Table-Top Exercise Held to Review Earthquake Preparedness Ahead of November 15 Drill
Scenarios to Be Simulated During the Mock Drill
The November 15 mock drill will include multiple disaster scenarios, such as:
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Collapse of a multi-storey residential building
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Partial collapse of a hospital and evacuation of patients and staff
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Damage to a school/college with children trapped
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Management of ambulance routes to medical camps
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Dam breach and downstream alert
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Collapse of an apartment complex/mall with families trapped
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Factory wall collapse and chemical leakage in an industrial area
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Landslide blocking mountain roads and trapping tourists
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Damage to an electrical substation leading to widespread power outage
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Avalanche or glacial lake outburst threat in low-lying areas
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Landslide inside a tunnel trapping workers
Dehradun:
A table-top exercise was conducted on Thursday at the State Emergency Operations Center of the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) to assess the preparedness of various departments for an earthquake and related disasters, as well as for the statewide mock drill scheduled on November 15.
The session was chaired by Vinay Kumar Ruhela, Vice Chairman of the State Advisory Committee, Disaster Management Department, and Dr. D.K. Aswal, Member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Both officials reviewed the readiness of districts and line departments and issued necessary directions for the effective conduct of the mock drill.
Digital Twin Technology for Future Drills
Addressing the participants, Dr. D.K. Aswal emphasized that mock drills serve as a critical tool to evaluate capability, preparedness, resource management, and response efficiency. Highlighting Uttarakhand’s high vulnerability to multiple hazards, he stressed the importance of continuous training and community capacity building.
Dr. Aswal recommended the use of digital twin technology in future USDMA mock drills. Explaining its utility, he said the technology creates a virtual replica of locations, buildings, or infrastructure, allowing disaster scenarios—such as earthquakes, floods, or fires—to be simulated safely. This enables responders to analyse real-life reactions and improve decision-making without risking lives.
Learning from Disasters is Key
Vice Chairman Vinay Kumar Ruhela stated that the most important aspect of disaster management is learning from past events. He noted that regular mock drills are essential in a disaster-prone state like Uttarakhand, adding that he was satisfied with USDMA’s consistent efforts in this direction.
Testing Preparedness Across the State
Speaking on the occasion, Vinod Kumar Suman, Secretary, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, said the statewide earthquake mock drill aims to evaluate district-level readiness and ensure a swift and coordinated response during an actual disaster.
He informed that the exercise assesses:
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The safety and response capacity of critical infrastructure such as dams, tunnels, bridges, buildings, schools, hospitals, malls, and stadiums.
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The functioning of the Incident Response System (IRS), inter-departmental coordination, communication efficiency, rescue equipment availability, early warning systems, and relief camp operations.
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Community preparedness, which remains a key priority.
He added that shortcomings identified during the drill will be addressed to further strengthen the state’s disaster management framework.
Departments Directed to Reduce Response Time
Earlier, Anand Swaroop, Additional CEO (Administration), USDMA, directed all departments to work on minimizing response time during the mock drill. DIG Rajkumar Negi, Additional CEO (Implementation), conducted a detailed presentation outlining the setup of staging areas, incident command posts, relief camps, and supervisor deployment.
The event was attended by Additional Secretary Vineet Kumar, Brigadier Raju Sethi, Joint CEO Mohammad Obaidullah Ansari, and Shantanu Sarkar.
Line Departments Present Preparedness Plans
During the tabletop exercise, all major line departments presented their readiness and resource status. Participants included representatives from SDRF, NDRF, Fire Services, Police, Transport, Health, PWD, Army, Water Institute, Traffic Police, THDC, NHPC, UJVNL, BRO, Animal Husbandry, ITBP, and Food & Civil Supplies Department.
Bhudev App: Mandatory for Drill Participants
Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman instructed all officers and staff taking part in the mock drill to download the Bhudev App, developed jointly by IIT Roorkee and USDMA.
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The app sends real-time alerts to users’ phones in the event of an earthquake.
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For quakes above magnitude 5, the app activates a siren, providing 25–30 seconds of lead time for evacuation.
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He added that the number of earthquake sensors and public sirens across the state is being steadily increased.
