The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a disaster management force under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is planning to have a team stationed in Chennai to respond to disasters in the city. It also has plans to set up a simulation centre that will provide training in disaster management.
M.K. Verma, commandant, NDRF, told The Hindu at the sidelines of an event in the city on Monday that the NDRF, currently based in Arakonnam, 80 km from the city, had a battalion comprising over 1,100 personnel. “As of now, we are searching for land (in Chennai). We are speaking to senior government officials for this. We plan to have one team of 130 personnel stationed in the city to respond to disasters, including flooding,” he added.
He said that the NDRF is also planning to set up a simulation centre with real-life disaster situations in a controlled atmosphere. “We will be able to train personnel on how to rescue people and animals. Low-lying areas in the city are prone to flooding,” he said.
Mr. Verma attended the inauguration of a two-week workshop on management of animals in emergencies. The workshop is being jointly organised by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), National Disaster Management authority and Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.
Earlier, speaking after the inauguration of the workshop, Ian Dacre, operations director of WSPA, Asia Pacific, Bangkok, said that most people were only aware of the human casualties after the typhoon struck Philippines.
“But no one knew about the number of animals that died. More than 3 million poultry were killed and these were the main source of food and livelihood of the people. Due to this, the cost of eggs and rice shot up,” he said.
