Keralam plans disaster resilience project, focuses on early warnings, preparedness

Thiruvananthapuram: Keralam is moving away from a disaster-response approach that focuses on rescue operations after calamities strike to a system that identifies risks in advance and minimises their impact. The government is planning a comprehensive disaster resilience project to tackle the growing threat of extreme rainfall, landslides, flash floods, lightning and cyclones.

The proposed Disaster Management Resilience Project will coordinate activities ranging from weather forecasting and early warnings to evacuation, rescue operations and rehabilitation. The initiative aims to bring various stages of disaster management under a unified framework.

Under the project, each district will have a dedicated disaster prevention and response mechanism based on its geographical features and vulnerability to natural hazards. Institutions such as IIT Roorkee and IIT Madras will provide technical assistance.

The initiative comes amid changing weather patterns and an evolving disaster risk profile in Keralam due to climate change. Several weather phenomena that were once more commonly associated with the Bay of Bengal are now being observed in the Arabian Sea as well.

The government plans to strengthen monitoring and early warning systems, taking into account the possibility of extreme rainfall, cyclones, cloudbursts and tsunamis. The project cost, implementation timeline and district-wise action plans are currently being worked out.

District-specific disaster risk mapping
The project will adopt different strategies for each district, depending on its terrain and vulnerability to natural disasters.

In the Western Ghats region, special attention will be given to landslides and soil erosion. Coastal districts will have dedicated monitoring systems to track coastal erosion, rising sea levels and tsunami threats. Flood risks in river basins and potential hazards associated with dams will also be assessed.

Apart from forecasts issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), information from various monitoring systems will be integrated to provide more accurate, localised warnings.

Wayanad will have a dedicated disaster risk monitoring system. The government also plans to formulate special standard operating procedures (SOPs) based on lessons from previous disasters to prevent recurring accidents and loss of lives in flood-prone areas.

The project will focus on five major areas:

1. Monitoring: Tracking weather conditions and changes in natural systems in real time.
2. Forecasting: Identifying potential disasters and assessing risks in advance.
3. Early warning: Ensuring timely dissemination of alerts to the public.
4. Rescue and evacuation: Moving people to safety and carrying out rescue operations.
5. Rehabilitation: Helping disaster-affected communities rebuild their lives.