A workshop on ‘Disaster Management with Media’ was conducted at the Conference Hall of the State Guest House in Agartala, Tripura on Tuesday. The event was organized by the District Magistrate and Collector of the West District to highlight the growing threats from various natural disasters and optimize disaster management strategies.
Resource persons in the workshop highlighted the diverse challenges posed by different types of disasters, with a particular emphasis on earthquakes. They sounded alarm for the people of Tripura and red flagged faulty building constructions in the State which is located in high risk seismic zone.
Engineer Sumit Majumder discussed common structural shortcomings observed in building construction across Agartala and other parts of the state. In view of emerging quake threat, Majumder also highlighted the State government’s initiative to train masons in safety-oriented and sustainable construction practices. This initiative would help to help to construct earthquake resilient buildings by the individuals.
Dr. Sarod Das, the State Project Officer, presented another alarming statistics. He pointed out that the Disaster Management Act of the Government of India recognizes 11 events as disaster. However, the government of Tripura added two more including ‘death due to drowning’ in the list.
Dr Das revealed number of ‘death due to drowning’ witnessed sharp increase in 2023. The drowning related death was on the rise and in 2022, it stood at 11. With in a year, it jumped to 22 in 2023 so far.
Dr. Das also drew attention to two incidents involving the sinking of a village in Jampui Hills following the construction of NH there and a cave-in incident on NH at Manu Bazar. In the first case, around 23 families were at the receiving end. He advocated a thorough soil evaluation prior to undertaking such developmental projects to minimize the risk of such occurrences.
Referring to earthquakes, Dr Das mentioned the introduction of evacuation drills on every third Saturday in all schools across the state as a proactive measure to enhance disaster preparedness.
He also highlighted various other initiatives for a quick, effective and efficient response after any disaster. Dr. Das lauded the contributions of volunteers, particularly the Apada Mitra, in various disaster management initiatives undertaken by the government.
The speakers reiterated that by fostering collaboration among stakeholders including the media and imparting trainings, the government is working to build a resilient community capable of effectively responding to natural disasters.