Tura, May 12, 2026: With the approach of the South West Monsoon, the West Garo Hills district administration has intensified its preparedness measures to tackle possible disasters such as floods in the plain belt areas, landslides, and other monsoon-related emergencies.

In this regard, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), West Garo Hills, convened a District Coordination Meeting with heads of departments, agencies, and service providers at the Circuit House, Tura, on Tuesday to review preparedness and strengthen coordination among all stakeholders.

Deputy Commissioner and Chairman of DDMA, West Garo Hills, Vibhor Aggarwal, while addressing the meeting, stated that although monsoon-related disasters occur annually, there is often a tendency to become complacent, leading to gaps in preparedness and resource inventories. He stressed the importance of maintaining preparedness measures with sincerity and seriousness.

He urged all officials to actively participate in the discussions, provide suggestions and opinions, and share lessons learnt from past disasters so that the administration and concerned departments can improve response mechanisms.

The Deputy Commissioner also directed all district officers to remain stationed within the district and avoid unnecessary leave during the monsoon season. Observing that junior officers or subordinate staff are often left handling situations in the field during calamities, he emphasized that senior officers must personally be in the field to supervise and remain actively involved during emergencies.

ADC and CEO, DDMA, 
JR T Sangma reviewed the preparedness measures undertaken during the previous year through a PowerPoint presentation.

The meeting was attended by SP, Tura Abraham T Sangma and other police officials, ADC and PD, DRDA, Nipon Hajong, Block Development Officers, District Disaster Management Officer James D Sangma and his team, officials from SDMA, Civil Defence personnel, district heads of departments and medical representatives from various hospitals in Tura.

During the meeting, departments were instructed to update their Disaster Management Plans, identify vulnerable and frequently affected areas, and ensure timely updating of river water levels whenever they approach danger marks.

Discussions also focused on the arrangement and availability of water tankers, identification of waterlogged areas, rapid damage assessment, maintenance of essential services, stocking of essential commodities and medicines, establishment of relief camps and temporary shelters, dissemination of weather warnings and advisories, and strengthening emergency response activities.

All departments were further directed to update their resources and inventories and take proactive measures to ensure preparedness for any disaster situation during the monsoon season.

The Deputy Commissioner also instructed all BDOs to convene similar preparedness meetings at their respective levels to assess readiness, map available resources, and involve Aapda Mitras in disaster preparedness and response activities.