J-K administration to set up Emergency Operation Centers in 20 districts to minimise damage of natural disasters

JAMMU, Apr 4: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to set up state-of-art Emergency Operation Centers (EOC) in all 20 districts to minimize the damage caused by natural disasters in the region, informed a government statement.
Notably, J-K falls in earthquake zone IV and V and is also highly prone to flood damage. The construction of EOC has started in the Budgam district. The project will have a complete disaster management plan under National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) 2019 and it will be implemented in all districts.
The J-K administration has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NDMA, Government of India for the implementation of an Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) to coordinate disaster calls in Dial No. 112.
According to the Economic Survey 2022-23 released by the J-K Government, District Emergency Operation Centers will be established in all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir UT to help build the capacity of the UT and district administration. By managing disaster risks, enhancing preparedness and achieving resilient recovery. The government has informed in a statement that around 1.5 lakh community volunteers will be engaged in three phases including 15,000 volunteers in the first phase, 35,000 volunteers in the second phase and 1,00,000 volunteers in the third phase. The survey report states that the focus is on building the capacity of all stakeholders to respond promptly to disasters in a planned manner so as to reduce loss of life and economic losses in various forms. The Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction is working on identifying various hazards that threaten the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Areas of focus are disaster risk prevention and mitigation initiatives and guidelines, building the capacity of all stakeholders in UT to deal with disasters and promoting community-based disaster management, roles for all relevant stakeholders and defining responsibilities with clarity, the statement read. The officials said that hazard mapping, hazard assessment, and impact assessment will be standardized for different sectors and regions while emphasis will be placed on forecasting and early warning/warning of various meteorological events and hazards. Another focus area is the alignment of State Plans (SDMP) and District Plans (DDMP) in line with the Sendai Framework. Notably, in March last year, the final report of the Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment (MHRA) for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Territories revealed that due to flood and earthquake hazards, J-K is incurring an average annual loss (AAL) of Rs 1,774 crore.
As per the statement, the AAL due to earthquakes for J-K is Rs 1,488.44 crore, which is about 0.15 per cent of the total exposure value. The river flood risk AAL for Jammu and Kashmir is Rs 286.50 crore, which is about 0.03 per cent of the total export cost of UT. Srigarh district has been the worst affected by the floods followed by Baramulla district, the statement added.