GUWAHATI, Dec 20 - The Kamrup Metro district administration will formulate a plan of action for disaster management based on the observations and results of the recently-held Guwahati Emergency Management Exercise (GEMEX) 2015.
Sources said that the observations made during the various specialised trainings and drills undertaken in the GEMEX have been documented and a further plan of action will now be prepared to deal with instances of disasters and calamities.
GEMEX, organised by the District Disaster Management Authority of Kamrup Metro in collaboration with the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, was held in the city from December 14 to 18.
�It was a simulation exercise in disaster preparedness of the city as a whole, including various stakeholders like hospitals, schools, government departments and other institutions,� said an official.
Specialised trainings were carried out at 11 different venues simultaneously, with participants from various fields like SDRF, police, volunteers, NGOs, different line departments, teachers from various schools and colleges, totalling over 800 people.
Officials said that among the basic objectives of the exercise were to review the existing emergency response plans of all emergency support functions of the district and preparation and activation of the schools and colleges� disaster preparedness and response plans.
Besides, it was also intended to review current contingency plans of major accident hazard units falling under the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) limits as well as capacity enhancement of different stakeholders involved in emergency management and response.
In addition, the exercise also sought to check testing and redesigning procedures on inter-agency communication, coordination and inter-operability in respect of emergency disasters. Officials said that mega mock drills were also intended as an opportunity for all stakeholders to work together in a coordinated manner during disaster situation.
Besides the specialised trainings, a table-top exercise was conducted in the Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium at Khanapara, where all participants from different training tracks sat together and discussed the response strategy of each agency and tried to find out the strengths and gaps in inter-agency communication, discrepancies and overlaps.
A field drill was held at the Veterinary College playground on the concluding day of the exercise, in which three types of disaster scenarios were simulated.
�Observers were placed in different points and places to monitor the whole response system of the administration. The observers identified the gaps in the entire coordination and response system of the district. This will help the district administration and different stakeholders to improve the response system,� an official said.
