Bhubaneswar: A mock drill as a pre-preparatory exercise to deal with chemical disasters and other such emergencies has been held at Paradip Port involving 28 industrial establishments of 10 districts.
It is worth noting here that a mock drill of this kind was held for the first time in the country, based on the experience gained from it, a special roadmap will be prepared for dealing with chemical disaster mitigation in the coming days, according to an official press release.
The main objective of this mock drill was to remain alert and prepared in case of any future chemical gas leakage, explosion and other related accidents in the industrial establishments of the state in order to effectively mitigate them at an accelerated pace.It was an an emergency training in this regard.
The district administration, industrial establishments, national and state level rescue teams, volunteers and the public likely to be affected in such incidents particpated in this pre-preparatory exercise.
The mock exercise focused on streamlining emergency response, identifying vacant spaces, early warning, alertness, and safety.
The mock drill was conducted on the basis of identification of chemicals, hazardous and combustible materials stored in industrial establishments.
Residents of nearby villages were evacuated to safer places in preparation for the disaster. NDRF, ODRAF, District Administration, Local Administration, Industries, Local Police, Fire Department, Medical Team, Panchayati Raj representatives were involved in the preparations. Along with Directorate of Factories and Boilers, State Pollution Board, organizations like Indian Army, Air Force, Navy, CISF also participated in the drill actively.
After the completion of this mock drill, in a virtual meeting held at Bhubaneswar State Emergency Operations Center, officials of 10 district administration , representatives of identified industrial establishments, representatives of Paradip Port Authority presented their experiences, opinions and suggestions on this pre-preparatory exercise.
Managing Director of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority Dr Gyana Das presided over the meeting.
