Share
Temjen Toy, right center, addresses departmental officers and establishments chiefs, on April 16 at the Secretarait in Kohima.[/caption]
Dimapur, April 17 (EMN): Monsoon in the past few years have been destructive in many areas of Nagaland. This time around, government authorities are taking no chances—or at least as meetings and discussions go—as they prepare for emergencies now that the monsoon has begun.
The government’s publicity agency, the Information and Public Relations (IPR), issued updates on Wednesday informing about a recent meeting of top government officials and departments that was convened to discuss matter concerning the monsoon and how to tackle weather-related eventualities.
The state’s Chief Secretary Temjen Toy conducted a meeting with government heads at the secretariat on April 16 in Kohima. The meeting was convened to review pre-monsoon preparedness among the departments and in the state, the IPR informed.
‘All the departments must take preventive checks and be prepared for any emergency, as in Nagaland most disasters occur in the form of landslides due to excessive rain and clogged drainages during monsoon season and many such disasters can be avoided with timely action,’ Toy was quoted as having told the officials.
The meeting deliberated on a number of ‘action points’ related to meeting emergency situations that may be faced with the onset of monsoon season in the region.
The government has decided that a “mass social work” will be carried out across the state on May 4. The work is intended to clear clogged drains, culverts, and debris to “avert landslide and other disasters,” according to the IPR.
In the districts, similar meeting will be convened by deputy commissioners with the “line departments” to discuss matters.
Alternative routes
The officials are also said to have deliberated on issues concerning road blockages in far-flung areas of the state during monsoon. The officials decided that the district administrations will have to identify alternative routes. This effort will be led by the Nagaland State Disaster Management Agency (NSDMA) and “line departments.”
The officials felt that the deputy commissioners and officials of the Road & Bridges department should ‘work out alternative routes’ in the districts and important places to be used during the monsoon season during eventualities.
Food supply
On the issue of shortage of food supplies in remote areas during emergencies, the government has decided that warehouses in the divisions will have to be stocked with food grains. The stock can be used as relief for people that may be affected or as and when need arises, the IPR informed.
The state officials also decided that the Health and Family Welfare department will keep ‘sufficient stock of medicines and manpower’ available in the district hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres in the districts to counter emergencies.
The government also took note that ‘tons of horticulture crops are damaged every year’ due to excessive rain and hailstorms. The departments have decided that ‘a parameter for damage assessment’ will be brought up by the NSDMA.
All the other departments associated with the assessments of damage to roads, crops and bridges etc., are asked to be realistic in their assessments. On crop insurance, the departments of agriculture and allied sectors have been directed to formulate the modalities.
During the meeting, the government decided also that more training and refresher courses will be given to State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) personnel so that they are in a better position to tackle any emergencies that may arise during the monsoon season.
The NSDMA is also required to first consult with the SDRF when purchasing equipments. This is get and meet the exact requirements, the IPR added.
During the meeting, an officer on special duty, Johnny Rongmei, gave a report. He was stated to have mentioned discussions between district disaster management agencies and ‘line departments’ at the district level concerning ‘monsoon preparedness status of the districts.’
Also, the IPR stated, the district commissioners are to review landslide-prone areas that may disrupt ‘daily routine’ of the populations. Rongmei was stated to have mentioned that the status of public infrastructure, including helipads, should be monitored by the line departments such as Public Works department, Public Health Engineering; and Power, and Urban agencies etc.
The emergency response teams are to be available at any given time, the officials were told. Rongmei mentioned that completing repair works and cleaning drains is required. Likewise it is for identifying alternative routes and roads, he said.
The district disaster management agency for Dimapur is also to take precautionary measures against flooding of Dimapur airport, the IPR stated.
In other matters, the state authorities discussed the reports of diseases in cattle in some parts of Dimapur, specifically its subdivision Medziphema. The Animal Husbandry department has been directed to procure sufficient “medicines” to contain the outbreak of the epidemic.
The veterinary authorities are directed to keep sufficient drugs in stock in case of any more of such outbreaks during the monsoon season, the IPR added.