Hyderabad: A full-scale flood mock drill was conducted on Monday at Necklace Road’s viewpoint area to test disaster response mechanisms and inter-agency coordination under the Incident Response System (IRS) framework.
Organised by the Hyderabad district administration in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the exercise simulated flood response operations. It aimed to assess field readiness, cross-department coordination, and operational efficiency during emergencies.
Key officials oversee coordinated response
District Revenue Officer Venkatachary served as the Incident Commander, supervising all ground-level operations. Deputy Collector Ravi took charge as Staging Area Manager, directing resource mobilisation and deployment.
Multiple departments participated, including revenue, police, fire services, medical and health, GHMC, irrigation, civil supplies, electricity, water supply, animal husbandry, youth services, HYDRAA, SDRF, NDRF, R&B, and others.
NDMA’s State Observer (Brigadier) and Director General of Fire Services Vikram Singh Maan reviewed the exercise. They interacted with officers on flood mitigation in low-lying urban zones and stressed clarity in roles under the Disaster Management Act.
Medical readiness also reviewed
NDMA lead consultant Sudheer Bhal (retd) commended the disciplined execution and noted that such drills sharpen real-time response capabilities. He later joined DG Vikram Singh Maan at KIMS Hospital to evaluate hospital-level preparedness.
The team reviewed emergency protocols, triage systems, and surge handling capacity. They offered practical suggestions to enhance medical disaster response during urban flooding.