TURA, July 22: A Tabletop Exercise on dam safety and emergency preparedness was successfully conducted on Wednesday at the Conference Hall of the Office of the Superintending Engineer, Ganol SHP, MePDCL, Rongkon, Tura, as part of preparations for the Ganol Dam Mock Drill, which is scheduled to be held on Thursday (July 23) at 11:00 AM at the Ganol Dam site.
Organised under the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), West Garo Hills, in coordination with the Ganol Small Hydro Project (SHP), the exercise brought together officials from various government departments, emergency response agencies, Nokmas (village headmen), Sordar, Nokma Secretaries and community leaders from the low-lying villages downstream of the dam, who actively participated and shared their insights on disaster preparedness and emergency response.
The programme began with a welcome address by Jude Rangku T. Sangma, MCS, Chief Executive Officer, DDMA, West Garo Hills. A technical briefing on dam parameters, trigger levels and emergency scenarios was delivered by Enriques M. Sangma, AEE (Civil), Ganol SHP.
Retired Col. K.C. Monappa conducted the technical sessions, covering exercise classification, ground rules, inundation mapping and emergency response planning. Participants also took part in simulation-based discussions designed to assess preparedness, inter-agency coordination and decision-making during emergency situations. The session concluded with a structured debriefing, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Robson Ch. Marak, Superintending Engineer (Civil), Ganol SHP.
The Ganol Dam Mock Drill, scheduled for Thursday, will simulate a dam emergency scenario to evaluate the operational readiness of district authorities, emergency services and local communities. The exercise aims to strengthen coordinated response, improve disaster preparedness and ensure timely action in the event of any potential dam-related emergency in West Garo Hills, particularly for the vulnerable settlements located downstream of the dam.
