No disaster response team in Delhi yet

Meanwhile, a government report on Delhi’s preparedness to tackle floods has claimed, “Several mitigating measures have been taken over the years, like strengthening of Yamuna embankments and remodelling of Najafgarh drain, but a strict vigil has to be maintained during high floods”.

The report acknowledged that the city’s drainage system, necessary to bring down the water level after excessive rains, was inadequate.
While officials claimed that a team of volunteers have been trained in first-aid to handle such calamities, the lack of a quick response team (QRT) remains a glaring loophole in the city’s disaster preparedness plan. Such QRTs are usually provided equipment and trained personnel to deal with such situations.

Some officials pointed out that formulating flood-control plans, without coordinating with other agencies and training emergency support functionaries, was a useless exercise.

“If the water level increases because of excessive rainfall, quick response would be impossible in Delhi as there is no common pool of equipment in the city; we will have to arrange for boats from other places. We are yet to check the disaster response time of hospitals and Delhi doesn’t even have a storage unit for perishable food,” said an official.

However, some government officials believe that Delhi would be able to tackle the situation, as it is not a ‘coastal’ region. “We can pump out water in an hour’s time,” said a senior official.