The Gurgaon city administration is set to conduct a comprehensive disaster management drill at several locations on May 14 to assess preparedness and inter-departmental coordination during emergencies such as waterlogging and flooding. This exercise is part of a large-scale flood rescue mock drill being carried out across 13 districts in Haryana.
Focus of the Drill
The primary objectives of the drill include swift evacuation of people to safer locations, enhancing coordination among various departments, and strengthening rapid response capabilities during disaster situations. The exercise aims to simulate real-life scenarios to test and improve emergency protocols.
Tabletop Exercise and Preparations
In preparation, Haryana’s additional chief secretary and financial commissioner of the revenue and disaster management department, Sumita Mishra, conducted a tabletop exercise via videoconferencing with officials from concerned departments and districts. The meeting included detailed discussions on relief and rescue operations, communication systems, availability of resources, inter-departmental coordination, and emergency response mechanisms. Necessary directives were issued to ensure a smooth drill.
At the district level, ADC Sonu Bhatt reviewed preparations in a meeting with officials from disaster management-related departments. “The objective of this exercise is to evacuate people to safe locations in minimum time, strengthen coordination among departments, and improve rapid response capability during disasters,” said the ADC.
Staging Area and Simulated Scenarios
Bhatt stated that Tau Devilal Stadium has been designated as the staging area from where the entire mock exercise will be coordinated. During the drill, a simulated flood-like scenario will be created at the DLF Phase-1 Underpass, areas around Sector 43 and Sector 27, and the Signature Tower Underpass. A live demonstration of relief and rescue operations will be carried out at these locations.
District Disaster Operation Centre
A district disaster operation centre will be established at the Mini Secretariat for operations during disaster situations. During the mock drill, various aspects will be practised, including rescue operations, first aid, relief material distribution, emergency communication systems, evacuation of people to safe locations, and provision of medical assistance.
Training of Yuva Aapda Mitra Volunteers
Meanwhile, the administration is training 750 young ‘Yuva Aapda Mitra’ volunteers in Gurgaon for disaster management. A total of 300 volunteers have completed the training so far and have been provided emergency responder kits. These volunteers have also been trained in first aid, rescue, and emergency response so that immediate assistance can be provided to the public in times of need.
