Shillong, May 12: Warning against complacency in disaster response, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Vibhor Aggarwal on Tuesday directed all officers to remain stationed in the district and avoid unnecessary leave during the South West Monsoon season.
“Senior officers must personally be in the field to supervise and remain actively involved during emergencies,” Aggarwal said at a District Coordination Meeting convened by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) at Circuit House, Tura, to review monsoon preparedness. He observed that junior officers or subordinate staff are often left handling situations during calamities.
Aggarwal noted that although monsoon-related disasters occur annually, there is often a tendency to become complacent, leading to gaps in preparedness and resource inventories. He stressed the importance of maintaining preparedness measures with sincerity and seriousness.
The district administration has intensified measures to tackle possible floods in the plain belt areas, landslides, and other monsoon-related emergencies.
ADC and CEO, DDMA, J R T Sangma reviewed last year’s preparedness measures through a PowerPoint presentation. The meeting was attended by SP Abraham T Sangma, ADC and PD, DRDA Nipon Hajong, BDOs, District Disaster Management Officer James D Sangma, officials from SDMA, Civil Defence personnel, and medical representatives from Tura hospitals.
Departments were instructed to update their Disaster Management Plans, identify vulnerable and frequently affected areas, and ensure timely updating of river water levels whenever they approach danger marks. Discussions also covered water tanker availability, identification of waterlogged areas, rapid damage assessment, maintenance of essential services, stocking of commodities and medicines, setting up relief camps and temporary shelters, dissemination of weather warnings, and strengthening emergency response.
All BDOs were directed to convene similar preparedness meetings at their levels to assess readiness, map resources, and involve Aapda Mitras in disaster preparedness and response activities.
