Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, May 28: With each passing year, intensity of natural disasters has been increasing. In this background, the district administration of Dakshina Kannada district has approached National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and a NDRF team will be arriving in the district during the first week of June.

A 25-member team of tenth battalion of NDRF Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) will be coming to the district in the first phase. Depending on the nature of monsoon, this team will be in the district for two months. During its stay here, the team will be involved with natural disaster management work not only in Dakshina Kannada, but also in Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts.

In all likelihood, the team which came here last year, may again be deputed to the district this time, as it has first-hand experience about the nature of monsoon season here. In case there are too much floods, landslip and such other things, the district administration can seek additional teams to handle them.

NDRF teams are equipped with training and implements required to handle building collapse, flood, and landslide in hills, rescue operations etc which are common during monsoon months. The team has equipment like boats, life jackets, lifebuoys, generator, things needed to cut wood, concrete etc, drilling machine, safety equipment like hoes, pickaxes, microphone, ropes etc. For use in emergencies, the team also comes with medical kit, stretcher etc for emergency medical aid.

During last year, two NDRF teams having 50 members had come to the coast and were employed in management of natural disasters. A team from Guntur had arrived before the beginning of the monsoon. Another team from Delhi with 24 members had come to handle heavy floods, landslide etc in Beltangady taluk.

District disaster management officer of Dakshina Kannada district, Vijay Kumar, said that the NDRF team this time will arrive with some delay as the monsoon is expected to begin a week later than usual.