- NET Web Desk
The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) and Geological Survey of India (GSI) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for developing a Regional Level Early Warning System based on Rainfall Threshold; at the chamber of Secretary-cum-Relief Commissioner of Land Revenue & Disaster Management Department.
The memorandum was signed by the Secretary-cum-Relief Commissioner of Land Revenue & Disaster Management Department – Sarala Rai on behalf of SSDMA and the Director General of GSI – Dr. S. Raju.
The SSDMA Director – Prabhakar Rai earlier briefed on the project proposal and discussed SSDMA’s involvement in landslide management of Sikkim.
He also informed about Sikkim’s long partnership with GSI in data exchange and landslide mapping.
Meanwhile, Dr Raju informed that key objective of the proposal was to communicate important and timely data on landslides with the department, which might save lives & property in the state.
He went on to say that landslide susceptibility maps at a scale of 1:50000 have been developed for 17 states, including Sikkim, and that around 3 lakh square kilometres of land have been mapped throughout the country, resulting in a database for about 60,000 landslides.
Its worthy to note that a MoU was also signed with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in order to obtain timely weather data that would be useful in the development of a resilient system.
According to the District Authorities, the same system is used in the Nilgiris, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong Hills, which gives 60 percent to 70 percent accurate forecasts.
