NDRF gets hi-tech gadgets to reduce disaster response time

NEW DELHI: India is gearing up to face disasters better, with the National Disaster Response Force ( NDRF) procuring modern gadgets worth Rs 58 crore including some versatile machines like a snake-eye camera, LED balloon lights and deep penetration ground sensing radars, which will help save more lives during floods, earthquakes and other calamities.

The new technology will help the primary response force, the NDRF, to trace victims 20 meters inside a rubble or a collapsed structure and communicate better to reduce response time.

"India is a country which is hit the hardest by disasters. We are ranked number three on this list of recorded incidents of disasters after US and China. Disasters are a very regular phenomenon in terms of intensity and frequency (in India) and that is why India is going to be a response-based country for another 5-10 years," NDRF director general O P Singh said during the Force's annual press conference.



The DG said about 12,000 personnel-strong National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is preparing to sharpen its technology and manpower responses.
"We are learning a lot from disasters and hence we are trying to prepare ourselves better," he said, adding the force has sent proposals worth Rs 58 crore to the government to procure some smart gadgets.

Singh said they are looking to procure snake-eye cameras which can smartly slip into crevices and small openings in rubble to see and find out people who are trapped inside.

It will also obtain inflatable LED balloon lights which can light up crammed and dark areas like mines and collapsed tunnels in case a rescue operation has to be launched. A ground sensor radar which can detect life and activities 20 metres deep into rubble and a 'pneumatic shoring system' will be purchased to hold the falling structure and ensure the safety of rescue teams that enter a collapsed structure.

In order to improve communication facilities during disasters, Singh said the NDRF has recently got and has started deploying Quick Deployable Antennas (QDAs) on which quick and smooth voice and data can be sent for use by rescuers working in disaster zones. In order to better cater to disaster challenges on the northeastern flank of the country, a new NDRF base will become operational from near Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh beginning January 15, he said.

The NDRF is also testing two smart equipments, one for de-contamination of an area affected by a chemical, biological or radiological attack and the other is a see-through wall detector which can relay signals about the presence of any person behind a wall from 20 metres.

He said a global assessment report on disasters has said that at present 4.8 million people (about 50 lakh) are affected every year by disasters in India. The figures could dramatically rise to 19 million by 2030.

He quoted the report to say India spends $9.8 billion (about Rs 64,680 crore) every year to combat disasters in various states in challenging geographical features and terrains.

The NDRF, in 2015-16 financial year, also procured 21 new types of equipments worth Rs 42 crore. Singh said the force is making good use of social media to reach out to victims of disasters like the use of platforms like Twitter, email, Whatsapp and Facebook during the recent floods in Chennai.

When asked about the forces' response in a scenario where the national capital is hit by a disaster, the DG said his teams are on alert every minute and they can respond in 20 minutes from their nearest base in Ghaziabad.

NDRF has also asked the government to provide a dedicated air wing through the military aircrafts of the Indian Air Force.
In 2015, NDRF undertook 168 relief and rescue operations and rescued 51,614 people including a major operation when its teams were sent to Nepal in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake that struck the Himalayan nation.