Dibrugarh: With the monsoon season just weeks away, Sivasagar district administration convened a key meeting at the DC’s office on Thursday as part of its action plan for flood preparedness for the current year.The meeting brought together representatives from several govt departments to review preparedness levels, exchange views on critical flood-related concerns and issue directives for effective disaster response.The gathering focused on several key areas of preparedness, including shelter management, essential services continuity, damage assessment, critical infrastructure readiness, risk communication, response coordination and volunteer mobilisation.Officials deliberated on strategies for managing relief camps effectively, ensuring uninterrupted access to health, water, sanitation and educational services during flood situations. Discussions on damage assessment saw departments including agriculture, fisheries, handloom and textiles, sericulture, irrigation and power share perspectives on the timely submission of damage reports. Infrastructure readiness was reviewed by departments overseeing roads, buildings, national highways, railways, telecommunications and soil conservation, among others.Risk communication and response coordination emerged as significant focal points with the DSP, co-DCs and various paramilitary and civil defence units aligning on their respective roles. Volunteer coordination with bodies such as Mera Yuva Bharat (My Bharat), the National Service Scheme (NSS) and the NGO ‘Saved’ was also discussed in detail.Departmental heads were specifically directed to submit photo-documented reports of any flood-related damages within a stipulated 24-hour timeframe.“All departments must remain on high alert and ensure that their preparatory mechanisms are activated well before the onset of the monsoon. Timely coordination and swift response will be the key to minimising the impact on communities,” said Additional District Commissioner and CEO of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Meenakshi Perme, who presided over the meeting.
