In a decisive high-level review meeting held in the national capital, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah directed comprehensive measures to shield the country from the twin threats of floods and heat waves this year.
Emphasising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Zero Casualty Disaster Management”, the Minister called for a “Whole of Government” and “Whole of Society” approach to turn preparedness into a people-centric movement.
Addressing senior officials from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Water Commission (CWC), and other key ministries, Shah stressed that guidelines issued by NDMA have already created better awareness, but the real test lies in strict compliance at state, district and municipal levels. He asked NDMA to immediately study how many states are actually following the Ministry of Home Affairs’ directives on forest fires, heat waves and floods.
“Flood Crisis Management Teams (FCMTs) should be constituted and activated in every state of the country,” the Minister declared. He further directed that at least 60 high-risk lakes — including 30 in the vulnerable Himalayan states of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim — be brought under an early warning system with NDMA’s support. An integrated reservoir operation system and a unified flood forecasting mechanism at Centre and state levels must also be operationalised without delay.
Water conservation emerged as a major focus. Shah asked officials to explore every possibility of building check dams and water storage structures to recharge groundwater and reduce the impact of heat waves on agriculture. He directed that the CAMPA Fund be utilised creatively to make environmental conservation efforts more multi-dimensional.
The Minister was blunt about technology: “Instead of creating new apps and portals, consolidate and improve the existing ones.” He insisted that weather forecasts and warnings must reach the grassroots — the farmer in the field, the resident in the low-lying colony, the pilgrim in the hills — in real time and in local languages.
Reviewing lessons from previous monsoons, Shri Shah asked ministries to analyse casualties, forecast accuracy and agricultural damage so that the upcoming monsoon assessment becomes sharper and more actionable. “Our weather-related plans must now reach the last mile,” he emphasised.
Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil, Home Secretary, NDMA members, NDRF DG, IMD DG, CWC Chairperson and senior officials from NHAI and NRSC attended the meeting.
This annual pre-flood review under Shri Amit Shah has already yielded tangible results in recent years — IMD and CWC have extended advance rainfall and flood forecasts from three days to seven days, while heat-wave forecasting standards have been significantly upgraded.
With climate change making extreme weather events more frequent and unpredictable, today’s meeting sends a clear message: India is moving from reactive disaster response to proactive, zero-casualty disaster governance. The monsoon is coming — and this time, the nation intends to be ready.
