India to host SAARC disaster management exercises

India will host a first-ever joint disaster management exercise with SAARC nations later this month to learn best practices and skills in urban search and rescue operations. About 80 disaster managers and personnel from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and India would be attending the four-day seminar, called the South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise (SAADMEx), between November 23 and 26.

“The aim of the exercise is to build interoperability among SAARC member countries to undertake joint disaster response operations in cooperation with each other in these nations which are prone to natural disasters. This is the first time such an exercise is being held between these neighbours,” said National Disaster Response Force chief OP Singh.

The NDRF is the nodal agency, which will host the delegates and conduct joint field exercises with their SAARC counterparts at its base in Ghaziabad near the national capital apart from table-top sessions.

Officials said the effort follows the vision of PM Narendra Modi who has stressed for an increased cooperation between the SAARC countries.