India to conduct the First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017’ in October

This exercise will be a platform for sharing best practices on all aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), strengthening regional response and coordination for Disaster Management among the BIMSTEC member countries, the ministry said in its release.

Delegates from all seven nations of the ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC) grouping, - namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, representatives from Embassies/High Commissions of BIMSTEC nations in Delhi, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and senior officers from the nodal ministries will be participating in the event.

The BIMSTEC region is home to around 1.5 billion people, constituting around 22 per cent of the global population with a combined GDP of US $2.7 trillion economy.

Majority of the BIMSTEC countries are situated in the South Asian Region (SAR), prone to natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, avalanches and drought.

At the 17th BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting held in Kathmandu, Nepal on February 7, 2017, it was decided that India would organize the first annual Disaster Management Exercise for the region.

The main focus of the BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 will be on testing the region’s preparedness and resilience towards effective activation of inter-Governmental interaction/dialogue/agreements for immediate deployment of regional resources for disaster response. It will help create synergy and synchronize efforts to institutionalize regional cooperation among the member countries, the release said.

The exercise will help strengthen the effective utilization of the Search & Rescue Teams for Disaster Relief & Emergency Response, including Emergency Rapid Assessment Teams and Management of mass casualties especially in situations involving breakdown of infrastructure and communication.

At the end of the four-day exercise, a publication will be brought out on the outcomes and recommendations of the Joint/Common Exercise and include agreement among BIMSTEC nations on regional cooperation for Disaster Management and Emergency Response.

This would be presented to the BIMSTEC leaders at the Summit to be hosted by Nepal in October/November, 2017.

The BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 is being conducted in two phases in Delhi and NCR. The main exercise will consist of Table Top Exercise (TTX), Field Training Exercise (FTX) and After Action Review (AAR), which is scheduled for October 10-13, 2017.

The first phase comprising a preparatory meeting and field visit of site selected for FTX during the main exercise, was held in Delhi NCR on August 8-9, 2017.

According to the ministry, India has been at the forefront of DRR efforts by hosting the South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise (SAADMEx) and the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR).

India has also offered its expertise and capabilities in DRR such as the South Asia satellite, GSAT-9, and the Tsunami Early Warning Centre to other countries.

Disaster management was one of the important agenda items the BIMSTEC leaders deliberated upon during the Goa BRICS Summit in October last year where BIMSTEC leaders were the Special Invitees.

Image: NDRF/Twitter