Tripura conducts mock drill to strengthen flood, landslide preparedness

In a significant stride toward disaster resilience, the Tripura Disaster Management Authority (TDMA), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Government of India, conducted a comprehensive, state-wide full-scale mock drill today to assess preparedness against floods and landslides.

Spearheaded by the Revenue Department in coordination with all District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs), the exercise was simultaneously carried out at 76 strategically identified locations. These included flood-prone urban and rural areas, hospitals, landslide-vulnerable zones, and critical public infrastructure points.

The simulation mimicked real-life emergency scenarios and featured coordinated search and rescue missions, evacuation drills, relief distribution, deployment of staging areas, and community engagement initiatives. Personnel from the Incident Response System (IRS), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indian Army, Assam Rifles, BSF, CRPF, and various state line departments actively participated in the exercise.

In addition, Public Sector Undertakings like ONGC, GAIL, NEEPCO, TNGCL, and OTPC joined hands with Civil Defence volunteers, Aapda Mitras, NGOs, and local community members, reflecting a holistic, multi-stakeholder response effort.

The drill also served as a real-time assessment of the functionality and coordination of Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) at both state and district levels. Incident Response Teams (IRTs) operated within the IRS framework, while observers from uniformed services monitored operations and provided real-time feedback. Live field feeds enabled centralized monitoring, facilitating swift situational mapping and response.

State Relief Commissioner and Incident Commander Brijesh Pandey personally reviewed operations at the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), underscoring the importance of continuous capacity building for efficient disaster management.

A debriefing session was held at the SEOC at noon, where district officials, disaster management professionals, and stakeholders shared insights, highlighted best practices, and discussed areas for improvement. The collective sentiment underscored the vital role such full-scale mock drills play in fostering disaster awareness and preparedness — not just for floods and landslides, but also for other potential hazards, including earthquakes.

This statewide mock exercise marks a pivotal move toward strengthening Tripura’s disaster response framework, setting the stage for a more resilient and coordinated approach to emergency management.