NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the country’s preparedness for floods, heat waves and other climate-related disasters.
He strongly emphasised strengthening early warning systems, improving coordination among agencies and implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Zero Casualty Disaster Management.”
Senior officials said the meeting focused on enhancing India’s disaster response mechanisms ahead of the monsoon season and addressing the increasing challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather events.
During the meeting, Shah directed officials to expand plans for developing early warning systems for glacial and high-risk lakes in the Himalayan region.
He instructed authorities to include at least 60 lakes under the project aimed at monitoring vulnerable water bodies in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
The initiative is being undertaken with the support of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The Home Minister also stressed the need for an integrated flood forecasting mechanism linking both Central and State agencies to ensure the timely dissemination of warnings and better disaster management coordination.
Highlighting the importance of preparedness at the state level, Shah directed that Flood Crisis Management Teams (FCMTs) be constituted and activated across all states.
He observed that guidelines issued by the NDMA for disaster management had significantly improved awareness and promoted a “Whole of Government” approach to tackling emergencies.
However, he said regular reviews of compliance at the state, district and municipal levels would further strengthen implementation.
Shah also asked the NDMA to undertake a detailed study to evaluate how effectively states are implementing directives issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the disaster management guidelines related to forest fires, floods and heat waves.
Emphasising long-term climate resilience, the Home Minister called for greater efforts towards water conservation and groundwater recharge through water storage structures and check dam projects.
He said such initiatives would not only conserve water resources but also help reduce the impact of rising temperatures and heat waves.
“Our objective should be to conserve water by constructing check dams on rivers while also minimising the impact of heat waves,” Shah said during the meeting.
He further stressed the need for optimum utilisation of the CAMPA Fund for projects aimed at maintaining ecological balance and environmental sustainability.
The minister underlined the need for a comprehensive master plan to address changing weather patterns caused by climate change and the growing disaster risks associated with them.
He advocated adopting both a “Whole of Government” and “Whole of Society” approach to strengthen preparedness and response systems.
Shah also advised ministries and departments to focus on consolidating and improving existing disaster management apps and digital platforms instead of creating multiple new systems.
He stressed that weather forecasts and warning alerts must be disseminated more effectively to ensure timely access for people in vulnerable regions.
Reviewing monsoon preparedness, the Home Minister called for deeper analysis of casualties during previous monsoon seasons, the accuracy of weather forecasts and the extent of damage caused to the agriculture sector in order to improve future planning and response strategies.
Appreciating the work being carried out by various ministries and agencies, Shah said the time had come for weather-related preparedness plans to reach the grassroots level to ensure maximum public safety and resilience.
The meeting was attended by Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the NDMA, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Central Water Commission and the National Remote Sensing Centre, among other agencies.
