With the monsoon season approaching, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken proactive steps to ensure public safety. In a high-level meeting, he directed officials to create a comprehensive plan to address potential flooding after the monsoon rains.
The primary focus of this plan is to guarantee the timely relocation of residents and their livestock to secure areas.
Meanwhile, in a piece of welcome news for residents suffering from extreme heat, scientists from the Meteorological department have predicted that the monsoon will likely arrive between June 20 and 25.
Relief Commissioner GS Naveen said that preparations to tackle potential floods are underway as per the chief minister’s directives. The state has been divided into three zones for flood management: 29 highly sensitive, 11 sensitive, and 35 normal districts. Teams, including officials from the Irrigation, Agriculture, and Animal Husbandry departments, have been alerted to monitor these areas closely.
Additionally, the SDRF, NDRF, PAC, and Meteorological department are on high alert. Seven NDRF teams, 18 SDRF teams, and 17 PAC teams have been pre-positioned. The relief commissioner’s office has also set up a daily review system to receive reports from Meteorological, Irrigation & Agriculture departments and Central Water Commission to ensure swift action.
The state-level Emergency Operation Centre has been activated, running a 20-seat call centre for the 24/7 relief helpline (1070). This centre will update field officers in flood-affected districts via SMSes and voice calls. Additionally, 24-hour district emergency operation centres with video-conferencing facilities have been established and linked to the state-level relief control room. A flood preparedness checklist has been sent to all districts.
The Yogi government has also deployed 400 ‘Aapda Mitras’ to deal with floods and other disasters in the state and provided them with a 15-day training, uniforms, ID cards, certificates, and emergency response kits. Furthermore, 10,500 volunteers have been trained to assist in emergency situations.
