Multi State Table Top Exercise on Earthquake Disaster Scenario held in Assam
Guwahati, Rongili Barta- Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has organised a Table Top Exercise (TTEx) today at ASDMA Conference Hall as a part of the Multi State Mock Drill Exercise (ME) on earthquake disaster scenario. The TTEx was conducted today through video conferencing involving various stakeholders from different line departments and responding agencies from nine districts headquarters of Assam viz. Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Silchar, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Haflong, Tezpur and Kamrup Metropolitan. Around 500 stakeholders from participating districts and state headquarter were linked through VC, where simulation exercise was conducted across the table with the participants to check the preparatory level of the responders. The exercise was addressed by Gyanendra .D. Tripathi, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, ASDMA, Dr. Karuna Kumari, IAS, Secretary, Revenue & DM Dept., Govt. of Assam and Col. Nadeem Arshad (Retd), Consultant (Operations) from NDMA, New Delhi. The meeting was also attended by the stakeholders from the line departments of Govt. of Assam. This exercise has also been organised simultaneously in the State of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland by NDMA. The Mock drill (ME) Exercise was based on the Incident Response System (IRS) and accordingly the State organized the response to the simulated disaster through Incident Response Teams (IRTs). The aim of conducting the Table Top Exercise (TTEx) is to bring role clarity of key disaster managers through simulated emergency situations, particularly on the likely scenarios to be played out in the impending ME. Stakeholders at State and district level from various Govt. departments, Civil Defence, NDRF, Indian Army, CAPFs, Air Force, SDRF, various telecom service providers, UNICEF representatives, etc. have participated in the TTEx. The Table Top Exercise (TTEx) started with an opening remark followed by presentation on Disaster Management Plan by State, two departments of GoA viz. PWD (Roads) and PWD (Building. and NH) and DDMA Kamrup (Metro). The NDMA State Exercise Coordinator conducted a brief recap of the IRS system and thereafter conducted the TTEx based on scenarios evolved in conjunction with the SDMA. The TTEx involved the stakeholders giving their detailed response to each painted/artificial simulation disaster-related scenario. In continuation to this activity a physical mock drill exercise will be conducted simultaneously in the selected nine districts of Assam on 17th of November. 2022. In Kamrup metro, the mock exercise will be held simultaneously at Ghoramara, Boragaon, Sixmile, Bhetapara PHC, City Centre Mall and Rajgarh.