NDMA, Indian Army to hold mock drills in Delhi-NCR from July 29-Aug 1 for earthquake preparedness.

National Disaster Management Authority and Indian Army will organise a joint tabletop exercise and mock drill in the Delhi – National Capital Region (NCR) from July 29 to August 1, NDMA member Lt. Gen. (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said. Lieutenant General (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said that 11 districts in Delhi, 02 districts in Uttar Pradesh and 06 districts in Haryana will participate in the mock drill.

He explained, “This will be an optimised mock drill. We are conducting this Mock drill all over the National Capital Region. This means that 02 districts in UP and 06 districts in Haryana will also be active in this, in addition to the 11 districts of Delhi which would participate“.

He further added that, “the NDMA and the army will hold a symposium at Manekshaw Centre on July 29, while a tabletop exercise will be held with representatives from all the districts on July 30. “The calamities apprehended are earthquakes and chemical accidents. On 29 July, we will hold a symposium at the Manekshaw Centre. On 30 July, a tabletop exercise will be held, featuring representatives from all the districts. They will be given situations, and it will be seen how they respond“.

Furthermore, Hasnain added that the on-ground mock drill will be conducted on August 1. “On August 1, the same tabletop exercise will be put into practice on the ground. We should be prepared for every situation. For the first time, an initiative has also come from the Army to a large extent“, the NDMA official said.

The Vice Chairman of UP State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), Lieutenant General (Retd) Yogendra Dimri, reiterate, “This entire exercise will go on for three days. Tomorrow, there is a symposium where all the agencies will share their views. On 30 July, there will be a table top exercise“.

He added that Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar will take part in the mock drill on the effects of an earthquake. “On August 1, a mock drill will be conducted, in which Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh will participate. Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar from UP will participate in this exercise on the effects of an earthquake. People’s behaviour during the exercise will help us understand the gaps and the next steps“.

The mock drill comes in the wake of a series of earthquakes in Delhi-NCR earlier in July. On July 11, residents across Delhi-NCR experienced mild tremors following an earthquake of magnitude 3.7 that struck Haryana’s Jhajjar district, just a day after a stronger 4.4 magnitude quake hit the same region. While earthquakes of magnitude 3.3 and 3.2 struck Rohtak and Faridabad districts in Haryana respectively, on July 17 and July 22, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).

Team Maverick