Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 19: Aimed at preventing casualties, the state government has decided to release guidelines regarding sudden release of water from dams, barrages and reservoirs.
The decision comes in the wake of a directive from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which took note of last year’s mishap in Himachal Pradesh in which 24 engineering students from Andhra Pradesh were swept away in the swirling waters of the River Beas due to sudden discharge of water from an upstream reservoir.
The NDMA has asked the state government to follow draft guidelines regarding the release of water in the eventuality of dam failure in order to minimise loss of human life and property. The state government asked the water resources department to finalise the draft guidelines and issue it soon, sources said.
As per draft guidelines, a pre-warning system consisting of hooters and sirens of high capacity with distinct sound audible up to a distance of one km should be installed along vulnerable stretches and should be connected through a network of cables and optical fiber. Public awareness should be created regarding pre-warning sirens and hooters, as mentioned in the guidelines.
According to the draft guidelines, the executive engineer in-charge along with the resident engineer on duty shall be responsible for planning suitable remedial measures, flood-routing, instructing staff for immediate action, alerting the public through pre-warning system, evacuation and intimating the local civil administration.
Besides, the guidelines include formulation and implementation of an emergency action plan to minimise property loss, establishment of a well-designed hydro-meteorological network and an inflow forecasting system and emergency flood warning system, conduct of mock drill of mitigation measures from time to time and conduct of safety audit of the dams and reservoirs every six months.
