Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chaired a high-level meeting in New Delhi to assess the preparedness for flood management ahead of the upcoming monsoon season. The Home Minister reviewed the overall measures and discussed the formulation of a comprehensive policy to address the perennial flood issues in the country.
Shri Amit Shah highlighted the efforts being made under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the field of disaster management to minimize the loss of lives and livelihoods during disasters. He emphasized the need to expand the current 5-day rain/flood forecast provided by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and Central Water Commission (CWC) to a 7-day forecast by the next monsoon season. This extension will further enhance flood management capabilities. The Home Minister directed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to develop comprehensive software by March 2024, which will enable the dissemination of scientific data to all early warning agencies and disaster management agencies. He also suggested involving foreign expert agencies in the development of this software. Furthermore, Shri Amit Shah recommended providing disaster rescue training to traditional divers in villages under the Aapda Mitra scheme of the government.
The Union Home Minister instructed officials to strengthen coordination between central and state agencies to establish a permanent system for forecasting floods and rising water levels in major catchment areas of the country. He emphasized the need for continuous monitoring of river levels and taking appropriate measures such as embankment monitoring, evacuation, and temporary shelters to respond effectively to impending floods.
Shri Amit Shah advised specialized institutions like the IMD and CWC to continue upgrading their technologies for more accurate weather and flood forecasts. He emphasized the timely dissemination of IMD warnings on lightning strikes to the public through various mediums such as SMS, TV, FM radio, etc. The Home Minister called for maximum publicity of weather forecasting mobile apps like ‘Umang,’ ‘Rain Alarm,’ and ‘Damini,’ developed by the IMD, to ensure their benefits reach the targeted population. The ‘Damini’ app provides a three-hour advance warning about lightning strikes, thereby reducing potential loss of life and property. As per the Home Minister’s directive from the previous flood review meeting, the app is now available in 15 languages for easy dissemination of information.
Shri Amit Shah stressed the importance of coherence in community awareness programs run by different agencies and recommended integrating them for maximum effectiveness, as the community plays a crucial role as the first responder during disasters.
During the meeting, presentations were made by the IMD, Chairman of CWC, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Department of Water Resources, River Development & River Rejuvenation (DoWR & GR), Railway Board, Director-General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Director of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) – Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). They provided updates on the actions taken or being taken based on the directions given by the Union Home Minister during the previous flood review meeting and outlined the future plan of action for the current monsoon season.
The meeting was attended by Secretaries of various ministries and departments, including Home Affairs, Water Resources, River Development & River Rejuvenation, Environment, Forests & Climate Change, and Road Transport & Highways, along with senior officers from concerned ministries, IMD, and Railway Board.