Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The National Disaster Response Force, in collaboration with the District Administration, conducted a disaster awareness programme at the Girls Higher Secondary School in Tral, south Kashmir, aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness and equipping students with practical life-saving skills relevant to both natural and man-made emergencies.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Tral, Sajid Naqash, attended the programme as chief guest, lending administrative weight to an initiative that also drew officials from the civil administration and police department, alongside a large turnout of students and other participants from the school and surrounding community. The scale of attendance reflected growing local interest in disaster preparedness programmes, particularly in a region where seismic vulnerability, flash flooding and periodic landslides remain persistent, if often underappreciated, risks.
As part of the programme, the NDRF team conducted practical, hands-on demonstrations covering essential techniques for responding to a range of disaster scenarios, with instructors focusing specifically on helping students remain calm under pressure, take timely precautionary measures and respond effectively when confronted with sudden emergencies rather than relying solely on theoretical instruction. Officials said the practical, demonstration-led format was deliberately chosen to ensure that the skills imparted would be retained and usable in real situations, rather than remaining abstract classroom knowledge.
Participants were also sensitised about broader emergency response protocols, disaster safety measures, and practical steps individuals and communities can take to protect both lives and property during unforeseen situations, ranging from earthquake safety drills to guidance on responding to fire and flood emergencies. The programme placed particular emphasis on building a culture of resilience among young people, on the premise that early exposure to disaster preparedness concepts significantly improves community-wide response capacity over time.
Organisers said the initiative was designed to promote preparedness and awareness not just among the students directly participating but across the wider Tral community, given that students often serve as effective conduits for disseminating safety knowledge within their families and neighbourhoods. The programme also underscored the importance of coordinated action between specialised response agencies like the NDRF, local administration and educational institutions, along with the value of timely response and active public participation in minimising the human and material impact of disasters when they do occur.
With south Kashmir’s terrain presenting its own distinct set of disaster risks, ranging from landslide-prone hill slopes to flood-vulnerable low-lying areas, officials indicated that similar awareness programmes are likely to be extended to other schools and community centres in the region as part of a sustained, rather than one-off, disaster preparedness effort.
