Be prepared for natural disasters, Centre tells States

"Continued efforts over the last several years, the disaster management system has been able to reduce the impact of natural disasters on human lives," he said.

New Delhi: Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday asked all States and Union Territories (UTs) to be better prepared ahead of South West Monsoon so that losses due to natural disasters such as floods, cyclones and landslides can be minimized.

Bhalla was talking to relief commissioners and secretaries of the department of disaster management of States and UTs during a two-day long annual conference on disaster management in New Delhi. The conference took place to review the preparedness of States and UTs for dealing with any natural disasters that may occur during the coming southwest monsoon.

Bhalla stressed the need for building up capacities and response reflexes to ensure 24×7 preparedness throughout the year. "Continued efforts over the last several years, the disaster management system has been able to reduce the impact of natural disasters on human lives," he said. He further emphasised that it should be ensured that lives as far as possible should not be lost in incidents such as heatwaves and lightning.

"The States should undertake capacity building of urban local bodies, their disaster response forces, fire service and civil defence since they are the first responder during a calamity," said Bhalla. He said that besides floods, in recent years cyclonic storms, forest fires, heatwave conditions and lightning strikes have shown an increasing trend. "Key to effective disaster risk management is to build synergies and effective coordination among institutions. This could be ensured by preparing action plans at local, district and state levels," he added.