Chennai, May 11 – The Tamil Nadu government has announced that civil defence mock drills aimed at assessing emergency preparedness will continue into the coming week, with a focus on major reservoirs across the state.
In an official release on Sunday, the government stated that the drills are being conducted on the advice of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The exercises commenced on May 7 and have already been held at key installations such as ports, airports, atomic power stations, and thermal power stations throughout Tamil Nadu.
On Saturday, significant drills took place at the V O Chidambaranar Port Authority and the Thoothukudi Thermal Power Station in Thoothukudi district. These included a simulated air raid to evaluate the readiness of civil defence teams in responding to wartime emergencies. The scenarios included protection measures, safe evacuation protocols, and first aid operations.
Focus Shifts to Water Reservoirs
Starting next week, the civil defence drills will expand to cover major reservoirs managed by the Water Resources Department (WRD). The process will begin with a Table Top Exercise conducted by officials, followed by on-site drills in select areas during the latter half of the week. District Collectors and the Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner will oversee the execution of these exercises.No Cause for Public Concern
The government has assured residents that these drills are purely precautionary and intended to assess and strengthen emergency response systems. "All other functions in other places will go on normally and there is no need for any panic or apprehension among the public about this exercise," the release emphasized.These initiatives come in the backdrop of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which led to India launching retaliatory strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The mock drills are a part of broader national efforts to enhance civil preparedness amid heightened security concerns.