SHIMLA- 6 June, 2025-The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, organized the 9^th State-Wide Mega Mock Exercise on Earthquake Preparedness on 6^th June 2025. This state-wide exercise was conducted as per the National Guidelines on the Incident Response System (IRS), which have been adopted by HPSDMA since the formal notification of Incident Response Teams (IRTs) on 7^th September 2017.

The Mega Mock Exercise was structured into three key phases: an Orientation and Coordination Workshop held on 27^th May 2025, followed by a table-top exercise on 3^rd June 2025 and culminating in the Physical Simulation of the Mock Exercise on 6^th June 2025. A total of 109 simulation sites were activated across all districts of the state. District-wise participation included Bilaspur (4 sites), Chamba (9), Hamirpur (10), Kangra (17), Kinnaur (7), Kullu (7), Lahaul & Spiti (9), Mandi (12), Shimla (12), Sirmaur (7), Solan (9), and Una (6).

The mock exercise simulated a variety of earthquake-triggered disaster scenarios such as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF), landslides, rock falls, dam breaches, building collapses, hospital emergency responses, fire incidents, industrial disasters, oil spills, and accidents at Major Accident Hazard (MAH) units. The exercise witnessed active participation from central agencies including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Deepak Project, and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). At the state level, the Home Guards, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire Services, Police, and other key departments coordinated with respective District Administrations to execute the simulations effectively.

A debriefing session was chaired by Sh. K.K. Pant, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue-DM) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh, who emphasized the criticality of the scenarios and the need to enhance preparedness for future disasters. He stated, “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war,” and called upon all departments to identify gaps, take corrective actions and ensure follow-up. Observers deployed at the district level provided detailed feedback and highlighted areas requiring improvement. Deputy Commissioners, in their roles as Chairpersons of the District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs), also presented their observations and committed to addressing the shortcomings noted during the exercise.

Speaking on the occasion, Sh. D.C. Rana, Director-cum-Ex Officio Special Secretary (Revenue-DM), Government of Himachal Pradesh, urged districts to strengthen medical response planning, logistics preparedness, and relief and rescue mechanisms. He further emphasized the importance of establishing VSAT communication networks and providing GIS training to stakeholders to enhance geographic mapping of impacted areas and improve response planning.

In his closing remarks, Maj. Gen. Sudhir Behl (Retd.), Lead Consultant, NDMA, underscored the importance of coordination among all response agencies including SDMAs, DDMAs, and line departments. He stressed that achieving the goals of disaster preparedness and risk reduction is only possible through unified efforts and effective inter-agency collaboration. He concluded by urging all stakeholders to remain vigilant, proactive, and ready to respond to any major disaster