Incident Response System will work in Uttarakhand to prevent disaster | 07 Dec 2023

Why in News?

On December 5, 2023, Disaster Management Secretary Dr. Ranjit Sinha said in a press conference that the Incident Response System (IRS) is being prepared to quickly rescue people and provide relief in disasters.

Key Points:

  • Dr. Ranjit Sinha said that Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) has started its exercise. It is being established under the rules of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
  • USDMA has issued a tender for this. Incident Response Team (IRT) will also be formed from block to district and state level. These teams will also work according to the disaster.
  • IRS guidelines have been prepared. Software is being made to implement this. After this, relief and rescue work can be done in a better way in disaster management.
  • It should be noted that every year disasters in the state prove to be a challenge for the government. Be it the recent Silkyara tunnel accident or a disaster like the Joshimath landslide before that. To overcome these, the IRS system is now being prepared under the rules of NDMA. With this, immediate prevention and solution can be done according to the intensity or risk of the disaster.
  • There will be three sections of IRS. There will be an operation section. The second will be the planning section and the third will be the logistics section. With the coordination of all three, disaster relief work can be done more quickly.
  • After receiving the initial warning, the Responsible Officer (RO) will activate the Incident Response Team (IRT) of the concerned area. The local IRT will operate in the event of a disaster without any warning. If necessary, he will contact the RO for assistance.
  • IRT will be pre-defined at all levels, i.e. State, District, Sub-Division and Tehsil, Block. If the disaster is complex and beyond the control of the local IRT, the higher level IRT will be informed. After this, the high level IRT will take over the responsibility of rescue from this entire disaster.