Disaster management failed miserably once again and the growth story has become irrelevant.Disaster management act has been enacted but is is neither formulated nor implemented anywhere in the country.Most ironical fact is that the government and the media have neglected the plight of the local Himalayan people who have to stay there and have to bear serial atomic blasts of natures wrath!
Palash Biswas
Email:palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
skype:palash.biswas44
| DISASTER MANAGEMENT Act 2005 |
Disaster management failed miserably once again and the growth story has become irrelevant.Disater managemment act has been enacted but is is neither formulated nor implemented anywhere in the country.Most ironiocal fact is that the government and the media have neglected the plight of the local Himalayan people who have to stay their and have to bear serial atomic blasts of natures wrath!It is Kedarnath which created the hype of national disaster, otherwise Himalayan tragedies have been always overlooked. Be it 1970 Alaknanda floods, be it 1978 Tavaghat land slide or the the Bhagirahthi floods in the same year, or the earthquake in Uttarkashi in 1991 and afterwards, the nation overlooked the reality of ticking atom bombs. This time the religious tourism made it felt in every corner of the nation. Everyone is interested in the updates of the rescue and relief operation for the tourists and they happen to be our near and dear one. But none of us is concerned with the ailing health of the Himalayas. No awareness is created about the melting glaciers.We may not expect any better disaster management in the country in near future. we would never see the link between environment and economics. Let the rescue and relief operation be over, we would see nothing but politics and corporate raj omnipotent. And it is predestined that the Himalayas have to be struck with man made disaster again and again inflicting the whole Himalayan population racially discriminated. Imminent disasters would be on higher scale as it happened this time which melted political bordore in between Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on the one hand, and on the other hand the international border between India and Nepal.We have not to wait longer as the Tehri Dam may explde anytime which would wipe out the disatnce between the capital, which is more responsible for all these tragedies and the Himalayas.The deadbodies have been swept right from Gangotri and Kedarnath dowstreanm to Haridwar ghats. Most of us have not witnessed either the tsunami struck Andhra and Tamilnadu or the Himalayan tsunami. we have no idea about the disasters which strike the Himalayan people year after year just to continue the growth story of ethnic cleansing. We have not to raise voice against this geographical discrimination in a time of casteology based identity politics, we may explode in tears as our own people have become the victims, we may just scream for faster rescue operation or we may donate nationwide for sake of humanity, but we dare not to stand united to change this system of man made disasters which boosts capital inflow, profit and black money.
The bottom line is we do not have a clear disaster-management policy. In fact, the state has also failed in post-disaster management. It is also about apathy as mainly rural areas suffer from such disasters. When the level of Yamuna rises in Delhi, Parliament is shaken. In contrast, if something happens in rural areas, there is no plan or policy.
We have a PM-led National Disaster Management Board. But the latest CAG report says none of its plans seem to have worked since its inception. The question is not what the CAG report says and who leads the board's policies. To me, at least boards like these should have the experience of the community. Such boards are led by experts who have never experienced any disasters. That is one reason why they have not been very useful.
Further, no attention has been paid to Uttarakhand's Disaster Management Cell. It is neither well-equipped nor has the resources to combat any untoward situations.
Thousands of people including pilgrims who remained stranded in Uttarakhand which faced devastation due to flash floods in river Ganga and its tributaries â€" may not get quick relief as incessant rains and landslides completely broke down the state's communication network on Monday, making it difficult for Army and ITBP personnel to reach the exact trouble spots.What about the local population stranded in greater altitudes and tougher conditions. No one has taken care.Further relief and rescue operations got disrupted due to extensive landslides in the routes connecting Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri.
The MET warning of heavy rain was overlooked, it is proved. The yatra had not to be risked as religious nationalism had to be on stake.No one just dared to postpove the pilgrimage which could have minimise the impact as disaster management basic lessons teach us.
More bodies may come to the surface in the next couple of days as the slush and debris lying in the area is removed!Thanks that about 1000 more pilgrims stranded in Rambara and Junglechatti areas en route to Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag district were sighted by security forces. In Junglechatti, a point of concern, there were 400-500 people. In Kedarnath, there were 70 to 80 still there. 100 people were still left in Hemkund Sahib while in Badrinath there were 8,000 people. They may be rescued. But we have not heard as yet any plan to help, rescue the Himalayan people straned in their native places amidst continuous rain and land slide.
