NDMA prepares to tackle costal area cyclones

Ahmedabad, Apr 20 (UNI) Even as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has initiated major research works to redefine vulnerability of the human lives in coastal states from cyclones, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has asked respective states to put their mitigation plans in place.

Top brass of state-level disaster management authorities of states like Orissa and Andhra Pradesh (AP) gave a detailed presentations about their ongoing preparations to withstand wind velocity up to 180 kilometre per hour (kmph).

For states, like West Bengal (WB) and Tamil Nadu (TN), the problem faced is tackling large scale inundation of low-lying coastal areas with sea-water, mainly in the Sunderbans and Kaveri deltas, leaving agricultural land unfit for cultivation for at least next two seasons.

Steps already taken include building embankments, cyclone-proof shelters, buying satellite phones, keeping bull-dozers and other heavy earth moving machinery ready and even planting mangroves in the coastal zones.

Delivering the keynote address at a national workshop on 'Cyclone Risk Mitigation and Management' here today, NDMA Vice-Chairman Gen (Retd) N C Vij said the NDMA was constituted after the Disaster Management Act came into being in December last year.

He said the objective is to ensure resources move from the top to bottom, but it depends on how the receivers respond and how fast could they start rescue and relief operations. Rehabilitation and resettlment come next.

However, Gen (Retd) Vij voiced concern at the slow pace of the preparedness.

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