Disaster management drill checks Delhi's preparedness for earthquake, industrial accidents

A field-level, multi-agency disaster management mock drill was carried out at 55 locations across the national capital on Friday morning, according to officials. The exercise began with the triggering of a simulated earthquake scenario followed by chemical leaks in industrial and transport zones in all the 11 districts of the city. The exercise was conducted simultaneously in Delhi, UP, Haryana and the National Capital Region, the officials said. A large number of personnel from different agencies including fire services, police and revenue department, took part in the exercise conducting rescue and relief rehearsals at places like Ramesh Nagar Metro station, Mother International School and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Preparations for emergency response situation in case of earthquake and industrial accident was recreated at the RML hospital. At the Mother International School, disconnection of gas and electricity connections after signal of simulated earthquake and rescue was practised.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with the Indian Army and the governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, is organising 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra' that culminated with a field-level mock drill. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is the lead agency for coordinating the mock drill to test the preparedness of Delhi-NCR in case of earthquake and industrial chemical hazards scenarios, according to a statement from the authority.