Cabinet Secretary chairs NCMC meeting to review flood situation in Kerala

KERALA:  A meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) was held on 16^th August to ensure continued and scale up assistance to the State of Kerala in view of the prevailing floods situation. On the instructions of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha chaired the meeting in which Secretaries of Central Ministries including Defence, Home, Water Resources and Chiefs of Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC) and other senior officers were present. Kerala also participated over video conference represented by Chief Secretary and his team. Cabinet Secretary took stock of the situation, preparedness, rescue and relief operations and directed that immediate and continued assistance be provided to Kerala to meet this crisis.

The government of India is fully supporting the State of Kerala and has launched massive relief and rescue operations in the State. In the NCMC meeting, the Cabinet Secretary pressed into service all the forces – Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, NDRF and other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs); and directed that all possible assistance should be provided to Kerala for relief and rescue operations. The Cabinet Secretary also directed that relief material including supply of drinking water, dry food packets, and powdered milk should also be made available to Kerala.  For proper reservoir management in Mullaperiyar Dam, Cabinet Secretary constituted a Committee chaired by Chairman, Central Water Commission and Engineers-in-Chief of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

As of now, 18 teams of NDRF, 9 columns and 8 teams of Engineering Task Force (ETC) of the Army, 22 teams of Coast Guard, 24 diving teams of Navy along with helicopters, aircrafts, boats, equipment, life buoys, life jackets, etc., have been dispatched to assist Kerala in rescue operations as well as evacuation of stranded people.  Besides this, medical assistance is also being provided by NDRF, Army, Navy including in special medical camps. So far, 2,182 persons have been rescued, 968 stranded people have been evacuated through prompt action of NDRF, Army, and Navy.