NCMC reviews flood situation in Kerala

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : A meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) was held here on August 16, 2018, to ensure continued and scale up assistance to Kerala in view of the prevailing floods situation.

On the instructions of PM Narendra Modi, Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha chaired the meeting in which Secretaries of Central Ministries including Defence, Home, Water Resources and Chiefs of Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC), and other senior officers were present. Kerala also participated over video conference represented by Chief Secretary and his team.

The Cabinet Secretary took stock of the situation, preparedness, rescue and relief operations and directed that immediate and continued assistance be provided to Kerala to meet this crisis, according to a PIB release.

The Government of India is fully supporting the State of Kerala and has launched massive relief and rescue operations in the State. At the NCMC meeting, the Cabinet Secretary pressed into service all the forces – Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, NDRF and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and directed that all possible assistance should be provided to Kerala for relief and rescue operations.

The Cabinet Secretary also directed that relief materials including supply of drinking water, dry food packets and powdered milk should also be made available to Kerala.  For proper reservoir management in Mullaperiyar Dam, the Cabinet Secretary constituted a committee chaired by Chairman, Central Water Commission, and Engineers-in-Chief of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

As of now, 18 teams of NDRF, 9 columns and 8 teams of Engineering Task Force (ETC) of the Army, 22 teams of Coast Guard, 24 diving teams of Navy along with helicopters, aircrafts, boats, equipment, life buoys, life jackets, etc., have been dispatched to assist Kerala in rescue operations as well as evacuation of stranded people.  Besides this, medical assistance is also being provided by NDRF, Army, Navy including at special medical camps. So far, 2,182 persons have been rescued, 968 stranded people have been evacuated through prompt action of NDRF, Army and Navy. The NCMC will again meet on August 17 to review the situation.