A disaster management seminar organised by the Indian Coast Guard here on Tuesday took stock of the strategies that were adopted by various agencies in disaster preparedness. The brainstorming session also assessed the vulnerability of the country’s vast coastline to oil spill disasters.
The Coast Guard, the central coordinating agency for dealing with marine oil spills, highlighted the various safety protocols including aspects of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan.
According to Inspector General Vijay D. Chafekar, Commander, Coast Guard Region (West), the maritime security armed force has ensured round-the-clock vigilance to protect the large number of merchant ships and tankers in sea.
While the country is the second largest consumer of oil, around 70% of the global oil demand is ferried along the Indian coastline. Besides, the major ports in the country handle over 7000 POL (petroleum, oils and lubricants) tankers each year. The country’s oil production was 35.68 metric tonnes in 2017-18 and the oil consumption was expected to double by 2035, the Coast Guard stated in its presentation at the seminar.
Transporting oil
Deputy Inspector General K.R. Deepak Kumar, officer-in-charge of the Coast Guard Training Centre (CGTC), Kochi, pointed out that the transportation of oil through sea along the coast will continue to witness an increasing trend based on the country’s energy demands and so will the magnitude of risk associated with it.
He added that the Coast Guard has been tasked with being one of the first respondents for any such disasters that occur outside port limits.
Inaugurating the seminar, Chief Secretary Tom Jose said that the State, which has the highest population density in the country, is prone to natural disasters. The geographical features, combined with the social scenario that prevailed, made the region vulnerable to disasters.
Extensive steps
He added that the State has adopted extensive steps to deal with unforeseen disasters in the aftermath of the 2018 floods that had caught the State administration off guard.
As part of such efforts, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has expanded its activities to boost disaster mitigation measures.
V. Venu, Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management; Deputy Inspector General Sanatan Jena, Commander, Coast Guard (Kerala and Mahe); Rekha Nambiar, Senior Commandant, National Disaster Response Force; Brigadier C.G. Arun, Station Commander, Pangode Military Station; and Sekhar L. Kuriakose, Member Secretary, KSDMA were also among those who participated in the seminar.