The National Disaster Relief force rescued 143 people from Gaurikund, one of the higher reaches on way to Kedarnath. There are 189 sadhus in Gaurikund who have refused to move out.At his press conference, the chief minister said Kedarnath has been completely evacuated. Tewari said food packets have been given in Junglechatti and Gauchar, where two helicopters will make sorties tomorrow. In all, 150 sorties were undertaken today. MI-17 V-5 helicopters, the latest acquisition of Air Force, with advanced radars and autopilot were used to penetrate the valley. They also act as guide to other choppers to follow
No urgency is never shown either to round up the rescue and relief operations as soon as possible as yet another warning of heavy rain in Uttarakhand flashes the red alert. Army was called very late. and the emerging superpower fails to manage adequate numbers of copters to finish the task in time which could have saved more people, more lives.Racing against time in the face of predicted adverse weather, over 10,000 people were on Saturday evacuated from various upper reaches of flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, including the worst-affected Kedarnath, as the death toll may touch 1,000. It may multiply.In all, 70,000 stranded people have been brought to safety in the mammoth ongoing multi-agency operations and more than 22,000 remain to be evacuated, according to information given by the Centre and the state government.
Given the high risk and vulnerability floods pose annually to an average 75 lakh hectares of land, besides damage to livelihood, infrastructure and public utilities, the NDMA and other agencies in the states prone to floods must take recourse to continuous modernisation of flood forecasting, early warning and strengthening decision support systems. It should ensure regular monitoring of the effectiveness and sustainability of the flood management systems, besides improving the compliance regime.It has not to be.
The monsoon arrived early in large parts of India, but there could hardly be a worse time for the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.It is just the begining.Let the water bearing the corpses should come down to the plains and the monsoon should play its game, we have to witness greater tragedies.Since we never care about the hills, we may not manage disasters at plains and every year we have to see most oth north India inundated and we may not do anything better but counting the deadbodies which we exactly do this time also.The destruction the flash flood has left behind in its trail and the helpless condition of more than 100,000 stranded pilgrims are testimony to the fact that while there were clear indications that the monsoon would hit Uttarakhand early - as it did other parts of the country - no early warning efforts were launched to minimise the effects of the impending killer torrent. Patchy relief and rescue operations, impeded by roads washed away by the swirling waters, were evidence that state authorities failed to implement recommendations of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The latter had set out in 2008 to effect a paradigm shift from relief-centric and post-event action to a disaster management programme driven by proactive prevention and mitigation measures, but its failure is self-evident.
A day after being heckled by a group of women for 'slow pace' of rescue and relief operations, Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna on Friday admitted that the state was not prepared for this kind of a tragedy.
"I admit we do not meet the norms which are prescribed by the Comptroller and Auditor General or the Disaster Management Authority. I doubt if any state has. This kind of disaster has never happened in Himalayan history," Bahuguna told a private TV channel. But he dismissed charges about the state disaster manage ment board not even meeting once. "All this talk is of no significance. Few hundred or thousand trained people cannot handle any disaster of this magnitude. This is a similar situation as we had seen in the tsunami," he said. "Even the Centre does not have the mechanism to deal with a disaster covering 38,000 square miles."
But the CM lamented the absence of sophisticated Doppler radar for weather forecasting. "We were in touch with the Centre and close to setting up a doppler radar. However, before anything could be done, the tragedy struck us," he said.
Bahuguna said Met department's warnings were not actionable. "The IMD warn ing was not clear. It only said there would be heavy rains and snowfall in the upper ridges," he said. A group of 300 women, including Congress workers, heckled Bahuguna on Thursday for 'shoddy' rescue and relief operations when he landed at Rudraprayag helipad on way to Badrinath. Protesters threw stones and shouted slogans against the CM, forcing police to tighten security.
Rescue operations were stepped-up in the state after predictions of heavy rains on Monday.
While tomorrow the weather may stabilise, those engaged in the operations are worried about the rain forecast for Monday and Tuesday that could hamper their work.
"The death toll is likely to be around 1,000," Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna told reporters here as the Himalayan tragedy unfolded after the gushing waters left behind a trail of death and destruction.
A conclusive figure can be arrived at only after the slush and debris under which bodies could be buried are cleared, he said.
Officials said 123 bodies were recovered from the Kedarnath temple complex raising the official death toll to 680. Army officials said 83 bodies were identified and handed over to authorities.
Mounting the biggest-ever operation to evacuate people from a disaster zone in peace time, 61 helicopters, including 43 of IAF and 11 of the army, were deployed. World's biggest Russian-made MI-26 helicopters that can carry about 150 passengers were pressed into service on Saturday.
Information and Broadcating Minister Manish Tewari told reporters in Delhi that while the Army and ITBP rescued 4,000 people each, air force chipped in to move the rest.
He said all central and state government agencies were working in full coordination, a point he made hours after Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said there seemed to have been some lack of coordination.
Even as the stranded tourists and pilgrims found it difficult to get food and water or unaffordable with prices shooting up, they had to battle another front with a group of youths going on a looting spree.
"All my cash, about Rs.25,000 was snatched by a group of youngsters who had Nepali features," said a shocked pilgrim in Gaurikund.
