Use of advanced communication tools in disaster management needed: official

Special Chief Secretary R.P. Sisodia emphasizes advanced communication tools for disaster management, including drones and AI integration.

Special Chief Secretary, Revenue Department (Disaster Management, Land Administration, Stamps and Registrations, Survey and Settlement), R.P. Sisodia has emphasised the need for use of advanced communication tools for disaster management.

Addressing a review meeting on Saturday, Mr. Sisodia said every official, from the Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) level to the District Collector in coastal areas should be equipped with satellite phones and plans should be prepared accordingly to effectively tackle disasters and prevent loss of life in future.

With the focus on disaster preparedness and response measures, the meeting reviewed the availability and utilisation of items procured in the last five years, the essential items to be procured for the upcoming monsoon season along with budget and procurement status, and preparedness for heatwaves. The officials also assessed manpower and equipment availability in districts and the operational status of cyclone warning centres to ensure timely dissemination of alerts and information.

The need to place ambient air quality monitoring equipment near hazardous and chemical factories was highlighted, to detect any gas or chemical leakages in real time.

Mr. Sisodia spoke about the importance of enhancing communication tools based on modern technology and suggested use of drone technology effectively. He said if it was not feasible to procure drones independently, drone pilots should be empanelled and kept ready. He also emphasised the need to recognise the importance of night vision drones.

Proposing integration of WhatsApp services into disaster management, he directed the officials to prepare the necessary plans. He said there was also a need to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based disaster management system and an action plan on it.

To enhance real-time monitoring and disaster preparedness, he said the officials should make the GIS platform operational before the monsoon season. Additionally, he recommended the use of IoT devices for online data capture and immediate dissemination of critical information to improve the response time during emergencies.