HP ties up with France on Rs 890-cr disaster reduction plan
Shimla, August 30
The Himachal Pradesh Government has prepared a Rs 890-crore ‘disaster risk reduction and preparedness programme’ in collaboration with the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) to enhance disaster preparedness and climate resilience.
Emergency operation centres in all districts
- Main aim is to usher in a comprehensive approach to disaster, counter climate change
- Emergency operation centres will be set up in all districts
- Climate change vulnerability assessment for all river basins
- Early warning systems for landslides and flashfloods
“The primary goal of this initiative is to usher in a comprehensive approach to disaster and ensure climate risk reduction. The need of the hour is to address the issue of escalating threat of climate change and the need to take proactive measures,” said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
The CM said the government proposed to establish the State Institute for Disaster Management along with strengthening the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA). “The plan encompasses the creation of an emergency operations centre (EOC) in the state and district-level EOCs and will ensure climate change vulnerability assessment (CCVA) at the village level for all river basins coupled with the establishment of a Special Disaster Response Force (SDRF) company at Kangra,” he stated.
Sukhu said the programme to be implemented in collaboration with the French Development Agency will commence from April 2024 for a period of five years. Another vital aspect of the programme will be the reinforcement of disaster preparedness, involving the enhancement of emergency response capabilities.
Other initiatives include the development of early warning systems for landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, glacial lake outburst floods and dam safety.
Improving networks for flood forecasting and introducing a GIS-based Decision Support System are other facets of the project, he said. Landslide mitigation and the stabilisation of vulnerable landslide sites also form part of the programme.
A significant chunk of the programme’s resources will be directed towards mitigation measures, including eco-disaster risk reduction and nature-based solutions. To ensure effective implementation, various departments aligned with climate change mitigation will receive dedicated funding, he added.
To address the increasing threat of forest fires, the proposed programme outlines strategies for implementing fire mitigation measures.
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