Asom launches Vulnerability mapping system

Guwahati, Apr 11(UNI) Asom is set to get state-of-the art vulnerability mapping system for disaster risk management by June this year.

The Geographic Information System (GIS), a functional and interactive database for the state to respond to emergency situations, will comprise relevant information on preparedness at the district level.

The project, initiated by the UNICEF, in collaboration with the Revenue and Disaster Management of the state government, would be carried out by Snowing and Mountain Engineering Corporation (SMEC) Limited.

SMEC project officer Ms Nandita Hazarika informed that Asom will be the third state in the country to have such a system after Gujarat and Orissa.

While Asom lies in a highly seismic zone, floods were a perennial jeremiad common to this state.

''The database will have geographic information about vulnerable areas, existing public amenities and preparedness of the administration and agencies. It will help meet emergency situations like floods, cyclones, landslides and earthquakes,'' Mrs Hazarika stated.

She said workers at the district-level would be trained to handle special groups like physically-challenged, senior citizens and children during calamities.

An alternative communication channel will be created to tackle communication breakdown after disasters, she added.

Asom Administrative Staff College Director S P Nandi said though Asom is one of the best in handling floods, it has still a long way to go when it comes to managing earthquakes.

''This user-friendly database will, mostly comprising of thematic maps, will help locate the most severe affected areas and the areas which need immediate relief during a time of calamity,'' he said.

The database will comprise date related to water level, shelters, NGO-related data, communication channels etc besides basic geographic data.

A two-day workshop was conducted here to determine the scope of the vulnerability mapping in terms of coordination between government , NGOs and information on available sources-relief structures, physical structures and capacity of NGOs.

The exercise is expected to enable comprehensive coordination of emergency activities avoiding overlapping of operations, duplications and ensures services to the un-reached and marginalised.

UNI