UP gears up for monsoon, closely monitoring 29 highly sensitive districts

CM Yogi nitiates flood safety plan ahead of monsoon, meteorologists forecast arrival of rains between June 20-25 in the state, easing heat woes

Lucknow: With the raint season approaching, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has taken proactive steps to ensure public safety. He directed officials to make a comprehensive plan to address potential flooding after the monsoon’s arrival. The primary focus of this plan is to guarantee the timely relocation of residents and their livestock to secure areas.

Relief commissioner GS Naveen said that preparations to tackle potential floods were underway as per the chief minister’s directives. (Pic for representation)

In a piece of welcome news for residents suffering from extreme heat, scientists from the meteorological department had predicted that the monsoon was likely to arrive between June 20 and 25, a government spokesperson said in a press release.

Relief commissioner GS Naveen said that preparations to tackle potential floods were underway as per the chief minister’s directives. The state had been divided into three zones for flood management, with 29 highly sensitive, 11 sensitive and 35 normal districts. Teams, including officials from the irrigation, agriculture, and animal husbandry departments, had been alerted to monitor these areas closely.

Additionally, the SDRF, NDRF, PAC and the meteorological department were on high alert. Seven NDRF teams, 18 SDRF teams, and 17 PAC teams had been pre-positioned. The relief commissioner’s office had also set up a daily review system to receive reports from the meteorological department, irrigation department, agriculture department, and Central Water Commission to ensure swift action, he said.

The state-level Emergency Operation Centre has been activated, running a 20-seat call centre for the 24/7 relief helpline 1070. This centre will update field officers in flood-affected districts via SMS and voice calls. Additionally, 24-hour district emergency operation centers with video conferencing facilities have been established and linked to the state-level relief control room. A flood preparedness checklist has been sent to all districts.

The state government has also deployed 400 Aapda Mitras to deal with floods and other disasters in the state and provided them with 15-day training, uniforms, ID cards, certificates and emergency responder kits. Furthermore, 10,500 volunteers have been trained to assist in emergency situations.