Disaster Management

The present District of Mandi was formed with the merger of two princely states Mandi and Suket on 15th April 1948, when the State of Himachal Pradesh came into existence. Ever since the formation of the district, it has not witnessd any changes in its jurisdiction. District Mandi is vulnerable, in varying degrees and prone to multi-hazard, Disaster risks in districts are further compounded by increasing vulnerabilities related to changing demographics and socio-economic conditions, unplanned urbanization, and development within high-risk zones, environmental degradation, geological hazards, epidemics and pandemics. In recent few decades the reported climate warming or say climate change can aggravate the devastating impacts of disasters in the districts. The District Mandi is situated between 31°42′25″Northern latitude 76°55′54″East longitudes. It is bounded by kullu on the north-east, Kangra on the northwest, Hamirpur & Bilaspur in the west, Arki tehsil of Solan district in the south, Shimla district in the southwest and Mandi district in the east serves as the headquarters of District and Zonal Headquarters of the central zone including Districts namely Mandi, Bilaspur,kullu,Hamirpur and Lahaul & Spiti.Considering the geographical location, access issues, population exposure, scale and diversity of resources, there exists an urgent need for implementing and expanding district wide comprehensive disaster management strategies encompassing Preparedness. Prevention & Mitigation, Response & Rehabilitation. Therefore, planning at the district level is crucial for efficient management of all disasters. It calls for the District Disaster Management Plan which act as one of the most important steps in disaster management at district level.

As a tourist place, Mandi is often referred to as “Varanasi of Hills or “Choti Kashi” located on the banks of river Beas. The district has a total number of 469 Panchayats comprising of 10 sub-divisions in which 2,850 inhabited villages and uninhabited villages are 488. Mandi is the second largest district in terms of population. Mandi has 7th rank in terms of literacy among all the district of the state. The literacy rate of the district is 81.5 percent in comparison to the state average of 82.8 percent.Total forest area within District is 173421 hectares, with cultivated land of 161181 hectares and non-cultivated area as 24988 hectares. The economy of Mandi district mainly depends upon agriculture and horticulture. It is also popular for its unique geographic conditions and touristic attractions like temples, lakes. Along with an International Festival of Shivaratri Fair. The Mandi festival or fair is particularly famous as the special fair transforms Mandi town into a venue of grand celebration when all gods and goddesses, said to be more than 200 deities of the Mandi district assemble here, starting with the day of Shivaratri. The district is also known for many major and minor Hydro Power Projects. Mandi can be reached by road through national highway number 21 (Manali-Chandigarh) and by air nearest airport located at Bhuntar town Kullu.

Despite all, vagaries of nature can cause a disaster of such magnitude and such intensity that it becomes impossible to respond unless there is preparedness to cope with the effect in the pre-as well as a post-disaster period. Preparedness is the best response to such situation in order to mitigate the effects and to reduce losses in terms of life and property. With increasing anthropogenic pressures, natural disaster has become all the more unpredictable and the fury unleashed by natural forces on human kind all the more ferocious causing far greater loss of life and property.

District Disaster Management Plan of Mandi

Disaster Management has undergone a paradigm shift in recent years from the earlier approach of response to disasters to the current holistic approach of disaster mitigation and preparedness, which yields long term benefits while minimizing damage due to disasters. District Disaster Management Authority working under the ages of Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Mandi is primarily responsible for disaster management in District Mandi. The District Authority is responsible for planning, coordination and implementation of disaster management and to take such measures for disaster management as provided in the guidelines.

The District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP) for District mandi has been prepared for implementation by the Government and other non-Government agencies who would be involved in execution of the Plan during any disaster in the district. The plan indicates emergency action plans, roles and responsibilities of key personnel and suggests mitigation measures during any natural or manmade disaster, taking into consideration the available resources with various agencies involved. The plan evolves systems to make the plan an effective response mechanism. In short, the plan brings under one roof, various agencies and departments to control any type of disaster.

For more information, kindly contact National Disaster Management Authority .