The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), on behalf of the Government of India, is hosting the “2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise-2020 (BIMSTEC DMEx-2020)” with the themes “ A cultural heritage site that suffers severe damage in the Earthquake” & “Flooding or Storm” at Bhubaneswar/Puri, Odisha w.e.f 11-13 February, 2020.

A Curtain-Raiser Press Conference to brief member of media about this first of its kind exercise among the BIMSTEC member Nations was conducted today at Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Office, Rajiv Bhawan, Unit-5, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The Curtain-Raiser Press Conference was jointly organised by NDRF & Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) to provide various details like types of event, methodology of exercise, team participation and venue as well as moves/injects of main exercise to the media.

Sh. Satya Narayan Pradhan, Director General, NDRF and Sh. Pradeep Kumar Jena, Special Relief Commissioner & Managing Director, OSDMA jointly briefed the media about this International exercise. Addressing the media, DG, NDRF intimated that the Hon’ble Chief Minister Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the three-day “BIMSTEC DMEx-2020” at Hotel Mayfair, Bhubaneswar on 11th February, 2020. Hon’ble Minister of State (Home), Sh. Nityanand Rai will launch field training exercise scheduled on 12th February, 2020 at Ramachandi Beach, District-Puri, Odisha.

The participants of 05 member countries namely Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal are participating in this exercise. However, Bhutan and Thailand are not participating in the exercise.

The three day long exercise shall consist of Inaugural Session and Table Top Exercise (TTx) on collapsed structure at Hotel Mayfair, Bhubaneswar on 11th February, 2020, Field Training Exercise (FTx) on Aquatic Disaster Response with focus on cultural heritage sites at Ramachandi beach, Puri on 12th February, 2020 followed by proceedings of Disaster Management Exercise & Policy Meeting of NDMA/NDMOs among the teams of participating Nations on 13th February, 2020.

The objective of this exercise is to test the existing emergency procedures for notification, preparedness and emergency response, during a major earthquake & Flood scenarios. This exercise shall also provide an opportunity to enhance the co-ordination & co-operation involving multi-agency operations in an earthquake, flooding & storm surge. The exercise shall also test multi-stakeholders coordination in a disaster scenario involving international, national, state, district and local agencies.

A exercise village has been set up at Ramchandi, Puri where, simulation on aquatic disaster response with special attention to the damage to heritage site will take place as part of the exercise. This will provide real-time scenarios so that in times of disaster, a proper plan for response & coordination among member nation can be executed in multi-agencies scenarios.

Earlier, in November, 2019 the first phase comprising a Preparatory Meeting and field visit of site selected for FTX during the main exercise, was held in Puri, Odisha.

The exercise shall be attended by International observers like United Nations Development Progran (UNDP), International Search And Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) & The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), National observers like Indian National Trust for Art And Cultural Heritage (INTACH) & Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), representatives from various stakeholders viz. India Metrological Deptt. (IMD), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Centre Water Commission (CWC), Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (AQCS), Civil Defence, Fire Services, BIMSTEC Secretariat etc.

Odisha has been selected in view of the State’s experience and success in tackling disasters in the past and also Odisha has a number of heritage sites. The Government of India proposed to host 2nd BIMSTEC DM Ex in 2019-20 as an initiative for enlarged regional cooperation within the BIMSTEC framework.

The Government of India has taken several initiatives in the recent years to institutionalize the regional cooperation to mitigate disaster risk, the BIMSTEC is one of them. In India we have organized SAADMEx-2015, BIMSTEC DMEx-2017, SCO-2019 for enhancing the coordination, cooperation among the neighbouring countries of Asia.

Issued By : PR Cell, NDRF HQ, New Delhi.