The unprecedented floods that hit the State last year have made local self-government bodies do a rethink on their projects.

The projects focussing on disaster response and climate change awareness now find their place in annual budgets this year. One of the highlights of the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat’s budget presented by vice president A. Shailaja Begum on Saturday is the Mithram project to create a disaster action force.

According to district panchayat president V.K. Madhu, the local body held several meetings with the State Disaster Management Authority and other experts from the field before formulating the project. The force will have around 200 socially committed youths as its members. The State Disaster Management Authority will train them and safety equipment will also be provided to them. An amount of ₹25 lakh has been set aside for this in the budget.

Another project focusses on generating awareness among the young generation on climate change and the ways it would affect the daily lives of humans. Rain gauges and other instruments to observe and study weather changes will be installed in government schools in the district under this project. The students will be trained in reading these and awareness classes on climate change will also be provided. An amount of ₹38 lakh has been allocated this year for the project.

The Haritha Udyanam project in schools is also aimed at raising awareness of environmental protection in the students. An amount of ₹28 lakh has been allocated to plant tree saplings in schools.

The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation had also allocated funds for similar projects in its budget presented last month. One of the highlights of the budget was a proposal for an emergency response team to respond quickly in case of disasters.