New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the readiness of flood management in the country and the long-term measures being taken to mitigate the menace of floods.

Chairing the high-level meeting in New Delhi, Shah also reviewed the steps taken on the decisions made in the meeting held last year.

He also discussed the new technologies adopted by all agencies for flood management and network expansion in the meeting and emphasised the 'maximum use of space technology' by various central agencies for flood control and water management.

He directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to coordinate with the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) to ensure the dissemination of Early Warning alerts to the grassroots level and further appealed to all the states and Union Territories to implement the advisories issued by the NDMA for flood management in a timely manner.

Shah asked NDMA and NDRF to work towards efficient flood management in full coordination with the states.

Union Home Minister, while appreciating Central Water Commission (CWC) and India Meteorological Department (IMD) for increasing the time limit for issuing flood forecasting and advisory, emphasised improving the accuracy level of forecasts.

Shah said that the CWC's flood monitoring centers should comply with our requirements and international standards.

Shah also advised the Jal Shakti Ministry, NDMA and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to closely monitor the glacial lakes and take timely steps in the event of any type of outburst.

The Home Minister emphasised that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)/National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should work with the states to ensure uniform design changes in the state and district highways, so that highway drainage systems become integral parts of the designs of road construction to deal with road inundation in case of heavy rains.

Further, the Minister advised the NDMA to coordinate with the state authorities to ensure coordination between central agencies and states regarding flood preparedness and mitigation.

The Home Minister stressed the importance of increasing the forest area in the Narmada river area and said that if this experiment is successful, similar efforts will be made in the areas of other rivers as well.

He said that this would help revive the river basin, reduce soil erosion, and tackle the emerging problem of low rainfall in the region.

Shah said that new options for robust flood management measures in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh should be explored using technology.

Referring to the increasing incidence of flooding in urban areas, the Home Minister directed all central agencies to take necessary, timely action for flood control in these cities and prepare a comprehensive plan for flood management in big cities.

Shah highlighted the importance of wetland rejuvenation and afforestation measures to deal with the emerging trend of heavy rainfall in short periods during monsoon. He advised the Ministry of Jal Shakti to work on improving the condition of wetlands in the Brahmaputra basin, which will be necessary for flood prevention and economic and tourism activities.

The Minister suggested that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), IMD, and other departments, including NRSC, should jointly organise a conference in which experts can be invited to discuss floods, space, and other aspects.

Shah said that in 2014, India was far behind in meteorology, but today, under the leadership of Modi ji, we are at par with developed countries. Now, we have to become No.1.

During the meeting, departments, including IMD and CWC, made detailed presentations. The Ministries and departments concerned were also informed about the action taken on the instructions given by the Union Home Minister during the flood review meeting held last year. They also apprised the Union Home Minister about their preparedness for the current monsoon season and future action plans.

The Home Minister expressed satisfaction over the preparations made by all the departments. He appealed to work in coordination with all the departments towards creating software that can deal with extreme weather, with the contribution of all the departments.

Every year, the Union Home Minister reviews the flood preparedness measures. Many initiatives have been undertaken in his direction, including increasing the advance rainfall and flood forecasts by IMD and CWC from three to seven days and improving parameters for heatwave forecasts.

Union Minister for Jal Shakti, CR Patil, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, Union Home Secretary, Secretaries of Ministries and Departments of River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Earth Sciences, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Road Transport and Highways, Chairperson Railway Board, Members and Heads of Departments of NDMA, Directors Generals of NDRF and IMD, Chairman NHAI and CWC, and senior officials from NRSC and other departments concerned were present in the meeting. (ANI)