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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
To battle floods, Bengal govt to start Teesta dredging soon
1 2 3 Jalpaiguri: With the bed of the Teesta rising around two metres following the 2023 Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Sikkim, Bengal govt has decided to dredge and desilt the river. The GLOF at North Sikkim's South Lhonak Lake in Oct 2023 had significantly impacted the Teesta riverbed with massive silt deposit. Experts fear that if the river is not desilted immediately, a heavy downpour in the upper catchment areas might spell doom for the areas the Teesta flows through. The rising river has already washed away two villages — Laltong and Chamakdangi — in Jalpaiguri's Rajganj block. At least 200 families from the two villages have been relocated to Kholachand Fapri. Bengal govt has decided to engage West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation Ltd (WBMDTCL) and the irrigation department to desilt some 30 spots on the Teesta from Sevoke railway bridge to Maynaguri's Bakali, across 50 km. "It would be a no-cost-effect dredging and the state will gain revenue by selling the sand and riverbed material," said irrigation minister Manas Bhunia in Jalpaiguri on Thursday after a meeting with departments concerned. A survey by the irrigation department estimates that it would cost about Rs 567 crore to desilt the Teesta if private agencies are involved. "Centre has not given a single penny since 2016 for desilting or bund repairing. This year, Centre has allocated only Rs 412 crore for the entire country's flood management. We, therefore, have decided to desilt Teesta on our own," Bhunia said. The minister also advocated for an India-Bhutan river commission. "There are 76 rivers originating from Bhutan which spell catastrophe for the Dooars every monsoon. They bring along dolomite, raising riverbeds by 4-5 feet. A joint river commission is the need of the hour but Centre is paying no heed to our appeals," he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Earthquake mock drills conducted across Himachal Pradesh to check disaster management preparedness
Kullu: Sirens wailed and emergency teams mobilised across Himachal Pradesh on Friday as the state conducted a large-scale earthquake preparedness drill designed to test its disaster response systems and inter-agency coordination. Simulating a massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake with its epicentre in Kangra, the mock operation unfolded simultaneously in all 12 districts, affecting sites from remote mountain towns to busy city centres. In Kullu, the scenario imagined aftershocks causing destruction across seven locations. These included damage to a community health centre in Tegubehar, a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) near Manali's Aleu area, structural collapse at the Bhutnath Bridge and Tibetan Market, and dam damage in Sainj Valley. The district's deputy commissioner, Torul S Ravish, said the simulation helped assess the coordination and response time of government departments, and highlighted areas for improvement. "Mock drills allow us to identify gaps in disaster preparedness and fine-tune our coordination mechanisms. We are committed to addressing the shortcomings identified today," Ravish said. In Mandi, key sites including the Indira Market complex and Regional Hospital staged scenarios ranging from flash floods to landslides and fire incidents. The control room was activated under deputy commissioner Apoorva Devgan, with real-time supervision from police and civil officials. Emergency teams responded to simulated floods near Balichowki and canal damage in Sundernagar, while a mock fire broke out at Karsog Degree College. In Lahaul-Spiti, one of India's most remote districts, responders enacted a full rescue operation after a simulated building collapse and fire near Keylong police ground. Deputy commissioner Kiran Bhardwaj oversaw the exercise, which included ambulance evacuations, search and rescue, and triage of the injured. Parallel drills occurred in Udaipur, Kaza and Kukumseri, where scenarios included landslides and collapsed school and residential buildings. Bhardwaj said: "Our teams responded swiftly. The exercise demonstrated commendable coordination between police, paramilitary forces, medical staff and community volunteers." At Kaza's Govt Senior Secondary School, an earthquake-induced landslide simulation left 20 mock casualties, including eight seriously injured. Rescue teams, including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), evacuated victims to a relief camp set up for treatment. Similar drills were carried out across other districts, including Shimla, Kangra, Chamba, Solan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, Sirmaur and Kinnaur, each simulating region-specific disaster scenarios. The statewide exercise, coordinated by the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, was aimed at stress-testing the government's readiness for seismic disasters in the quake-prone Himalayan region. Authorities said this kind of drills are crucial to saving lives when real disasters strike — by improving response times, clarifying agency roles, and building public awareness in vulnerable mountain communities. MSID:: 121676469 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Hans India
3 days ago
- Hans India
Tourists airlifted after landslide, Sikkim remains open for travel: CM Tamang
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Thursday said that only the Lachen and Lachung sectors in the northern part of the mountain state are closed to visitors at the moment, and the rest of the tourist places are now open for tourists. "Sikkim continues to welcome tourists. All six districts, not just Mangan, have beautiful destinations open for travel," he said, urging tourists to explore the various naturally blissful places of the state. He also addressed recent misinformation surrounding infrastructure damage in the region. It was previously reported that five bridges were washed away during the 2023 Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). However, the CM clarified that these bridges were damaged during this year's monsoon due to unusually heavy rainfall. Chief Minister Tamang added that the state, with support from the Central government, is committed to long-term development and is focusing on rebuilding and strengthening all vulnerable bridges across Sikkim to prevent future disruptions. Despite the temporary setback in North Sikkim, officials emphasised that the rest of the state remains safe, accessible, and welcoming for tourists. Nearly 1,500 tourists were stranded in the popular North Sikkim destinations of Lachen and Lachung after the Phidang bridge - considered the region's lifeline - was severely damaged. The situation was further complicated by a landslide in the Chhaten Army camp near Lachen, making road evacuation impossible. While all tourists in Lachung were successfully evacuated earlier, rescue operations in Lachen had to be carried out by air. The evacuation is currently being conducted in phases, with half of the stranded tourists airlifted on Tuesday and the rest being flown out today. The first air sorties were deployed from the army helipad in Chhaten, where both tourists and military personnel are being rescued. They are being transported to the Greenfield Airport in Pakyong.