In the wake of the upcoming monsoon season, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed the preparations with the concerned officials and directed them to complete all necessary arrangements to effectively tackle potential floods before June 15.
“In accordance with the directives of the chief minister, the steering group meeting has also been completed in 73 districts constituted under the chairmanship of the District Magistrates. A central flood control room has been set up in Lucknow, while around 50 flood control rooms have been set up in flood-prone districts. From June 15 through the end of the rainy season (likely till October), these control rooms will remain operational,” a government spokesman said.
Prioritising the safety of the common person, more than 282 projects related to floods have been completed in 2022–2023 while over 982 flood projects in total were finished during the Yogi government’s tenure.
A total of 412 projects are currently underway, including 265 new projects, 7 dredging-related projects, and 140 other projects.
Around 50% of the work on over 325 projects has been completed whereas 113 wireless centres operated by the Uttar Pradesh Police Radio Headquarters in Lucknow will remain operational 24/7 to facilitate quick exchange of flood-related information.
The 16 flood-sensitive districts in Uttar Pradesh include Saharanpur, Shamli, Aligarh, Bareilly, Hamirpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Rampur, Prayagraj, Bulandshahr, Moradabad, Hardoi, Varanasi, Unnao, Lucknow, Shahjahanpur, and Kasganj.
Through a video conferencing, the chief minister directed the district magistrates to conduct pre-flood inspections in the presence of the MPs and MLAs. He said districts should have their own action plan for disaster management while youth should be trained with the help of NDRF/SDRF.
The chief minister also directed the officials to ensure that a sufficient food stock is gathered in these areas in case of an emergency.
All vulnerable embankments are assigned dedicated officers who remain on constant alert. These officers are responsible for the continuous inspection and monitoring of the embankments in their respective regions. Additionally, regional officers and employees are also involved in this task to ensure thorough supervision.
To further enhance preparedness, Aapda Prabandhan Mitra (Disaster Management Partners) and volunteers from the Civil Defence are given appropriate training as per their specific requirements.