Kodagu steps up monsoon disaster preparedness

Madikeri: Kodagu deputy commissioner SJ Somashekar has directed designated nodal officers and assistant nodal officers assigned for disaster management to visit vulnerable locations and implement precautionary measures this monsoon season.Speaking at a meeting held with the officials at Madikeri, he instructed them to maintain coordination among tahsildars, town panchayat EOs, engineers, PDOs, gram panchayat staff, police, fire services, health, electricity, PWD and ensure that officials remain stationed in their assigned areas and are available at all times.He asked them to conduct fresh inspections of sensitive, flood-prone and landslide-prone zones, document current risks and keep updated location-specific action plans ready for rapid execution during heavy rainfall.He asked them to arrange advance shifting of residents from high-risk landslide and flood areas to designated care centres when rainfall intensifies and ensure daily dissemination of rainfall and safety advisories to the public.He asked them to check structural safety of anganwadi, school and college buildings and restrict use of unsafe buildings and prioritise repairs or temporary relocation of services where required.He stressed compiling and circulating updated contact lists of all officials, including mobile numbers, and maintaining readily accessible information on availability and location of heavy earth machines and boats, and trained volunteers in each locality.He stressed ensuring drainage systems along highways, PWD roads and panchayat roads are repaired and cleared so rainwater flows freely, preventing waterlogging and road damage. He also called for ensuring timely maintenance of transformers and related electrical infrastructure to reduce outage risks and prevent accidents.He emphasised stocking essential medicines at PHC, strengthening disease surveillance, and running widespread awareness measures to prevent infectious disease outbreaks during the monsoon. He said preventing misinformation on social media through monitoring, timely official updates, and coordinated communication from district administration and police is key to handling the situation.