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Disaster victims should be given prompt psychological first aid: NDMA
New Delhi: Prompt psychological first aid needs to be provided to victims of natural calamities to minimise the impact of trauma, and people may also be trained to provide such first aid apart from recruiting more counsellors, several experts said at a recent workshop organised on post-disaster mental health. The workshop titled 'Navigating Post-Disaster Mental Health —Calm amid Chaos' was co-organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The experts said that post-disaster trauma can last for years and hence needs immediate and long-term healing through the Staged Recovery Approach. This is a structured, long-term intervention involving Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Psycho-Social Support (PSS), they said. NDMA said, in association with ministry of health, it is also looking to scaling up digital mental health platforms - expand access to digital and tele-mental health services; establish a dedicated pool of trained counsellors equipped for rapid deployment; push for public-private partnerships with the corporate sector for sustainable funding and technical support. Experts said this is particularly significant in view of the rise in extreme weather events in India. MoHFW presently has 2,000 trained psycho-social counsellors and 1.1 million PSS-trained teachers. 'Vacant expressions' During the workshop, the psychological support team of NDMA said a review of images of two girls who survived Mandalay's massive 7.7 M earthquake on March 28 indicated 'vacant expressions', 'tonic immobility,' and 'minimal facial engagement'. Safi Ahsan Rizvi, advisor, NDMA, said these expressions were signs of the oncoming post-traumatic stress disorder in the girls and lakhs of others, unless they received early psychological first aid. While Mandalay witnessed an earthquake, which caused a certain trauma, in Wayanad, following the July 2024 landslides, victims complained of a sudden thundering sound followed by the feeling of being trapped, a vision that keeps visiting them again and again. In Sikkim, following the 2023 Glacial Lake Outburst Flood disaster, survivors experience a range of symptoms. 'Sleep difficulties were one of the commonly reported concerns followed by worries about the future and experiences of hopelessness. Many reported worries associated with employment, income, and long-term rehabilitation. A small number of community members reported trauma symptoms such as fear of rains, strong winds, loud noises, flashbacks, palpitations and panic attacks, and were afraid of another natural calamity occurring. A few of them also reported sadness in mood, fatigue, lack of motivation and headaches,' said an NDMA advisor based on reports in the aftermath of Sikkim GLOF disaster. Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Psycho-Social Support (PSS) Experts said prompt psychological first aid needs to be provided to victims to minimise the impact of trauma, mitigate distress and help prevent sequelae of disasters e.g. sleep disturbance, post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety, depression. They said a far larger number of counsellors for psychological first aid is needed and people from general population may also be trained in providing such first aid. Prof Vikas Dhikav, Senior Medical Scientist, Department Of Health Research, MoHFW, said Psychological First Aid (PFA) is essential as it helps provide emotional support to survivors and aids them in coping with the immediate aftermath of disasters. Brief psychotherapeutic interventions like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be effective in addressing post-disaster distress. 'Mental health and psychosocial support can take the form of counselling, therapy, and peer group support. Prevention and mitigation efforts will help reduce the risk of future disasters and their impact on mental health and prevent long-term mental health issues, improved recovery,' he said. Dr Bhavuk Garg, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Lady Hardinge Medical College highlighted the dearth of psychiatrists and psychologists. It was discussed and concluded that in general; school children, teachers, civil society volunteers and youth in particular need to be sensitised about disasters, disaster preparedness, sensitivity, gentleness and cultural context with which we need to approach disaster victims and provide help. Among them, mental health volunteers could be chosen and further trained, he said. It is recommended that volunteers utilise art-based therapy, non-pharmacological treatment options including yoga, meditation, regular exercise, and child plays etc. to support resilience and recovery. Major recommendations from the PSS trained volunteers are 1. do not de-brief – that leads to re-traumatisation. This essentially means do not get victims to narrate their experience again and again. 2. avoid trauma voyeurism 3. Insurance payouts from parametric heat insurance policies as de-stressors for the socio-economically weak should be done immediately for heat disasters and for other disasters such cyclones and floods. 4. Corporates do not focus enough CSR funds on disaster management, which receives under 3% of annual spend of Rs.25-30,000 crore to CSR, according to NDMA. Senior officers of union and state governments, and experts from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, participated in the workshop held on April 16 and 17.
