With just about a couple of weeks left for the southwest monsoon to set in over the region, the Kottayam district administration has expedited the preparatory works for flood risk management.
According to officials, a meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), convened by District Collector P.K. Jayasree recently, directed the Irrigation department to e-auction the silt removed from rivers on a war footing.
The move comes in the wake of a government order to prevent silt, which is currently kept on the riverbanks, from returning to the waterbody once the monsoon sets in.
Deputy Collectors have been appointed as officers in charge of each taluk while the Additional District Magistrate will act as the Deputy Collector for disaster management. Subcollectors and revenue divisional officers have been given the task of disaster relief operations.
An information directory of machinery required for disaster management will be prepared at the taluk level. Directives with regard to making advance preparations have been issued to areas that suffered damage in the previous years.
Arrangements have been also made to evacuate people in case of emergencies. Local bodies have been directed to commence preliminary steps for opening relief camps. Control rooms will be operated at taluk offices round the clock.
Koottickal panchayat, which witnessed flash floods and landslips last year, has come up with a ten-point programme, which includes constitution of volunteer teams, preparing a list of people in vulnerable areas, issuing alerts through microphone, and removing silt from waterbodies on a war footing.
Mundakkayam panchayat too has expedited removal of silt and boulders from the Manimalayar and constituted a rapid action force for flood-related emergency and rescue operations.
