- State govt installs 2000 automatic rain gauges at the block level
- 450 automatic weather stations are being established to strengthen weather-related early warning system
By Our Correspondent
Lucknow: The Yogi government has taken several significant steps in the past six and a half years to provide relief to the residents of the state during natural disasters such as floods, droughts, earthquakes, and lightning. In this sequence, on the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, three new State Disaster Response Forces (SDRF) have been formed in the state.
Furthermore, the list of state disasters has been expanded to include 11 types, encompassing incidents like boat accidents, snakebites, sewer cleaning, gas leakage, falling into borewells, human-wildlife conflict, and drowning in rivers. At the village level, rahat chaupals are being organized to enhance awareness and offer protection against various disasters to the state’s population.
Relief Commissioner GS Navin mentioned that CM Yogi has directed to strengthen the disaster management system in the state to effectively deal with any kind of disaster, including floods, flash floods, vector-borne diseases, industrial accidents, earthquakes, nuclear threats, etc. As a part of this strategic initiative, the three new State Disaster Response Forces (SDRF) are being formed in the state. Additionally, for the new teams, equipment is being purchased for Rs 80.75 crore and vehicles for Rs 9.99 crore.
The Yogi government has included several disasters in the list of state disasters to provide relief funds to the affected individuals. This includes boat accidents, snakebites, sewer cleaning accidents, gas leaks, falling into borewells, human-wildlife conflict, drowning, and attacks by bulls and nilgai, he further added.
GS Navin said that disaster management topics have been incorporated into school curriculums and the education boards of Uttar Pradesh. This includes disaster management subjects in administrative training institutes, police academies, state rural development institutes, secretariat training institutes, and state health and family welfare institutes, among other institutions. To strengthen the weather-related early warning system, the installation of 450 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) at all tehsils, 2000 Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG) at the block level, and the establishment of 5 Doppler Radars in the state’s 5 major cities are underway.
Furthermore, with the aim of raising awareness and preparedness against disasters among the general public, approximately 7,000 Rahat chaupals have been organised at the village level in the state. These chaupals are conducted by district-level officials to educate rural residents about disaster prevention and preparedness, and awareness is being created regarding do’s and don’ts, he said.
The Yogi government has formulated the Boat Safety and Seafarer Welfare Policy-2020 (Nav Suraksha evam Navik Kalyan Niti-2020) in the state to prevent boat accidents. Through this initiative, in the first phase, the distribution of boat safety kits has been conducted for 872 divers and 5123 sailors.
Additionally, to make the relief distribution system timely and transparent during emergencies, the inauguration of the ‘End to End Computerization of Beneficiary Management System’ has taken place. This has made the entire process, from beneficiary selection to digital approval and the transfer of funds into the account, completely paperless, ensuring transparency and timeliness in relief distribution. Apart from this, the Mukyamantri Bal Taranveer Program is being conducted in Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Gorakhpur to prevent drowning incidents in the state.
