If there is one thing that Telangana can simply emulate is the ‘Blue Book’ or a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) prepared by the AP State Disaster Management Department. As it has a vast coastline and cyclones frequency, it details all the possible actions for all levels of officers involved at different timelines along with the details of resource requirement and features to monitor the compliance of each and every pre-defined action. Divided into – Preparedness Phase, Early Warning or On Alert Phase, During the event Phase, Relief Phase, Restoration Phase – the document focuses on listing the pre-defined action sets for various timelines department-wise, level-wise (State level, district level, block level, village level) attaching a responsible officer for each and every action, along with the listing of required resources for proper accomplishment of the action. An SDRF headed by the Chief Minister is in place in Telangana and the SDMA or management agency is awaiting the Cabinet signal. About 600 well-trained personnel drawn from the police and other services are in place and tenders for emergency equipment of Rs. 23 crore floated. Another sum of Rs.82 crore is being spent for building a state-of-the-art cyclone emergency control facility in the capital under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project which will connect with the nine districts and 77 mandals identified for vulnerability of cyclones through computer network to share real-time data like maps and others with L&T bagging the contract. “We have also signed a pact with the UNDP to prepare disaster response protocols at all levels at a cost of Rs.1.7 crore”, says K. Dhananjaya Reddy, Commissioner of Agriculture and who had overseen its preparation when he was the Commissioner of Disaster Management till recently.
