GUWAHATI, June 15 - With incessant rains leading to flood and landslides in and around Guwahati, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) moots a Guwahati-specific advance warning system to help in pre-stationing of rescue teams in vulnerable areas.
The SDRF will pursue the matter with the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) so that a Guwahati-specific early warning system can be developed and resources mobilised before any damage is done.
The Director General of SDRF, AP Rout, told this reporter that damage can be minimised �if we can anticipate the gravity of the situation well ahead of time and respond by way of prepositioning rescue teams in vulnerable locations, which are more or less known.�
�A specific warning system should be developed for Guwahati with the help of the Weather Department as the general weather report hardly provides any pinpointed alert. Once we get such specific alerts, we can station our rescue teams before time in vulnerable areas,� Rout said, adding this would cut down the response time substantially and help in saving human lives and property.
�Once it starts raining heavily, it becomes equally difficult for the rescue vehicles and personnel to reach the spot due to floods leading to massive traffic jams. The warning system would help us take necessary measures at the right time,� Rout said.
The ASDMA has since sanctioned 10 more fibre-reinforced plastic boats for the SDRF which would add teeth to the rescue operations during flood and emergency situations. Meanwhile, the SDRF has chalked out a series of awareness programmes covering various districts of Upper Assam and Lower Assam.
Besides awareness on flood, landslides, earthquake, water-logging and against the use of plastic bags, the programme that is expected to start from August this year will touch upon various other social issues such as witch-hunting, illiteracy and family planning.
The awareness programme titled �Mahabahut Mahajatra� would be conducted in different places, from Dhola-Sadiya to Dhubri district.
