Hyderabad, Dec.22 (RAHNUMA): A full-scale flood mock exercise was conducted successfully at Necklace Road (view point area) here on Monday under the coordination of the Hyderabad district administration in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), as part of efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.
The mock exercise simulated flood response operations and assessed the preparedness, inter-departmental coordination and operational efficiency of all stakeholder departments under the Incident Response System (IRS) framework. The exercise effectively demonstrated preparedness measures, field-level response actions and coordinated emergency management protocols.
District Revenue Officer Venkatachary functioned as the Incident Commander, overseeing and supervising all field-level response activities. Deputy Collector Ravi performed the role of Staging Area Manager, ensuring systematic mobilisation, staging and deployment of resources. Coordinated participation was witnessed from the revenue, police, fire services, medical & health, GHMC, transport, irrigation, electricity, water supply, civil supplies, animal husbandry, youth services, HYDRAA, SDRF, NDRF, R&B and other line departments.
NDMA State Observer (Brigadier), along with the director general of fire services Vikram Singh Maan, attended the exercise and reviewed the preparedness measures and on-ground execution.
The observer interacted with officers on critical aspects of disaster management, including flood mitigation strategies in low-lying urban areas, command and control mechanisms, roles and responsibilities under the Disaster Management Act, and functional clarity of IRS positions such as Incident Commander, Staging Area Manager and other key functionaries.
The observer provided valuable insights and practical inputs to further strengthen disaster response capabilities.
The NDMA lead consultent Sudheer Bhal (retd) appreciated the effective coordination among all participating departments and the disciplined execution of assigned roles, stating that such mock drills play a crucial role in enhancing preparedness and response efficiency during actual emergency situations.
Subsequently, the NDMA lead consultent, along with the Director General of Fire Services Vikram Singh Maan visited KIMS Hospital to review hospital disaster preparedness. Emergency response protocols, surge capacity, triage systems and coordination mechanisms were assessed, and valuable suggestions were offered to strengthen hospital-level disaster management and medical response during flood scenarios.
