1.5 lakh citizens to be trained in phased manner
*UT, Distt Plans to be aligned with Sendai Framework
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 11: In a major step towards building a disaster-resilient Union Territory, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has planned the construction of a State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) in Jammu, establishment of Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) in all 20 districts and creation of a dedicated Institute of Disaster Management as part of an ambitious strategy to strengthen emergency response, risk reduction and climate resilience.
The Jammu & Kashmir’s disaster profile is shaped by its fragile Himalayan terrain, active seismic zones, glacial systems and rapidly changing climate patterns, making the Union Territory highly vulnerable to earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, avalanches and cloudbursts.
Mountainous topography, expanding urban settlements along banks of the rivers and increasing frequency of intense rainfall have further heightened the risk of sudden disasters that can disrupt connectivity, damage critical infrastructure and threaten lives and livelihoods, particularly in remote and hilly districts.
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The devastating flash floods witnessed during August-September last year served as a stark reminder of these vulnerabilities, as intense cloudbursts and heavy rainfall triggered sudden surges in streams and rivers, damaging roads, bridges, agricultural land and residential areas in several parts of the UT.
The disaster exposed gaps in early warning dissemination, local preparedness and resilient infrastructure, reinforcing the urgent need for scientific hazard mapping, robust emergency response systems and community-based disaster awareness.
Viewing the last year’s situation as a turning point, the Government has taken several decisions aimed at strengthening disaster risk management and climate change adaptation to build a resilient Union Territory and this has been revealed in the Economic Survey 2025-26 tabled in the Legislative Assembly recently.
“The Government of Jammu & Kashmir is emphasizing on strengthening Disaster Risk
Management and Climate Change Adaptation in order to build a resilient UT. Moreover, adequate attention is being paid towards hazard mapping, vulnerability assessment, early warning systems and community-based preparedness. The capacity building spans local communities, administration and NGOs”, the Survey said while disclosing that UT and district plans will be aligned with the Sendai Framework.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is a UN agreement adopted in March 2015 to prevent new risks and reduce existing disaster risks. It aims to substantially lower losses in lives, health, and economic, physical, or social assets.
“Jammu & Kashmir is focusing on enhancing the capacity of all stakeholders to respond to disasters in a planned way to minimize the loss of lives and economic loss in different forms including critical infrastructure, basic services including health and educational facilities along with social, cultural & environmental loss”, the Survey said, adding “through the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), targeted alerts and advisories will be disseminated to people in disaster-prone areas in vernacular languages across all available communication channels”.
The CAP system was successfully implemented during the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2025, significantly enhancing public safety and disaster preparedness.
The Government will construct State Emergency Operations Centre in Jammu and District EOCs in all 20 districts, establish Institute of Disaster Management, create hazard and micro-zonation maps and conduct hazard risk and vulnerability assessments.
Moreover, capacity building of 1.5 lakh citizens, volunteers, and students will be undertaken in a phased manner, alongside adoption of integrated policies for disaster mitigation, climate adaptation, and resilient recovery.
The proposed SEOC and district-level EOCs are expected to enhance real-time coordination, improve situational awareness and ensure swift and integrated responses during natural and man-made disasters. Similarly, the Institute of Disaster Management will function as a specialised hub for training, research, policy development, and capacity building, enabling the Union Territory to adopt scientific and technology-driven approaches in disaster preparedness.
The comprehensive roadmap reflects a shift from reactive disaster response to proactive risk reduction and long-term climate resilience. “Investments in emergency infrastructure, institutional reforms and large-scale training programmes are expected to strengthen preparedness at all levels”, officials of the Disaster Management Department said.
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