GUWAHATI, Dec 4 - In the days to come, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority will implement a slew of measures to ensure that the State is better equipped to face a natural disaster.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, PK Tiwari, while interacting with media persons here today, said that as Assam is more prone to floods, three more mechanized boats have been sanctioned to cope with the problem of flood situation in the districts.
�Keeping the communication lines intact during a disaster is very important. So we have focused on improving our communication network and introduced one more toll free number,� said Tiwari, adding that as of now Assam is better equipped than many other States to tackle an emergency situation. Tiwari further said that his department has developed a new mobile application for sharing disaster-related information.
Urban flooding is another major concern for the department and Guwahati has always reeled under artificial floods. It may be mentioned here that Guwahati alone will get ten rafts to cope with the situation of artificial flood. Waterlogging has been a perennial problem of the capital city, throwing life out of gear and creating a lot of miseries for citizens. Tiwari said that the rafts would help to reach out to people in the areas where mechanized boats cannot be pressed into service. Already 16 automatic weather stations have been installed as part of the preparedness process.
�Assam will soon have its third SDRF team. Every step has been taken to meet a disaster situation created by natural calamity,� said Tiwari, observing that it is also important to train the communities so that they can cope with a disaster.
The government is focusing on forming village land management and conservation committees and 16,500 committees have already been formed. Management groups at the ward level will also be formed to cope with disaster situations.
