Mock drill to tackle natural disasters held in Kangra

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 8

A mock exercise to tackle situations arising out natural calamities such as earthquakes, flash floods and landslides was carried out throughout Kangra district. It was carried out simultaneously in Dharamsala, Palampur, Jaisinghpur, Fatehpur, Shahpur, Kangra and Dehra subdivisions.

An exercise was carried out to rescue tourists from the Saurabh Van Vihar in Palampur after a sudden rise in the water level in the Neugal river. A situation was created where tourists trapped in the Saurabh Van Vihar due to flash floods in the Neugal were evacuated.

In Dehra, an exercise was carried out to rescue patients after the lower floor of the Civil Hospital was flood with water following excessive rain. In Shahpur, local administration officials were trained in how to rescue people in the event some areas were cut off due to flash floods in the Gaj river.

In Dharamsala, officials were trained in opening the McLeodganj-Dharamsala road after landslides. This road is an active sliding zone. Last year, it witnessed massive landslides that disrupted traffic to McLeodganj.

According to geologists, landslides on the Dharamsala-McLeodganj road could happen due to excessive rain as well as earthquakes.

Hamirpur: People stuck in flood and debris were evacuated during a mock drill organised as part of disaster management at six places in the district today. The disaster management authority had given different tasks to the rescue teams that were activated in the morning. The locations identified for mock rescue were Bhareri, Tauni Devi, Deotsidh, Palahi and Hamirpur town. Jitender Sanjta, additional district magistrate, was Incident Commander of the Incident Response System constituted for the mock drill.

DC Hemraj Bairwa said that mock drill helped keeping the disaster management mechanism active. Such drills are organised from time to time in the district and today this was state level mock drill. He added that over 300 persons were rescued at six location during the drill.

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