Srinagar, May 21: Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar Akshay Labroo on Thursday said the administration is strengthening Srinagar’s disaster response mechanism with the addition of new rescue boats, SDRF machinery, firefighting equipment and Tehsil-level rescue kits to ensure faster and coordinated relief during floods and fire incidents.
Speaking to reporters here, the DC said rising water levels and frequent fire incidents, particularly during winters, remain among the major disaster vulnerabilities in Srinagar.
“As water levels have risen a lot and incidents of fire continue to occur frequently in the city, especially during winters, we decided to conduct a special tabletop exercise focused on these two major vulnerabilities,” he said.
Labroo said that before organising the exercise, the administration, along with the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR), carried out extensive work to strengthen rescue, relief and rehabilitation capacities across the district.
“Last year we realised that there was a need to improve our capacities in rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations. Since January this year, we have funded different proposals through SDRF and several proposals were also taken up and approved by the DMRRR department,” he said.
The DC said special rescue capacity-building kits have been provided to rescue teams at the Tehsil level to strengthen local emergency response. “These kits include ropes, torchlights, special boots, protective attires, rope cutters, hammers and other rescue equipment so that rescue teams at the Tehsil level are well-equipped to respond in emergency situations,” he said.
He further said the administration realised there was a need to increase the number of rescue boats available for flood response operations. “We have added four new high-end rescue boats today and also placed orders for several smaller boats that will be deployed in larger numbers,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner added that two boats would be handed over to Smart City, two to Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and two to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)/District Administration Srinagar for rescue operations during flood-like situations.
He said new machinery, rescue suits and specialised equipment have also been procured for SDRF personnel to strengthen emergency rescue operations.
“Special ropes, mountain cutters, road cutters, advanced lighting systems for rescue operations without electricity and special vehicles have been added. Several of these machines and equipment were also exhibited during the exercise,” he said.
Highlighting the role of Fire and Emergency Services, the DC said rescue personnel from the department respond to incidents across Srinagar almost every day. He said special protection suits for firefighters were approved under SDRF just a day earlier and would soon be handed over to fire rescuers in phases.
DC Labroo further said a demand had also come from both the department and the public for decentralisation of fire stations in Srinagar to improve response time during emergencies.
“For this purpose, eight locations have been identified by the Fire and Emergency Services department. Out of these, four locations will immediately be handed over so that fire stations can be established in different parts of the city,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner said SDRF, District Administration, SMC, Smart City and Fire and Emergency Services are jointly participating in the tabletop exercise to improve coordination and preparedness for future emergencies.
“We are all coming together to equip ourselves better, increase our capacities and ensure coordinated rescue and relief measures so that if any incident occurs in future, we are better prepared to respond,” he added—(KNO)
