Itanagar, Feb 7: Arunachal Pradesh has been conducting regular mock drills and simulations based on a 7.8 magnitude earthquake scenario to strengthen response preparedness, resource mobilisation and inter-departmental coordination, State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Secretary Dani Sulu said.
Speaking at a tabletop exercise on a multi-state earthquake scenario on Friday, Sulu stressed the need to empower state and district disaster management authorities to lead response efforts at the local level.
He noted that Arunachal Pradesh is in a high seismic risk zone, underlining the importance of sustained preparedness measures and institutional strengthening to ensure effective disaster response.
The exercise was conducted by the state disaster management department, in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
It focused on assessing readiness, improving coordination and enhancing response mechanisms in the event of a major earthquake.
NDMA’s senior consultant Col Nadeem Arshad (Retd) said the multi-state exercise was aimed at strengthening coordination and preparedness, emphasising that disasters do not recognise man-made state boundaries and require joint planning and coordinated response.
During the session, NDMA presented a detailed earthquake scenario highlighting the importance of timely decision-making, effective communication and coordinated action among stakeholders.
The multi-state drill is being conducted simultaneously in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Meghalaya. A full-scale mock exercise is scheduled to be conducted on February 9.(PTI)
