To protect its vital installations from possible terror attacks and natural calamities, the Delhi Jal Board is looking for a consultant to offer contingency plans for dealing with emergencies.
The consultant will also be mandated to prepare standard operation procedures for those working in water and sewerage treatment plants and allied infrastructure of the Jal Board.
According to a senior Jal Board official, the water utility has to guard against at least 80 types of contamination alone: “In recent years the Board has had to take more precautions as there is now a threat from terror organisations as well. There is always a risk of contamination by terror groups.”
It was in view of the terror threats that the Jal Board had in 2006 sought deployment of Central Industrial Security Force and also written to the Defence Ministry for providing ex-Servicemen to augment its security set-up.
“The Jal Board has now decided to rope in a consultant who will offer contingency plans to deal with emergencies, help prepare the workforce for disasters and safeguard and maintain the operational stability of all water treatment plants, booster pumping stations, tube-wells, sewage treatment plants and the distribution system in general,” said the official.
The consultant will be required to come up with a plan to help the Jal Board tackle natural disasters as well. “The installations need to be protected from all kind of natural disasters like earthquakes and floods and from man-made disasters like intentional or unintentional contamination by toxic material during treatment, storage or distribution. And since safety and suitability are non-negotiable, the consultant will be required to help the Jal Board put in place a system to deal with these exigencies,” the official pointed out.
Listing the other terms of reference for the consultant, the official said the consultant would be asked to prepare a working code for employees who work in sensitive installations and risk occupational hazards.
“The Jal Board provides safe drinking water, collects domestic sewage and disposes it of safely. While doing this some of the employees have to undergo several hazards and risks for which a standard operation procedure has to be prepared for workers deployed at various departments. A contingency plan needs to be in place for handling emergencies or mishaps,” the official explained.
The plan would focus on steps to be taken when faced with a crisis, team and individual responsibilities, identification of the appurtenances to be utilised to isolate the system, the corrective actions to be taken, and the safety code to be followed.
