Navi Mumbai Airport Hosts Multi-Agency Disaster Drill Testing Cyclone And Emergency Response Readiness
· Free Press Journal

Navi Mumbai: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Raigad district, a massive two-day Multi-Agency Disaster Preparedness Exercise was successfully conducted to evaluate the airport’s readiness to tackle complex natural and man-made emergencies. The drill, jointly organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), saw participation from multiple central, state and local agencies.
The core of the exercise was a full-scale mock drill based on a simulated scenario in which a powerful cyclone makes landfall along the Raigad coast, severely impacting airport operations. As a result, several flights were cancelled or rerouted, leaving passengers stranded inside the terminal building. The situation escalated further with partial structural collapse within the terminal, triggering a large-scale emergency response to evacuate stranded passengers and provide immediate medical assistance to the injured.
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Emergency services were activated to carry out coordinated rescue operations, including search and evacuation from damaged sections of the building, on-site triage and transportation of the injured to hospitals. Given that the airport also houses a cargo terminal, an additional layer of complexity was introduced through the simulation of hazardous chemical leakage from stored cargo. Specialised teams were deployed to detect, contain and neutralise the leak, while ensuring the safety of responders and civilians.
The exercise began with a tabletop session focusing on crisis planning and inter-agency coordination, followed by demonstrations of advanced rescue equipment. The full-scale drill evaluated real-time response capabilities such as evacuation, search and rescue, hazard containment and activation of Emergency Operation Centres (EOC).
The second day of the exercise was attended by Dr Dinesh Kumar Aswal and Major General Ajay Verma. Participating agencies included the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), armed forces, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), along with key local bodies.
Local institutions such as the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC), City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), along with fire brigade, civil defence teams, Aapda Mitras, health department and media, played a crucial role in the operation.
Medical response teams from White Lotus Hospital, Fortis Hospital and Apollo Hospital were deployed on-site to handle simulated casualties.
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Commanding Officer of NDRF Pune, Deepak Tiwari, said, “The scenario was designed to replicate a worst-case situation involving a cyclone impact, structural damage and hazardous chemical leakage. Our focus was on rapid response, coordinated evacuation and ensuring that specialised teams effectively handle chemical hazards without escalation. Such drills are critical to improving real-time preparedness and inter-agency synergy.”
The exercise significantly strengthened coordination among agencies and helped identify potential gaps in emergency response mechanisms. Officials stated that such large-scale drills are essential to enhance preparedness for complex emergencies arising from extreme weather events and cascading risks.
The event was attended by Raigad Collector Kishan Jawale along with several senior officials from disaster management, administration and security agencies.
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