With the monsoon around the corner, the Greater Chennai Corporation has started preparatory work. But the draft of the disaster management plan prepared for the city is yet to get the nod from the government. Only after the government approves the plan will residents be able to make use of it, accessing information online to cope with any instance of flooding. Officials said residents in the city would be able to access information on the disaster management plan >atwww.chennaicorporation.gov.in .
The work on preparation of a disaster management plan started last year and has been completed.
The disaster management plan includes predefined roles and responsibilities with specific tasks for each official. It also covers detailed mapping of safest escape routes and resources for facilitating rescue and relief operations.
In the aftermath of the approval, it will be the responsibility of the Commissionerate of Revenue Administration in association with Chennai Corporation and Chennai district collectorate to disseminate information on the plan
In this context, residents’ associations, traders and research scholars on disaster management have stressed the need for a greater role of civil society in preparing for any flood event. “Residents’ association should have a key role in monsoon preparedness,” said N. Mathavan, a disaster management expert who developed the disaster resilience index for Chennai. He added thatthe associations have a key role to play in minimising losses during disasters.
