Delhi's civil defence volunteers: First line of response in a crisis

They are traders, homemakers, and college students—ordinary citizens who have voluntarily signed up as Civil Defence Volunteers (CDVs) in Delhi.

- Alok KN Mishra and Sanjeev K Jha

NEW DELHI: In times of crisis, they quietly step forward as the city's first line of response, supporting the administration in everything from disaster relief to corpse disposal.

Civil Defence may be noncombative, but its duties are crucial. The role includes safeguarding life and property during hostile attacks or natural disasters, and covers 12 specialised services such as firefighting, rescue operations, communication, and handling casualties and bodies.

Delhi currently has around 170,000 registered CDVs—up from 50,000 before the Covid-19 pandemic—against a target strength of 238,000, according to officials from the Delhi government's revenue department. The volunteers are organised into 11 revenue districts, 33 zones and 162 divisions across the city.

"A large number of people came forward during the pandemic and received five days of initial training in various services," said a senior official at the Directorate of Civil Defence. "They aren't government employees, but are called in by district authorities as needed. During Tuesday's mock drills across Delhi, over 4,000 volunteers were deployed."