NMIA carries out exercise to evaluate readiness towards natural, technical calamities

To evaluate operational readiness in tackling natural or technical calamities, the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) at Ulwe in Raigad district conducted a two-day exercise involving multiple agencies.

The two-day ‘Multi-Agency Disaster Preparedness Exercise’ was organised under the joint aegis of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

The drill witnessed active participation from various Central and State Government agencies, showcasing a high level of emergency preparedness.

The two-day program commenced with a comprehensive 'Tabletop Exercise' session, which involved detailed discussions on strategic planning and inter-departmental coordination during a crisis.

This was followed by a demonstration of state-of-the-art rescue equipment and specialized vehicles essential for life-saving operations.

The core of the exercise was a 'Full-Scale Mock Drill' designed to evaluate real-time responses, including the safe evacuation of people, search and rescue operations, hazard management, and the effective activation of Emergency Operation Centres (EOC).

The simulation involved a highly-complex 'multi-hazard' situation, encompassing challenges such as a cyclone, fire incidents, and the leakage of hazardous radioactive materials.

Under these demanding conditions, the agencies underwent rigorous testing on various parameters, including hazard control, fire suppression, evacuation of citizens from multi-storey buildings, efficiency of communication systems, resource mobilization, and overall security at the site.

The mock exercise was witnessed by Dr. Dinesh Kumar Aswal and Major General Ajay Verma from NDMA, Raigad Collector Kishan Jawale among others.

It also saw active involvement from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Airport Authority of India (AAI), Armed Forces, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). Furthermore, local and technical bodies such as the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC), CIDCO, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Fire Brigade, Civil Defence, Aapda Mitras and the state Health Department.

To ensure immediate medical assistance during the drill, specialized teams from White Lotus Hospital (Kalamboli), Fortis Hospital (Vashi), and Apollo Hospital (CBD Belapur) were stationed on site.

The exercise ensured effective inter-agency coordination and identified potential systemic gaps.

The primary objective was to bolster the airport's resilience in responding effectively to complex emergencies arising from extreme weather and sequential hazards.