MCD to set up 150-member response teams to better handle extreme weather events

The violent thunderstorm and squall on June 30 that caused widespread damage to trees, vehicles and civic infrastructure has made the Municipal Corporation of Delhi reassess its disaster response capabilities and decide that 150 of its field employees will undergo training under the National Disaster Response Force to better respond to such weather events, officials in the know of the matter have said. HT Image Officials said the storm on June 30 had uprooted at least 100 trees and brought down 1,058 large branches in the New Delhi area alone, paralysing traffic movement on arterial roads and forcing various agencies such as the NDRF, MCD, NBCC India, New Delhi Municipal Council and National Highways Authority of India to pitch in for clean-up operations. ​ An MCD spokesperson said arrangements are being made for training employees deputed to disaster management centres so that they can respond to such situations more efficiently. Orders have also been issued on June 1 by the MCD engineer-in-chief to create an inventory of equipment, additional resources needed and funds required, along with a list of employees for disaster response training.