DISASTERS AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN INDIA by Anjana Majumdar (Detailed Summary) Plus One

                       DISASTERS AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

                                                                                                  -    Anjana Majumdar

Detailed Summary

“Disasters and Disaster Management in India” is an essay which is written by Anjana Majumdar. From time immemorial, humanity is facing different kinds of disaster. But the latest World Disaster Report mentions that disaster is a common occurrence in today’s world.

Today people in developed and developing countries are facing disasters such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, landslides, droughts, accidents, plane crashes, forest fires, etc. For instance, recently flood hit in the UK and France; heat waves in Europe; and tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones in America which took many people’s lives and property. Nothing can stop disaster even the technology.

In countries where development is happening, there will be better disaster management. Flood is the common disaster which is occurring everywhere. After the flood, then come windstorms, droughts and earthquakes. Drought is the most dangerous disaster. 48 per cent of death is happening because of natural disasters. Asian continent comes first when it comes to death rates which are happening because of disasters.

India is more susceptible to disasters because of its “geological location” and “geological formation”. There are mountains, rivers, coastline and snow-clad peaks in India which are a threat to the life of Indians. Since India is one of the most populated countries, Indians are destroying the natural resources which in turn are creating disasters such as floods, droughts, landslides, earthquakes, etc.

The northern region of India comes under the seismic zones III to V. Owing to this, landslides, floods, droughts and earthquakes are happening in that region. In the eastern region of India, disasters such as floods which are happening because of the Brahmaputra, the Ganga and other perennial rivers, drought, heatwaves, hailstorms, cyclones, heavy winds and earthquakes. The north-eastern region of India comes under the seismic zones IV to V. Owing to this, landslides, floods, and earthquakes are happening in that region. In the western region of India, disasters such as floods, drought, cyclones and wind erosion of land and soil are happening. The southern region of India especially the coastal area is more susceptible to cyclones, sea erosion, tsunami and landslides. Andaman and Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep are more prone to sea erosion and tsunami.

Out of all these disasters, tsunami is new to Indians. That is why when it hit in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andra Pradesh in 2004, it took many people’s lives and their property.

India had already faced many natural disasters such as the Gujarat earthquake (2001), the Mumbai-Gujarat floods (2005), the Uttarakhand flashfloods (2013) and the hurricane Phailin in coastal Orissa and Andra Pradesh (2013); and man-made disasters such as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1984).

When a disaster happens, it damages “lifeline support systems” such as transportation facility, drainage, electricity, communication, water, etc. It affects business sectors. Health care centres and hospitals will be in a pathetic situation because so many people will be admitted to the hospitals. People face financial difficulties because of the disaster. Life becomes hell for those people who faced disaster. They may have psychological traumas which will be with them till the end of their lives. So the rescuers should give psychological rehabilitation too. These all will happen even in the case of man-made disasters such as riots. It is the poor who suffer the after effect of disaster whether it is natural or man-made because they have to work everyday for getting money.

When it comes to a natural disaster such as cyclones, tsunami and earthquake, it is the destruction of the buildings which take the lives of the people. This occurs because most of the architects do not give due importance to building regulations. In order to prevent building destruction, the architects should follow building regulations and guidelines, select standard materials for building construction and the master plan which is approved by the authorities.

Recently UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination) with the aid of the Government of India had made an action plan for cities and towns which were prone to earthquakes. The action plan suggests that the authorities should check the quality of the existing building and make improvements. At present around one million buildings are constructed every year in India and the same number of buildings are destroyed because of the negligence architects during the building construction. So the Government should introduce a monitoring mechanism to prevent building destruction.

When it comes to disaster management, it is the state government which plays a major role while the central government has a minor role. The State Level Disaster Management Committee will manage the disaster in the state level. It consists of the senior secretaries from the major departments of Governments and the representatives of the NGOs. Central Government has a Crisis Management Committee which consists of the Cabinet Secretary and the secretaries from the major departments of the government. But when a disaster happens, the central government provides health and medical support, rail and ferry services, and defence services such as air dropping, rescuing, searching, transport of relief goods, etc.

The most important part of disaster management is rehabilitation. Since disaster occurs unprecedently, the Government cannot implement normal methods. So all the Government sectors and NGOs should work together to do rehabilitation. Also, the rescue team should need special skills and talents, positive attitude and have the latest technology to do rescue operation. These are the ways by which disaster management can be done.