NDRF – Review – Move team within 2 hours of news in TV to location with approval from either PM/CM/President/Governor to save people, siren not used to indicate to public of distress, NDRF have no stock of water bottles, ready to eat food for 1 Lakh always to move with force or within 3 hours, NDRF should train state police, fire regularly every month across all districts to handle till NDRF reaches, NDRF ads to help public get aware of all states

•NDRF should independently take decision to move to a state or district or country to start relief operations. They should understand they are for saving people of this country and should not wait for push from Central Govt or request from state Govt.They should start acting on their own and move to a location of distress on their own and then should wait for approval from either PM/CM/president or governor. If anyone gives approval they should start work. The current process is pathetic leads to delays of 24 hours easily. The approval time must be reduced to 2 hours and NDRF has to independent follow and track news to take decision and start moving and wait for approval at location. This is imp issue. In 1st time floods in November NDRF did not move also because PM was outside India but in December PM interfered I believe. So always NDRF, army and air force relief teams should self initiate without PM/CM request as NDRF need is to save people irrespective of govt and get approval post reaching spot from any cabinet level
•States don’t have siren concept to intimate people of distress in the area to save themselves in Chennai when water was released at night it is too difficult to escape. So siren must be installed in all police stations across the country to notify of emergencies for public to prepare themselves irrespective of literacy and also avoid informing all
•NDRF, Army engineers, Airforce engineers must always be formed as team to restore any transportation issues like Airport, Railways, National or state highways immediately to bring relief and to restore transportation always similar to war like scenario where transport is fixed in less than 5 hours. Both NH45, Airport, railways where not operating.
•NDRF had stated it was waiting for airport to clear in future it should move with any possible means helicopter, high speed boats to reach area instead of waiting for anything.
•NDRF should have own means of transportation like helicopters, small planes to prevent dependency on air force, army, aircrafts for movement to avoid delays in movement.
•NDRF boats should have foldable motors to run boats wherever possible where boats hit any object below water level.
•NDRF did not have stock of water bottles, ready to eat meals, biscuits, rusk, banana/strawberry, fruit pulp juices like mango, pineapple from fruity or any brand to get fruit juice into body to improve mood for at least for 50,000 people as disaster will definitely impact from 50,000 to 1 Lakh with separate helicopters or planes within 4 hours. Avoid rice as by the time it reaches it becomes stale some volunteers try to give it proves wrong. Even chapatti can help survive the hunger.
•NDRF should train local police, fire, coast guard, army, air force, schools, colleges, NCC cadets  to handle such situation and share experiences with other state police regularly with monthly interactions year long for better practice and improving with global standards and also in turn learn from other agencies as issues differ with geography, level from sea level, various forms of disasters, etc,. Docs must be put online.
•NDRF toll free number for entire nation must be available. NDRF must be available in twitter and Facebook to get direct response. SMS numbers to send SMS, WhatsApp, hike
•NDRF ads which were shown earlier was stopped so hereafter every month to get public prepared put ads on required materials public should carry like candles, clothes for 3 days for both self and other gender to help the needy, solar led light, winter blankets/wind sheathe, water bottles, first aid kit, children food items, glucose powder, ready to eat food, biscuits, radio with batteries to know latest news to avoid rumours, mobile chargers if possible with solar/dry battery/mechanical movement, raincoats/umbrellas, milk powder, mats for sitting, metal boxes to get food, plastic bottles to hold water and accumulate later, medicines if consumed. Once they hear siren, imp docs,  they can take box and leave the place for safety separate for each person in their own hand.
•Disaster relief centres must be constructed in each state in at least 3 districts which have faced issues till now or major disasters. For Example in TamilNadu – Cuddalore, Chennai and nearby Pondicherry face distress often as it is coastal area. So building separate disaster centres in best features to help public occupy these places when siren goes out to prevent further issues. The current system of making public or poor stay in schools, marriage halls will not help in proper rehabilitation. Since in 1 week no body can recover from trauma. These centres must have 50,000 sqft space with several floors with space for taking rest in floor with mats as beds are not necessary as maintenance not possible and accommodate more people, hospital in a floor to carry out operations or first aid activities with facilities during non disaster time it will work as hospital, communication with free telephones with all networks, internet, TV to get news, food hall to prepare and have food for people, communication centre to reach to people, forces, etc,. Meeting room for NDRF, SDRF to meet regularly and take actions and improve based on feedback and latest techniques. The funding of these centres will be split 70:30 with highest from state and rest from centre as land has to be given by state and centre with remaining funds and also guidance on how to build and what features based on needs of locations.

