Make arrangements to deal with incidents of fire, water shortage: Official in HP's Hamirpur

Hamirpur (HP): The deputy commissioner of Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh has directed officials to make arrangements for dealing with incidents of fire, water shortage, drought conditions, water-borne diseases and other problems in the ongoing summer season.

Presiding over a review meeting on Friday evening, DC Amarjit Singh, who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), said the weather conditions in Hamirpur are normal so far, but arrangements should be made in advance in case the heat increases and there is no rain, officials said on Saturday.

Singh asked officials of the jal shakti, fire, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, forest, health and other departments to make elaborate arrangements at the department level.

He said a notification has been issued for making those living near forests accountable for fire incidents in their vicinity. They have also been told to help authorities put off the fires.

The DC directed the jal shakti department officials to keep an eye on the sources of the drinking water schemes and the quality of the water. He said the jal shakti and health departments should regularly conduct sample-testing and chlorination of water.

Singh said the forest and fire departments should coordinate with each other to prevent incidents of forest fire and also involve the locals.