Himachal: CM Sukhu stresses urgent need to study rising incidents of cloudburst
While presiding over the 9th meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority, the Chief Minister expressed serious concern over the rising incidents of cloud bursts in the State and said that the matter had also been raised with the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah.
The Chief Minister stated that over the past few days, Mandi district has recorded 123 per cent excess rainfall, causing widespread devastation in the district. In contrast, Shimla district has received 105 per cent excess rainfall. He said that recently, 19 cloud bursts have occurred, causing significant losses to human lives and properties.
The present state government is making all-out efforts to rehabilitate and provide relief to the affected families. He said that unscientific muck dumping was leading to damage and stressed a scientific mechanism for its disposal to prevent further damage.
Sukhu directed the SDMA to issue regular weather updates to the public and to counter misinformation circulating on social media. He said that SDMA was the sole authority to issue alerts and urged the people to rely only on the official information. He said that safe construction activities should be promoted, and people must construct their houses at least 100 meters away from the rivers and rivulets.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government was strengthening the SDRF, and a new campus was being set up at Palampur in Kangra district. The State Institute of Disaster Management would be established at Dr Manmohan Singh Himachal Institute of Public Administration, Shimla, while Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, would carry out research and development work. He also directed to conduct a study on high-risk glacial lakes and rope in the local community to raise awareness.
He said that disasters have now become frequent phenomena, and in 2023, Himachal Pradesh suffered significant losses during the monsoon season, affecting thousands of people. He said that Rs 1260 crore were disbursed to the district administrations and various departments for carrying out relief and rehabilitation operations. An additional Rs 138 crore was also provided under the mitigation fund.
The Chief Minister directed the government departments to set up their projects at least 100 meters away from the water streams to minimise the losses. He said that the Rs 891 crore disaster risk reduction project was being implemented under which strengthening of the HPSDMA and the DDMAs would be done along with fortifying disaster preparedness through an effective early warning system and supporting mitigation measures, which would be completed in March 2030. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Some Mandi areas still cut-off, drones deliver medicines, ration to the affected
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), on Friday deployed drones to expedite the delivery of ration and other relief material to severely-affected areas in Mandi district, where the road connectivity is yet to be restored. A 15-kg ration kit was delivered by a drone to Bayla village in the disaster-affected Janjehli region. A team led by team captain Nutan and comprising eight SDRF personnel, two Mandi police officers, and three members of a private drone-operating company played a key role in executing the operation. Panchayati Raj Joint Director Surender Mohan said, 'Drones are being used to deliver relief material and essential supplies to disaster-hit areas quickly. Today, ration kits were sent by a drone. In another operation, medicines were delivered to around 50 people in Odidhar, using a separate drone. Additionally, in Thunadi and Lambathach, essential household items and important documents are being safely retrieved from damaged homes.' Drones are also being used to search for persons missing following the flash-floods induced by the cloudbursts. . A senior SDRF official said, 'The company operating drones is also providing proper training to personnel in operating the drones.' Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the government opened almost all major roads in disaster-affected areas, and efforts to open link roads were underway. 'The government acted swiftly to restore essential services in the affected areas.50 JCB machines were engaged to open roads in the affected areas from the very first day. The road up to Chail Chowk, Bagsyad, Thunag, Janjehli and Chhatri will be brought under CRIF so that it can be made a composite road,' Sukhu told mediapersons at Sundernagar in Mandi district on Friday. During his three-day visit to Mandi district, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu went to various disaster-affected areas under Seraj and Nachan Assembly constituencies to take stock of the damage caused by heavy rains and cloudbursts. The chief minister said, 'The road and bridges from Thunag to Janjehli have suffered extensive damage. At present, it has been restored temporarily. There will be no shortage of money for restoration works. The government has, so far, released Rs 7 crore for relief and rescue works so that the restoration work can be expedited further.' A total of 224 roads in the state, including National Highway 3 (Atari to Leh) and 166 other roads, were closed in Mandi on Friday morning, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Over 150 transformers and 800 water supply schemes have been disrupted in the state, of which 143 and 204, respectively, are in Mandi district. He said that the Deputy CM and PWD minister had already visited and assessed damages in the disaster-affected areas. Sukhu said, 'There has been unprecedented loss in these areas, and the government and the district administration are providing relief and other material to the affected families day and night. Huge losses of livestock, crops and vegetables were also reported. The state government will provide compensation to the affected families for buying clothes and also for the loss of livestock, besides all possible help from its resources.' The CM said he would seek permission from the central government to give forest land to the people so that they could be settled in a safer place. He sought the support of BJP MPs for the state government's proposal to obtain the central government's permission to relocate affected individuals to a safer location. Sukhu said, 'In the next two days, Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani will be in the disaster-affected areas to take stock of relief and rescue operations.'
