Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran said that the government was preparing a crisis management plan to help the State handle the impact of disasters, both natural and man-made.Delivering the inaugural address at a national workshop organised by the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), he said the draft of the crisis management plan was ready. “It will be published after discussions at various levels. Kerala will become the first State in the country to be equipped with such a plan,” he said. The Minister said efforts were on to create a State-level flood management plan. “We have initiated steps to set up a State disaster response force in Ernakulam with assistance from the Central government. A civil defence institute is expected to become operational in Thrissur district in two months and a regional institute has been planned in Kannur. As many as nine coastal districts have been equipped with early warning systems and efforts are on to constitute disaster management committees in 197 villages in the coastal belt. The construction of cyclone shelters will be taken up in nine districts under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Programme.” Mr.Rajendran said a safety programme on disaster management would be implemented in 200 schools. “A voluntary corps of youth will be set up soon in association with the Youth Welfare Board. The corps will assist the administration in disaster management activities,” the Minister added.The Minister released the district-level natural hazard zonation maps prepared by CESS. Revenue Principal Secretary Nivedita P. Haran received the map of Kerala while Collector Sanjay Kaul received the map for Thiruvananthapuram district.
The Hindu, 26th August 2009
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