Haryana: A major statewide preparedness exercise is set to take place in Haryana as the government gears up to conduct a comprehensive flood mock drill on May 14 across 13 vulnerable districts, including key urban centres such as Gurugram and Faridabad. The initiative is being viewed as a critical step to test the state’s readiness ahead of the monsoon season and strengthen coordination among emergency response agencies.
Officials from the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Haryana, said the exercise is being organised in coordination with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the annual disaster preparedness framework. The objective is to ensure that both administrative machinery and field-level teams are fully prepared to respond to flood-like emergencies in real time.
The mock drill will be conducted in 13 identified flood-prone districts: Gurugram, Ambala, Faridabad, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Panipat, Palwal, Sirsa, Sonipat, and Yamunanagar. These districts have been selected due to their geographical vulnerability, proximity to rivers and canals, and past instances of waterlogging and flooding risks.
According to the official plan, the exercise will unfold in three structured phases. The first stage will begin on May 6 with an orientation and coordination conference, where state and district officials will align roles, responsibilities, and communication protocols through a virtual meeting. The second phase will take place on May 12 in the form of a table-top exercise, where various flood scenarios will be discussed and response strategies tested on paper.
The final and most important phase will be the full-scale physical mock drill on May 14, during which district administrations, police, health departments, fire services, and disaster response teams will actively participate in simulated rescue and relief operations. The exercise is designed to replicate real flood conditions to evaluate response speed, coordination efficiency, and on-ground decision-making.
Officials have emphasized that the primary aim of the drill is to review and strengthen Disaster Management Plans (DMPs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and the Incident Response System (IRS). The IRS framework is particularly important as it defines how different departments coordinate during emergencies, ensuring a unified response instead of fragmented action.
A key focus of the exercise will also be to identify gaps in manpower, equipment, communication systems, and logistics support before the onset of the monsoon. Authorities believe that early detection of such shortcomings will help prevent delays and inefficiencies during actual disaster situations.
Beyond administrative preparedness, the drill will also place strong emphasis on public awareness and community participation. Local bodies, NGOs, and media organisations are expected to play a role in sensitising residents about evacuation procedures, safety measures, and emergency contact systems. This is especially crucial in densely populated urban centres like Gurugram and Faridabad, where rapid urbanisation has increased flood vulnerability in several pockets.
Experts in disaster management note that such large-scale simulation exercises are essential for fast-growing regions like Haryana, where urban expansion, drainage pressure, and climate variability have made flood preparedness more complex. Regular drills help ensure that coordination between departments is not only documented on paper but tested in real-life-like conditions.
Overall, the upcoming Haryana flood mock drill on May 14 represents a significant preparedness initiative, aimed at strengthening emergency response systems, improving inter-departmental coordination, and ensuring that the state is better equipped to handle monsoon-related challenges with speed and efficiency.