TN Floods – Solution – Permanent infrastructure like Dams in Cuddalore District, State Rivers - Lakes Inter linking by canals using MNREGA workers, panchayat raj funds, modern equipment, Chennai – Adyar River increase depth for free flow from lakes during flooding, Adyar river sewage processing centre on river path at a level above water to process sewage water to prevent sludge on pathway, increasing bunds or cement walls of Adyar river or cooum to prevent flooding of Chennai. Data for Cuddalore based on various sources. Pls confirm with locals, farmers for best solutions, New concept of mini dams with 10-15 feet high automatic metal sluices with cement structure to prevent wastage of water to sea

•When Central Govt releases funds to TN govt it should consider dams, river interlinking as condition or clause and should start simultaneous development and widening of rivers, new dams to improve capacity and increasing depth by rolling fund. Just money to locals wont help many generations have suffered in these districts like Cuddalore, Chennai along banks of rivers, lakes hence permanent solutions like infrastructure like banks will only help. Central Govt will be remembered for years for this effort as no effort for new dams has been made in TN after kings, rulers and British.
•Building of new medium sized dams in either Thenn Pennai,Kedilam, Gadilam River in Cuddalore, since every year due to rain the district is affected and the river bed depth be increased, path must be widened, bunds created with cement walls near Cuddalore areas where households are there.
•No new dams were constructed in TamilNadu after Cholas, rulers and British. If Central and state have to prevent repeated damage to public and state properties and also repeated funds you can consider dams at appropriate location to save water for future usage and wastage of water to sea. The dams will also prevent further funds wastage on repeated damage. Please work for at least 2 dams with feasibility and start work by one year. Thanks.
•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponnaiyar_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palar_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thamirabarani_River
•The Dam should be constructed by central and state funds together to prevent any damage in future. Dam location can be built by joint consensus among farmers, locals, IAS, state and central team and water resources team. Dams in other rivers where water goes wasted to sea like in Cauvery where water is definitely received every year a dam at good location will help. TN is projected to become desert by geologists in 50 years due to lack of rainfall. Hence appropriate steps to protect water resources and plant more trees. Preservation and further improvement of western Ghats areas to get more rainfall in catchment area to rivers. Other than Dams structures to hold water up to a height of 10-15 feet high to prevent water going to sea easily can be considered at low cost. Since Govt cannot construct dams in all rivers at least 10-15 feet high metal sluices may be considered.
•Thamirabarani – Vaigai – Cauvery – Kollidam – Thenn Pennai - Ponnaiyar - Palar River interlinking with major lakes in TamilNadu with necessary planning and funding for building canals. Money can be raised as debt through tax free bonds, revenue from sand mining from dry river beds legally, MNREGA workers to do the project, panchayat raj funds along which canals are built as panchayat raj funds are wasted maximum by all state govt's and subject to severe corruption, 5% of entire tax revenue of states, 5% of total cost from central govt and immediate amount of 300 crores to start work. Small rivers can be interconnected easily with small funds. Many of the rivers where done in olden days manually by hand and workers now with modern equipment it should be cake walk. In future when Cauvery river gets water from Karnataka excess can be sent to other districts also easily and during monsoon also wastage to sea can be avoided. Central Govt if can achieve this with partnership with state it will be the worlds best water project.
•Chennai – Increasing depth of existing lakes to double capacity and increasing depth of Adyar river for flow of water from lakes to see in case of floods. Increasing bunds height and cement walls across entire Adyar river stretch within Chennai and Kanchipuram limits to prevent flooding. Adyar river overflowing is an issue faced every 3 years. Some sections we have walls but not throughout. Many huts and hamlets across Adyar river must be permanently moved to new location with urban housing funds and preventing occupying on banks of Adyar river.
•When lakes and dams were opened announcement were made through TV and FM but actually due to power cut many didn’t know. So new age methods of sending alerts to all public in the state through SMS, email etc by using help of mobile networks must be proposed
Author: Venkatasubramanian B, Chennai