A large-scale earthquake emergency drill will be conducted on August 1st to assess the disaster management system in Delhi, the capital, and the districts of the NCR. This mock drill is being organized in a total of 18 districts across Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The purpose of the exercise is to evaluate administrative preparedness, inter-agency coordination, and public response capabilities in dealing with serious situations such as earthquakes and chemical disasters.
Disaster Management Exercise to be Conducted in Three Phases
Prior to the drill, a high-level seminar will be held on July 29th to discuss strategic preparedness for disaster risk. This will be followed by a Tabletop Exercise (TTEx) on July 30th, where disaster managers will test their response plans in a controlled environment. The entire exercise will culminate with a full-scale mock drill on August 1st, which will simulate a real emergency situation to assess ground readiness.
The DDMA (Delhi Disaster Management Authority) stated that all 11 districts of Delhi, along with Gurugram, Faridabad, Rewari, Nuh, and Palwal in Haryana, and Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar districts in Uttar Pradesh, will be included in this exercise.
Sirens May Sound During the Drill
The DDMA has appealed to citizens to exercise restraint, stating that emergency-like activity may be observed in the capital on August 1st. During the drill, emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, police vans, and army trucks will be active on the roads. In addition, sirens and public address systems will be used as signals to indicate the start of the mock drill.
Under the exercise, temporary incident control centers, relief camps, staging areas, and medical aid posts will be established at various locations. During this time, NDRF, Delhi Police, armed forces, civil defense forces, and other agencies will work together to carry out simulated rescue operations, evacuation of the injured, and first aid activities.
A Major Step Towards a Safe and Disaster-Resilient City
According to the administration, this exercise is merely a pre-planned procedure and does not involve any real emergency situation. Citizens are requested not to panic, to stay away from rumors, and to fully cooperate with the administration.
The DDMA clarified that this mock drill is a decisive step towards making the capital a disaster-resilient and safe city. Its purpose is not only to assess the readiness of agencies but also to make ordinary citizens aware and alert in emergency situations.
This exercise has adopted a 'Whole of Government Approach', which includes the participation of the armed forces, as well as the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Center for Seismology (NCS), and many civil society organizations. The administration believes that through proactive planning, capacity building, and public awareness, Delhi and the NCR can be better prepared for disasters.
