Agriculture drones to be used in rescuing flood affected people: Collector

The district civil supplies officer has to keep essential items in stock required for the next four months.

Kothagudem: District Collector Jitesh V Patil directed the district officials to make required arrangements to deal with Godavari floods in this monsoon. He held a preparatory meeting on Godavari floods here on Tuesday.

He suggested using agricultural drones experimentally this time to rescue those trapped in the floods.

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Drones would be used to carry the rope and deliver it to those trapped in flood waters, he said. Patil said that an advance flood management plan should be prepared to avoid any accidents.

Relief centres should be set up to move the people of flood-prone villages to safer places in advance instead of waiting till the flood situation turns grim. Officials of all departments should prepare comprehensive action plans for the issues discussed in the preparatory meeting. Life jackets, expert swimmers, mechanised and country boats should be kept ready to save people trapped in floods, he noted.

The district civil supplies officer has to keep essential items in stock required for the next four months.

Sectoral and zonal officers would be appointed to monitor the flood control measures.

The phone numbers of the people of the flood-prone villages should be collected to inform them about the floods. Gram sabhas should be held to educate villagers on how to deal with floods.

Roads and buildings department officials have to set up helipads to use helicopter services in emergency needs. Health officials should prepare a list of pregnant women and an expected date of delivery (EDD) calendar must be kept in every primary health centre, the Collector said.

Anti-venom drugs should be made available and action would be taken against the concerned officials if there was any loss of life due to lack of injections, Patil warned. A plan should be prepared to use the services of the rescue teams of SCCL, KTPS, ITC, Nava Bharat and others, he added.

Bhadrachalam ASP Pankaj Paritosh, additional Collector Vidya Chandana and Bhadrachalam RDO Damodar Rao were present.