An Indian relief and rehabilitation team, consisting of 46 specialists from the National Disaster Management Authority, on Monday reached Rifu-cho in Japan's quake-and-tsunami-hit Miyagi prefecture on a 10-day aid mission in one of the worst-affected areas.
The mission's mandate, as agreed to by the two countries, covers the clearance of debris, repairs, emergency medical assistance and the distribution of relief goods.
Ambassador Alok Prasad said the team's mandate was determined entirely “according to the priority indicated by the Government of Japan”.
India had already delivered 25,000 blankets and 10,000 bottles of drinking water. High-energy biscuits would now be distributed to children during the disaster managers' 10-day stay north of Sendai as a fully self-contained team that would not draw upon local resources for its upkeep .
On whether India would extend help in managing radiation risks, Mr. Prasad pointed out that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already conveyed India's readiness to help in whatever manner Japan wanted.
On the escalating radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said in Tokyo on Monday measures were needed now to “prevent the leaking” of the “high levels of radioactive materials … into underground and the sea”.
On Monday, parts of Japan, especially the Miyagi prefecture, were rattled by an offshore earthquake of 6.5-magnitude on the Richter Scale. The authorities described it as the latest in a series of over 60 aftershocks of similar intensity since March 11. The quake caused a mild tsunami .
Keywords: Japan quake, disaster relief, India Japan ties
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21603
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