Amit Shah chairs high-level meet on flood, heat wave preparedness

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting to review the country's preparedness for floods and heat waves, calling for a 60-lake early warning system and the constitution of Flood Crisis Management Teams in every state.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the country's preparedness to deal with potential floods and heat waves in a comprehensive manner during an important high-level meeting held in the national capital, an official release said.

Key Directives on Early Warning and Response

Addressing the meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that at least 60 lakes should be included in the plan to develop an early warning system for 30 high-risk lakes in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim with the support of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Shah also said that there should be an integrated system for flood forecasting at both the Centre and State levels. Shah said that Flood Crisis Management Teams (FCMTs) should be constituted and activated in every state of the country.

Strengthening Guideline Implementation

He said that the guidelines issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for disasters have led to better awareness and the development of a "Whole of Government" approach, but reviewing compliance with these guidelines at the state, district, and municipal levels can further strengthen their implementation.

He also said that the NDMA should conduct a study to assess how many states are following the Ministry of Home Affairs' directives and the NDMA guidelines for dealing with forest fires, heat waves, and floods.

Vision for 'Zero Casualty' and Climate Resilience

Union Home Minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, efforts must be made to implement the vision of Zero Casualty Disaster Management. He said that greater possibilities for water conservation and improvement in groundwater levels should be explored through water storage and check dam projects. "Our objective should be to conserve water by constructing check dams on rivers while also minimising the impact of heat waves."

He further said that the CAMPA Fund should be utilised to make efforts aimed at making environmental balance more multi-dimensional. Amit Shah said that a master plan should be prepared to address the changes in weather patterns caused by climate change and the growing disaster-related challenges arising from them by adopting a "Whole of Government" and "Whole of Society" approach.

Improving Technology and Forecasting

He asked the officials of the ministries and departments present in the meeting to focus on consolidating and improving the existing apps and portals instead of creating new ones. He also said that weather forecasts and warnings should be disseminated widely and effectively.

As per a release, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that efforts should be made to further improve "our assessment of the upcoming monsoon by studying casualties during the monsoon season, the accuracy of our forecasts," and the damage caused to the agriculture sector.

Amit Shah appreciated the work being carried out by the ministries and departments participating in the meeting, as well as the coordination among them. He said that the time has now come for weather-related plans to reach the grassroots level.

Annual Review and Past Initiatives

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has accorded the highest priority to preparedness for reducing the impact of floods and other natural disasters. Every year, the Union Home Minister conducts a detailed review of pre-flood preparedness, and several important initiatives have been undertaken in accordance with his directions. These include extending the advance period for rainfall and flood forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) from 3 days to 7 days, as well as improving the standards for heat wave forecasting, a release stated.

The meeting was attended by Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, the Union Home Secretary, Secretaries and senior officials of various ministries, members and heads of departments of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Director Generals of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Chairpersons of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Central Water Commission (CWC), as well as senior officials from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and other concerned departments, the release added. (ANI)

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