Two-month preparedness exercise for earthquakes

Delhi, falling in seismic zone IV, is in a high-risk zone and is vulnerable to disasters.u00a0Divisional commissioner, Delhi government, Vijay Dev said the exercise is being undertaken to help people deal with earthquakes as Delhi is situated in a high seismic zone.u00a0

Dev said workshops will be participated in by MLAs, councillors, representatives from the judiciary, bar associations, Institute of Engineers, Institute of Architects, Institute of Charted Accountants and Resident Welfare Associations.u00a0The exercise will be carried out by Delhi Disaster Management Authority in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority. "This will be a major disaster management preparedness exercise and the first of its kind in the country for earthquake and other disasters," Dev said.u00a0

Dev said school children are being involved extensively in the campaign and on Thursday, all schools will participate in the same at 11 am. "All school children in Delhi will participate at the same time in the drop, cover and hold exercise when a special type of bell rings in schools," he said.u00a0

This exercise is a part of an emergency drill for school children and will teach them how to react when an earthquake occurs in their area. "For the first time, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority and National Disaster Management Authority will conduct this major 'shake out drill,' covering all schools at the same time, to train the children get ready for a possible earthquake.u00a0

Since its inception in 2008, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has conducted 3,091 awareness generation programmes, 5,799 training programmes and 1,389 mock drills in Delhi. u00a0