Context:

• Jammu and Kashmir is working on a dynamic real-time online system to raise alerts and consolidate data, including data from the India Meteorological Department, for prompt analysis and actions to mitigate the impact of any disaster.
• The system will be a huge boon as the region is prone to frequent natural disasters. In 2014, floods caused an estimated loss of ?1 trillion to Kashmir division and around 300 deaths

Key Points:

• The Jammu and Kashmir government with the help of technical and financial support of the World Bank has worked out on an online project to connect the spot of disaster to the departments concerned in real time for a prompt action without wasting time in alerting the departments separately.
• The Integrated Operational Forecasting System is being put in place under the Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP), set up after the 2014 devastating floods that saw an estimated loss of ?1 trillion to the Kashmir division and around 300 deaths in Jammu and Kashmir.
• A dynamic online website will be maintaining a record of data on disasters, whether big or small, over a period of time.
• It would even include incidents like fire beside cloudbursts, floods, landslips etc. It will analyse real time data from the IMD and two radar systems being placed in Jammu and Kashmir
• The data, warnings and alerts raised from the spot of any disaster will automatically raise an alarm to the offices related to disaster management in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with beforehand enough data and analytical knowledge about the place
• The Integrated Operational Forecasting System uses data modelling and an integrated communication system to prepare for extreme weather events.
• For instance, the flood forecasting module provides forecast of water level for the next three days based on rainfall on gauge stations.
• The system will have a dedicated landslip forecast model for Ramban. Ramban is the most landslip–prone area on the Srinagar–Jammu national highway and results in frequent suspension of traffic.
• The Integrated Operational Forecasting System is an automated tool and runs the model at predefined times to generate warnings and disseminate this information in the form of SMS and bulletins.

By: A D Singh