Kerala has decided to ask the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to position 10 of its teams in the State ahead of the southwest monsoon onset in June.
The decision to ask the NDRF to strengthen its presence here was finalised at a meeting convened by V. Venu, State Relief Commissioner, here on Wednesday. A formal request would be placed before the NDRF this week, an official said.
''We have two teams of the NDRF stationed in the State. Since the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that the onset would be around June 5, we want the teams to be in position before that. The locations will be finalised shortly,” the official said.
The IMD has predicted a normal monsoon for the country as a whole. Devastated by back-to-back floods in 2018 and 2019, Kerala is faced with a possible situation where it may have to simultaneously tackle COVID-19 and monsoon-related emergencies this year.
By June 1, the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) under the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) — already operationalised for the COVID-19 pandemic — will switch its focus to handling monsoon-related exigencies.
Representatives of various State and Central government agencies will be assigned to the SEOC for coordinated disaster mitigation from June 1. The agencies include the Fire and Rescue Services, Irrigation Department, Kerala Water Authority, Kerala State Electricity Board, police, the armed forces, NDRF, CRPF and Motor Vehicles Department.As part of its monsoon preparations, the government had allowed the SEOC to access weather inputs from private agencies in addition to the IMD.
‘State prepared’
The State is fully prepared for the 2020 monsoon season, the government said after a meeting convened by V. Venu, State Relief Commissioner, to assess the situation.
The majority of local bodies are equipped with disaster management plans. Given the COVID-19 situation, separate relief shelters will be found for COVID-19 symptomatic individuals, the elderly and others. The buildings would be identified by local bodies and the Revenue Department.
The KSDMA has earmarked 150 potential helicopter landing sites for undertaking relief operations.
