Water related disasters biggest challenge for NDRF in Odisha: DG
Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Mundali (Cuttack), Jan 13:
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is constantly searching for newer modules to face water related disasters, which are the biggest challenge in Odisha, NDRF Director General (DG) Om Prakash Singh said here today.
“The biggest challenge before NDRF is that we are learning new specialized techniques. The biggest challenge before Odisha with regard to disaster is involving water. That’s the reason why we at the NDRF here are constantly searching for newer modules to train our jawans to work in disaster situations involving water,” said Singh, who was on a visit to the NDRF’s 3rd battalion here to review training programme of the jawans.
The DG, NDRF said there could be a situation five to ten years later where a structure has collapses and is submerged in water where NDRF jawans have to drill and the jawans are being trained on deep diving to meet such situations.
“We are training our boys on how to respond to the changing nature of possible disaster situations in the future. We are training our boys in ‘medical first responder’, ‘collapsed structure’, ‘search and rescue’, ‘deep diving’ and ‘rope climbing’ to name a few,” informed Singh on the activities being undertaken at the battalion here.
“Moreover, we are helping the state government in capacity building and training personnel belonging to ODRAF and SDRF here as well as in raising institutional mechanism of the states. The boys trained by us are working in Odisha. That is one of our achievements. Not only Odisha, people from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other states have been trained by us, apart from familiarization exercises,” said Singh.
Narrating an instance Singh said boys from the 3rd Battalion here have won accolades from the people of Bhillai steel city where our boys created awareness among the steel city residents on how to face the situation in the eventuality of an accident involving a chemical factory through a mock drill exercise.
“ We have plans this year for training people in all public sector undertakings on safety and security aspects in case of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies. The NDRF 3rd Battalion is capable of tackling such situations”, Singh said.
Singh is scheduled to hold meetings with some top officials of the state government.
Comments are closed.