The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of India has sent the Oregon State University study regarding major earthquake warning for Jammu and Kashmir to the National Institute of Seismology (NIS) for analysis so that a comprehensive strategy could be put in place regarding preparedness, response and recovery if the study is corroborated by NIS.This information was given to the Chief Minister, Ms Mehbooba Mufti by Maj Gen N C Marwah, member NDMA who called on the former here this evening.Pertinently, the scientists of Oregan University have found that the Reasi fault near Jammu has been building up pressure for some time, suggesting that when it does release or "slip", the resulting earthquake may be large — as much as magnitude 8.0 or greater.The Chief Minister said that the Government would soon convene a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) which will be followed for meetings of the District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA) to chalk out an effective plan of action regarding disaster preparedness.
The Chief Minister said Jammu and Kashmir has in the recent past suffered colossal losses due to two major natural disasters including the devastating floods of September 2014 and massive earthquake which hit the region in October 2005. She said in the backdrop of these natural disasters, the State Government has already formulated a State Disaster Management Plan (SDMP) which covers the entire range of disaster management and disaster risk reduction and recovery activities covering the entire State.
Seeking technical and financial assistance from NDMA in capacity building for efficient disaster management in J&K, Ms Mehbooba said the State Government can depute teams from the State Disaster Recovery Force (SDRF), Civil Defence, NCC and even students to NDMA for hands-on training in disaster management.She sought NDMA’s technical support in the installation of state-of-the-art weather forecasting equipment in the State, setting up of back-up storehouses in J&K to deal with post-disaster recovery and setting up Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) in the State for reliable communication during natural disasters.The Chief Minister said the NDMA should also clear all the pending cases of flood-affected people so that they get the requisite relief at the earliest.While expressing satisfaction over J&K Government’s move to put in place an handy Disaster Management Plan, Maj Gen Marwah said while the quakes can’t be forecasted, the State Government can only take the precautionary measures by regularly reviewing its disaster preparedness. Maj Gen Marwah informed the Chief Minister that the NDMA has already approved three Emergency Operations Centres for the State which will be established shortly. He said Rs 1.50 crore are being provided to Jammu and Kashmir under National School Safety Programme while Rs 1 lakh are to be given to the each district in the State for conducting mock drills.Gen Marwah assured the Chief Minister that all the pending flood-relief cases would be expedited for early disbursement of the relief money.Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr Navin Kumar Choudhary was also present in the meeting.