Conclave on disaster management sees wide deliberations between Railways, private sector, and government experts

Bengaluru: South Western Railway, in association with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Indian Railways Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM), successfully organized the Indian Railways–NDMA National Conclave on Disaster Management at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bengaluru recently.

The conclave brought together senior officials from Indian Railways, NDMA, Railway Board, IMD, Central Water Commission (CWC), ISRO, IISc, IIT Madras, NDRF, Armed Forces, academia and industry to deliberate on strengthening disaster preparedness and resilience across the railway network.

The conclave commenced with a welcome address by the Divisional Railway Manager (Bengaluru), followed by addresses from the General Manager, South Western Railway, P. Ananth, Member, NDMA, Krishna S. Vatsa, and DG-Safety, Railway Board, Hitendra Malhotra.

The deliberations focused on enhancing disaster preparedness through technology, institutional collaboration and proactive risk management.

Delivering the presentation on Indian Railways Disaster Response Mechanism, S. Bairva, Director, IRIDM, highlighted the century-old legacy of Indian Railways in ensuring safety and disaster response.

He elaborated on the unique strengths of the Indian Railways, the comprehensive Disaster Management Plan, continuous improvements in disaster management practices and enhanced Accident Relief Train (ART) response capabilities through modernization and systematic preparedness.

A high-level panel on Risk Landscape and Preparedness involving experts from IMD, CWC, CDRI and NDMA discussed emerging risks arising from climate change, floods and other extreme weather events.

IMD showcased its forecasting capabilities, including cyclone forecasts, flash flood guidance, nowcasting services and weather APIs. The utility of the Mausam, Meghdoot and Damini mobile applications was also highlighted.

The Central Water Commission presented strategies for integrated flood management, climate resilience, flood risk assessment and the Flood Watch application.

The panel discussions emphasized strengthening disaster resilience of railway assets, closer cooperation between Railways, IMD and CWC, adoption of the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), safe management of hazardous materials and promotion of innovative start-up solutions for disaster mitigation.

During the session on New Frontiers and Emerging Technological Solutions, Lt. Gen. K.S. Brar (Retd.) highlighted the transformative role of technology and start-ups in disaster prevention, preparedness and response.

Prof. T.G. Sitharam of IISc presented the Chenab Railway Bridge as an outstanding example of resilient infrastructure and engineering excellence, while ISRO shared the role of space technology in disaster risk reduction.

The Srivaikuntham Flood case study demonstrated the importance of timely disaster prediction, community participation, humanitarian logistics and seamless multi-agency coordination during emergencies.

The conclave also reviewed successful multi-agency disaster management exercises conducted by South Western Railway, including simulated derailment rescue, anti-hijack operations, water rescue and coach fire response, showcasing coordinated action by Railway teams, NDRF, Special Forces, Fire Services and medical agencies.

Various startups also showcased their technological achievements and innovations.

The conclave concluded with a consensus that future disaster management in Indian Railways must focus on prevention, preparedness, technology adoption, climate resilience and institutional collaboration.

Delegates emphasized the integration of predictive technologies, Artificial Intelligence, satellite monitoring, drones, standardized operating procedures and continuous capacity building to further strengthen the safety and resilience of the Indian Railways network.

The event reaffirmed the Indian Railways’ commitment to building a safe, technology-enabled and disaster-resilient railway system for the nation.