Aimed at mitigating the effects of natural calamities and dealing with emergency situations effectively, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has decided to open taluk-level emergency operation centres at Kozhikode, Koyilandy, Thamarassery and Vadakara. Revenue officials said the centres would be ready before the onset of the monsoon season.
“Trained volunteers will be on hand to coordinate rescue activities. All the taluk-level rescue operations will henceforth be controlled through the emergency operation centres under the leadership of tahsildars,” said Deputy Collector (Disaster Management) M.V. Krishnankutty. He added that rescue equipment needed for each centre would be ready by April.
Automatic alert system will be one of the special features of the newly planned emergency operation centres. Coastal areas will get special consideration and the accessories will be purchased on the basis of local rescue requirements.
Formation of rescue volunteers in the hillside regions too will be a priority area, where frequent landslides during monsoons claimed several lives in the past. Students and voluntary organisation leaders will be trained in emergency rescue operations under expert agencies. Support of resource persons from the National Disaster Response Force too will be sought to ensure quality training.
Setting up of a base station for coordinating the coastal area rescue activities too is under the active consideration of the district administration. The base station, which is to be designed in such a way that it gives quick access for all rescue operators including the Air Force and Navy, is likely to come up at Vellayil. The project proposed by the harbour engineering department is expected to cost ₹110 crore.
