Cautioning that any disaster like an earthquake or flood can cause unprecedented and colossal damage to the city, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday exhorted people to educate themselves on responding to such situations.
Speaking after flagging off a mini-marathon here to create awareness about disaster management, Ms. Dikshit said her government was coming out with a ready guide for households on how to respond in the event of an earthquake.
She said the government will soon include a chapter on Disaster Management in school curriculum.
Ms. Dikshit called upon people to take note of tips which will “definitely prove to be useful during difficult times and will also help in saving precious lives and property“.
She further stated that entire region of Delhi is in seismic zone-IV which is vulnerable to earthquake of 5.5 to 6.7 on Richter scale.
“Delhi is at high risk to earthquake. It is also posed with serious challenges in management of emergencies because of its large and densely populous base, large number of unsafe buildings, key administrative and historical installations, non-engineered structures and large span of un-planned areas like urban slums, unauthorised colonies and industrial clusters,” she said.
The Chief Minister said such areas are highly vulnerable to chemical and industrial fire, flood and even terrorist attacks.
“A disaster can cause unprecedented and colossal damage to Delhi,” she said adding a number of hospitals and other buildings are being constructed as per quake resistant norms apart from retrofitting.
The concerned agencies also regularly organise mock drills and people are being trained to meet any un—expected challenges.
During a week-long campaign, a number of street plays, puppet shows, essay writing competitions, quiz competitions will be organised and useful material will be distributed at different various public places.
Ms. Dikshit said disaster management awareness drive will be launched in every district in the capital city.
