Directing officials to be on alert mode, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that saving lives and property was our priority during floods. He asked all the district-level officials to be on high alert mode and complete preparations for flood management by June 15.
The chief minister on Wednesday, reviewed the ongoing preparations for flood management and gave necessary guidelines. The district magistrates of flood-prone districts informed the chief minister of their preparations.
“Because of the efforts made in the last six years to find a long-term solution to the flood problem, there has been an unprecedented reduction in the number of flood-prone districts. Coordination between departments has been effective in ensuring that people are safe from floods,” he said.
The chief minister said in the last six years, 982 flood projects had been completed, out of which 282 projects had been completed in this fiscal alone and the work was underway on 412 projects.
There are 24 districts which are flood prone. These include Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Gorakhpur, Basti, Bahraich, Bijnor, Siddharthnagar, Ghazipur, Gonda, Ballia, Deoria, Sitapur, Balrampur, Ayodhya, Mau, Farrukhabad, Shravasti, Badaun, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar, Pilibhit, and Barabanki.
“Adequate reserve stock should be collected for flood emergencies in these vulnerable areas. Adequate lighting arrangements and necessary equipment should also be arranged at these places,” the chief minister said.
In UP there are 523 embankments with a total length of 3,869 km. In view of the possibility of flood, continuous monitoring of all the embankments should be done and all flood-prone embankments should be repaired.
“Designated officers in charge should be in 24×7 alert mode on all vulnerable embankments. The embankments were continuously inspected and monitored by the regional officers,” he said.
The Uttar Pradesh government also released 113 as flood emergency number and Uttar Pradesh Police Radio Headquarters has been asked to ensure it remains active round the clock during the entire monsoon period.
The chief minister also directed that no one with criminal background, or having a bad reputation be permitted to bid on projects for the irrigation department. Any discrepancy in this will be strictly dealt with.
“Chances of the spread of diseases increase during and after floods. In such a situation, special health kits should be prepared by the Medical and Health Department and sent to the districts. In case of a dog or snake bite, the affected people should get immediate medical help,” he said.
The chief minister also urged the people to drink the water only after boiling it.
There should be no compromise on the quality of relief material provided to the flood-affected people. The quality of food items should be ensured at the relief commissioner level and packaging material should be strong, and easy for people to carry.