New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS): The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday began a five-day training programme at Trivandrum Airport in Kerala to enhance the preparedness of Airport Emergency Handlers (AEHs) to handle radiological and nuclear contingencies, a Home Ministry statement said.

As many as 50 participants representing various agencies responsible for operation and maintenance of the airport will be trained on various aspects of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) emergencies.

"Another 150 working-level staff will be sensitized on the subject in a half-day module. A mock exercise will also be carried out during the training programme. This is the eleventh in a series of such programmes being conducted at airports across the country to enable AEHs to respond suitably till the arrival of specialized response teams," said the statement.

The training is being conducted in collaboration with the Airport Authority of India, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

It consists of lectures as well as field training, including live demonstrations of detection and decontamination including use of Personal Protective Equipment.

Besides equipping the AEHs to handle CBRN emergencies, the training programme will also enable them to provide medical first aid and initial psycho-social support.

Experts from stakeholder departments such as Department of Atomic Energy, INMAS, NDMA, NDRF, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority will train the participants.

Ten batches have already been trained - one each in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Varanasi, Patna, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Raipur and Bengaluru.

"Handling CBRN emergencies need specialised skills and efforts. A small CBRN-related event can cause panic among people at airports. This programme will enable the AEHs to handle any CBRN emergency," the statement added.