Given the numerous and frequent deaths due to thunder strikes in the State, it is to be added in the list of State specific disasters in Jharkhand. “loss of human and cattle life by lightning has become a frequent occurrence in Jharkhand. Unlike, when they were limited to monsoon alone, these deaths are now observed round the year in the State. Thus, we will be sending a proposal to the Cabinet to include thunder strike in the list of State specific disasters,” said Jharkhand Disaster Management Principal Secretary NK Mishra.
Mishra shared this information during the tabletop exercise under the mock exercise on Earthquake Disaster by Ranchi District Disaster Management Authority, in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority on Thursday.
Mishra added, “We will allocate a sum of 25 lakh rupees to the District Collectors of the State which they can use as compensation to the victims of lightning strikes. They can acquire additional funds for this purpose when needed after submitting the expenditure details of the previously allotted money.”
This tabletop exercise was to assess the capabilities of stakeholders involved in the disaster management process in Jharkhand: police force, medical professionals, Municipal Corporation, electricity and fire and emergency services, and formulate plans accordingly to tackle calamities.
“We will first learn about the situation regarding the availability of resources and manpower and the response time at which they can be mobilised in times of need. Based on the assessment of all these parameters, the ability and requirements of these stakeholders will be determined. Following which, we will give some introductory instructions to prepare for disaster management,” said Major General (Retd.) VK Datta, Senior Consultant (CB and ME), NDMA.
A glimpse of these preparations can be seen on Friday when various scenarios during an earthquake will be rehearsed during the second day of the mock exercise.
The details of Jharkhand State Disaster Management Plan were also elaborated during the event. “Jharkhand is affected comparatively lesser by natural disasters. But this doesn’t mean that we lag behind when it comes to preparedness. We identified the occurrences of various calamities in different regions of the State and consolidated local wisdom, gained from past experiences, and local skill along with foreign expertise regarding these disasters to formulate this plan,” said Colonel Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, State Disaster Management Specialist in the Department of Disaster Management of State Government.
“Request regarding help in setting up a State Disaster Relief Fund in Jharkhand has been put in front of the Home Ministry. This will be a stand-alone unit which will work exclusively for disaster management. We have the funds required for the process and we are looking for space to set up the infrastructure needed,” said Principal Secretary N.K. Mishra.
To this Ranchi District Commissioner Manoj Kumar added, “Along with the infrastructure for the SDRF, we will be setting up Emergency Operation Centres (EOC) connected to the rest of the State, warehouses for resources and material needed in disaster management.”