India Gazette
7 hours ago
- India Gazette
Disaster Pawtrol: Pet dog Rocky saves lives during cloudburst
Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 12 (ANI): As recent natural disasters ravaged Himachal Pradesh, a pet dog Rocky in the Syathi village seems to have proven the saying of 'man's best friend' by saving his family members from a cloud burst in the region on June 30. On Monday, as water started accumulating at the ground floor of the families' house in the village, Rocky alerted his family members about the situation, allowing them vacate the premises on time and reach a safe location. Lalit Kumar the owner of the dog, recalled the incident of being saved by his dog, 'I was sleeping before and soon as I woke up, we have this small dog. He was barking loudly. When I got out of the house, the ground floor was flooded and it was raining too much. I took him out, he sat down on the ground floor of my house. I went to the second floor to the family. My family was sitting there.' 'I kept my family in grandparents' house. When I looked outside at my house was from there, I saw that my house went down with landslide,' he added. Abhishek Kumar, who saw the houses being swept away mentioned, 'The incident happened on June 30 around 1:30 PM, when the disaster happened at the time I was at home sleeping, my mother was at home, grandparents were there, and other family members were there,' he told ANI. He said that initially they were not aware of the seriousness of the situation and had gathered with their family members at the house. 'Suddenly this vibration sound came. I felt that there was some shaking and so on or something like there was a pillar there, it had fallen.... my brother's two boys came and they kept running and the house was swept away. Then we got up, so when we got up, we saw the situation outside, so everyone had gathered there. Taya ji's girl who cannot walk was also brought and we gathered at the house thinking it is a safe place,' he said. However, he remembered they understood the disaster which is about to come when they saw their relative's house collapse in front of their eyes. He added, 'Just like how my relatives house was swept away if our house had the same thing that time, then we would not have survived. Somehow we all have fled from there.' Earlier, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu returned from a tour of flood-ravaged Mandi district and announced that the state has suffered losses worth Rs 800 crore due to the ongoing monsoon devastation. CM Sukhu urge the Centre to release a special disaster relief package immediately. Speaking to the media after chairing a high-level meeting with the Revenue Department in Shimla, the Chief Minister urged the BJP MPs from Himachal Pradesh to seek central support for the disaster-hit state. (ANI)
Hans India
8 hours ago
- Hans India
Farmers urged to utilise crop insurance schemes
Vijayawada: NTR district Collector Dr G Lakshmisha has urged farmers to voluntarily avail themselves of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Re-structured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS). These schemes provide crucial insurance compensation for various crops in the event of natural calamities such as cyclones, droughts, and unseasonal rains. Collector Lakshmisha chaired a review meeting with officials from the Agriculture and Horticulture departments on PMFBY and RWBCIS. During the meeting, he announced that for the current Kharif season in the district, paddy, red chili, maize, and green gram crops have been notified under the yield-based PMFBY. Cotton has been notified under RWBCIS. The Collector explained that the village has been notified as the insurance unit for paddy, the mandal for red chili, and the district for maize and green gram. Tata AIG Insurance Company has been selected for the implementation of PMFBY, and IFFCO Tokio General Insurance Company for RWBCIS. The Collector advised farmers to stay away from intermediaries and brokers regarding crop insurance and instead utilise the services of CSCs. Collector Lakshmisha instructed field-level agriculture and horticulture officers and staff to provide necessary assistance and guidance to farmers to help them utilise the crop insurance schemes effectively. For paddy, the insured amount per acre is Rs 42,500, with a premium of Rs 850, and registration must be completed by August 15. District Agricultural Officer DMF Vijayakumari, Horticulture Officer P Balaji Kumar and other officials also participated.
