Coming soon, sirens to warn you of disasters

Residents and motorists in Delhi will immediately get to know about any kind of disaster such as earthquakes and even terrorist attacks with the help of sirens that will be installed across the city. Neelam Pandey reports.

Residents and motorists in Delhi will immediately get to know about any kind of disaster such as earthquakes and even terrorist attacks with the help of sirens that will be installed across the city.

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The move is aimed at clearing the way for emergency response vehicles through these sirens in case of any disaster. Usually, these vehicles get stuck in traffic jams during disaster situations. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) recently held a meeting to discuss the modalities of the proposal wherein it was suggested that special lanes be reserved for such vehicles.

"The move is aimed at strengthening the emergency response system in the city. Ambulances get stuck in traffic jams and fire tenders sometimes reach the spot late. We want to ensure that people on the move get to know about any kind of emergency situation and make way for emergency response vehicles and help them reach disaster spots and tend to the people affected," said a Delhi government official.

According to the proposal, restrictions on the movement of other vehicles in the lanes will be in place only in times of crisis.

A study will soon be conducted to find out where all these sirens can be installed and the total number of sirens that will be required to cover the entire city.

"This emergency public warning system will facilitate easy movement of emergency response vehicles," added the official.

A senior Delhi government official added that they were also planning to use sirens in case of any local emergencies such as building collapse or fire mishaps.

"While a disaster will affect the entire city, there might be other exigencies at a local level. For instance, if there is a building collapse in east Delhi, we might require machinery and staff from south Delhi and hence sirens will go off in south Delhi too," added the official.

The DDMA will soon be discussing the proposal with the police and the fire department.

The DDMA and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will also conduct mock drills, to be known as the Delhi Emergency Management Exercise (Demex), in November and December.