Uttarakhand Prepares Early Warning System For Natural Hazards To Prevent Loss Of Life And Property—Here's All About U-Scheme

The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) is in the process of establishing a comprehensive early warning system for multiple hazards, with the goal of enhancing alert procedures in areas susceptible to disasters.

The system is designed to foresee potential dangers from landslides, earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters, thereby guaranteeing that local inhabitants receive advance warnings, The New Indian Express reported.

The launch of the ‘U-Prepare’ scheme was announced by SDMA secretary Vinod Kumar Suman, who explained that under the scheme, contacts would be established with organisations involved in disaster management and early warning agencies.

"These agencies will only be compensated for their services when they provide accurate and timely information. The objective of this system is to ensure that we can minimise loss in a disaster," Suman added.

"A system equipped with modern technologies is being developed in the state. This system will be implemented under the World Bank-funded U-Prepare scheme," he said as Uttarakhand faces landslides, floods, and cloudbursts every year in the monsoon season.

These natural disasters lead to considerable loss of life and property. Even the Char Dham Yatra this year witnessed 12 deaths due to natural disasters across all four shrines and Hemkund Sahib.

On Thursday (27 December), the Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation published a report on the Char Dham Yatra, named 'Pathways to Pilgrimage'.

Anoop Nautiyal, the founder of SDC noted that out of the 261 total fatalities, 249 were due to medical conditions, while 12 were caused by natural disasters.