Home Minister, Amit Shah today chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness of flood management in New Delhi. He also reviewed long-term measures to formulate a comprehensive and far-reaching policy to mitigate the menace of floods in the country. Mr. Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country’s disaster management is moving forward with a zero-casualty approach.
During the meeting, Mr. Shah directed the concerned departments to conduct a detailed study of the recent floods in Sikkim and Manipur and submit a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs. He said, at least 50 large ponds in the Northeast should be constructed so that the water of the Brahmaputra River could be diverted and stored in those ponds. He said, this will help agriculture, irrigation and tourism benefiting the local economy. The Home Minister appealed to the States and Union Territories to timely implement the advisories issued by the National Disaster Management Authority for flood management.
Mr. Shah also reviewed the preparations to deal with the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood. He also emphasized on optimum use of satellite imagery provided by the Indian Space Research Organization by various agencies for flood and water management. He directed the India Meteorological Department and the Central Water Commission to complete the process of recalibrating all the equipment used in flood forecasts. He also directed to ensure that the floodgates of all the major dams were in good condition. He said that the flood monitoring centres of the CWC should be in accordance with the country’s requirements and of international standards. He directed that efforts should be made to upgrade the forecast system of the water level of rivers for better flood management.
