In a major preparedness initiative, the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) will conduct a statewide earthquake mock drill on November 15 across all 13 districts. The exercise aims to strengthen coordination among line departments and improve the state’s readiness to handle earthquakes and related disasters such as landslides, building collapses, and floods.
The announcement was made during an orientation and coordination conference chaired by Vinod Kumar Suman, Secretary of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, who reviewed the preparations for the upcoming drill. He stated that the event will help assess inter-departmental coordination, resource deployment, and public awareness in the face of seismic emergencies.
Our correspondent reports that the mock drill will be conducted under the Incident Response System (IRS) framework, focusing on quick and structured response operations. A tabletop exercise is scheduled for November 12, during which all districts will present their respective preparedness plans, available resources, and rescue arrangements.
Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said that Uttarakhand is one of the most seismically sensitive states in India, with all districts falling in Seismic Zones IV and V. He added that effective earthquake preparedness requires active participation not only from government agencies but also from local communities to minimise potential losses.
He explained that the USDMA has begun preparations to enhance the state’s earthquake early-warning system in collaboration with IIT Roorkee. The number of sensors and sirens installed across the state is being increased, and a new mobile application, “Bhudev App”, has been developed to alert residents when an earthquake of magnitude five or higher occurs.
Our correspondent adds that during the mock drill, district authorities will simulate various disaster situations to test coordination, rescue, and relief operations. Scenarios will include building collapses, school and college evacuations, bridge and dam failures, chemical leaks, glacier lake bursts, railway-track damage, and landslides.
The exercise will also assess the efficiency of rescue operations, route planning, and communication among emergency response teams. Relief camps will be established to evaluate real-time arrangements such as electricity, water supply, food distribution, first aid, and infant care. Special provisions will be made for pregnant women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, ensuring that the needs of vulnerable groups are adequately addressed.
Police and Home Guard personnel will be deployed at the camps to maintain order and ensure the safety of women and children. The mock drill will further verify the effectiveness of designated evacuation routes, transport facilities, and safe shelters, as well as the coordination between civil administration, fire services, health departments, and local authorities.
Anand Swaroop, Additional Chief Executive Officer (Administration), highlighted that the exercise will serve as a comprehensive preparedness assessment, enabling departments to identify gaps and strengthen real-time disaster response.
DIG Rajkumar Negi, Additional CEO (Implementation), said that the mock exercise will cover multiple urban and rural scenarios. These include the rescue of people trapped in multi-storey buildings, safe evacuation of students and teachers from damaged school premises, and emergency response following floods caused by dam failures. Industrial accidents such as chemical spills and natural disasters like glacial lake outbursts will also be simulated.
Senior officials emphasised that coordination among departments and agencies remains crucial for timely rescue and relief. The exercise will test command-control structures, evaluate equipment functionality, and review the readiness of district disaster management teams.
Our correspondent adds that USDMA, ULMCC, and U-Prepare experts have been assigned to assist districts in planning and execution. Officials said that after the statewide mock drill, an assessment meeting will be held to analyse performance, identify shortcomings, and prepare an improvement plan for future disaster response exercises.
The meeting was attended by Joint CEO Mohammad Obaidullah Ansari, ULMMC Director Dr. Shantanu Sarkar, Dr. Bimlesh Joshi, and officials from USDMA, ULMMC, and U-Prepare. District-level officers and experts from various institutions also joined the session online.
The statewide drill is expected to enhance public awareness, strengthen preparedness at every administrative level, and build a resilient safety network in a state that faces frequent seismic threats.
