt response forces and developed vigilant early warning systems leading to saving millions of lives," he posted on 'X' with the hashtag "Disaster Resilient Bharat". The home minister said that powered by the visionary leadership of Modi, the country today can tackle any disaster and due to the government's 'Mission Zero Casualty', ev

Colombia declares disaster over wildfires, asks for international help

Colombia's government declared a disaster on Thursday and asked for international help to combat raging wildfires that are expected to worsen in coming days due to warm, dry conditions associated with the El Nio weather phenomenon. Officials raised the number of fires from 25 to 31, and said nine of them were under control. They did not order mandatory evacuations despite some fires burning in the mountains that surround some municipalities. President Gustavo Petro said Chile, the United States, Peru and Canada have already responded to the call for help, without specifying when the assistance will arrive to the South American country. The government also asked for aid from the United Nations and European Union. To the extent that we know that in the coming days and weeks crisis events are going to increase, we want to make sure that we have the physical capacity to address and mitigate them, Petro said. Colombia's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies repo

Landslide traps 47 people in southwest China, more than 500 evacuated

At least 47 people were buried in a landslide that struck southwest China's Yunnan province on Monday morning, forcing the evacuation of 500 others in the region. The disaster struck the Liangshui village of Zhaotong city at 5:51 am Beijing time, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Efforts were ongoing to rescue the people trapped under the landslide, official media reported. Over 500 residents were evacuated from the landslide-hit areas as the provincial commission for disaster reduction activated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief, state-run CCTV reported. More than 200 rescuers, along with 33 firefighting vehicles and 10 loading machines, were mobilised to search for the missing. The buried villagers were from 18 households, rescue officials said. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known. Local weather forecast said there will be light snow in the town on Tuesday, with the lowest tempera

India offers 7 helicopters to Philippine Coast Guard for rescue operations

"The discussion is going on very well. The Coast Guard is very interested - they've flown the helicopter...," Kumaran told President Marcos

Odisha's turnaround in disaster management has lessons for the world

Battered by the 1999 Super Cyclone, Odisha invested in communities, infrastructure, and a stellar institution to lead from the front in building resilience

CM Sukhu distributes Rs 8.97 cr compensation to disaster-affected families

He provided Rs 3 lakh each as the first instalment to 94 affected families whose houses were completely damaged during the disaster in the district of Bilaspur