A woman said all her jewellery was taken by the unscrupulous elements at knife point.
"We have received such complaints and we have stepped up vigil," a senior police officer said.
17 foreign tourists were evacuated from flood-hit Dharasu in Uttarkashi district.
Disaster Management authorities here said that photos of the bodies strewn all over the area will be taken and put on the state government's official website.
Officials said the stranded pilgrims in Rambara and Junglechatti areas seem to have taken refuge in the gorges and ravines in these areas when the massive deluge occurred nearly a week ago.
Hungry for days, many of those sighted are ill and in need of immediate medical care, they said, adding the sick and ailing among will be evacuated on a priority basis.
Helping out, the Rajasthan government has given two choppers and 30 buses for evacuation of pilgrims.
The Gujarat government has also put into operation two chartered planes 747 Boeings (Jet Airways) with a capacity of 140 persons each to ferry pilgrims from the state stuck in high altitude areas to Ahmedabad.
Chopper operations were hampered here early this morning with overcast conditions delaying the programme of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of an aerial survey of the affected areas in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts.
A control room for pilgrims from Gujarat has been set up at Shantikunj Haridwar.
In Himachal Pradesh, seven foreigners were today evacuated from tribal Lahaul and Spiti district even as the state chopper made sorties to high altitude areas in Pooh, Tabo and Nako to airlift people stranded in rain-ravaged Kinnaur district for the past eight days.
Most of the link roads and Hindustan-Tibet National Highway was blocked at numerous places due to landslides and breaches and a large number of vehicles are stranded in the district.
The situation was improving in Uttar Pradesh as there was no fresh rainfall. While Sharda and Ghaghra have registered a downward trend, the River Ganga was rising all along its route from Fatehgarh to Ballia.
River Ghaghra, which was still flowing above the danger mark at Elgin Bridge (Barabanki), was receding and at Ayodhya and Turtipar, where it has crossed the red mark, it was static.
The Uttar Pradesh Roadways Corporation has started 300 special buses from Haridwar for the benefit of flood affected people.
National Institute of Disaster Management
| National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) | |
|---|---|
 Institute's Logo | |
| Motto | Towards a disaster free India आपदा मुक्त भारत की ओर |
| Established | 1995 |
| Mission |
|
| President | Union Home Minister of India |
| Executive Director | Dr. Satendra |
| Faculty | 16 |
| Staff | 22 |
| Owner | Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |
| Formerly called | National Centre for Disaster Management ( Upgraded to present status on 16 October 2003 ) |
| Location | (28.635°N 77.224°ECoordinates: 28.635°N 77.224°E) |
| Address | 5-B, IP Estate, MG Marg |
| Website | Official Website |
National Institute of Disaster Management (Hindi: राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रबंधन संस्थान ) abbr.NIDM, is a premier institute for training and capacity development programs for managing natural disasters in India, on a national as well as regional basis. The National Centre of Disaster Management (NIDM), constituted under an Act of Parliament in 1995; was redesignated to give the present name of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) by the Disaster Management Act 2005[1] passed by President of India on 9 January 2006,[2]
NIDM also serves as international SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) and works as focus for its operation and planning.
Contents[hide] |
History[edit]
![[icon]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section requires expansion. (May 2012) |
The International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction,[3][4] proposed with the purpose of ensuring the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction prompted the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, the nodal ministry for disaster management in India to establish a national centre for management and planning the control of such natural disasters in 1995.
The Centre was later upgraded as the National Institute of Disaster management (NIDM) on 16th October 2003, with the transfer of the subject of disaster management to theMinistry of Home Affairs. The Institute was inaugurated by Home Minister of India onAugust 11, 2004.
Origin and responsibilities[edit]
| This section requires expansion. (June 2012) |
The United Nations designated the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). In 1995, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, nominally responsible for disaster management in India, created the National Centre for Disater Management. When responsibility for disaster management was transferred to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Centre became the National Institute of Disaster Management. The Institute was officially inaugurated by the Union Home Minister[who?] on 11 August 2004.
The National Disaster Management Act of 2005 granted the Institute statutory organisation status. The Act holds the Institute responsible for "planning and promoting training and research in the area of disaster management, documentation and development of national level information base relating to disaster management policies, prevention mechanisms and mitigation measures".[5]
The NIDM has been mandated by the Govt. of India (NDMA - as per DM Act 2005, guidelines for NIDM) to be a deemed University and institute of excellence on higher learning and capacity building. UGC has worked out with NIDM and developed a model crriculum for strengthening disaster management in higher education and research. Most Central Universities have envisaged Centre for Disaster Management under their School of Environmental Studies. A core group is being formed with UGC-NIDM to promote the subject at Academic Staff Colleges as well.
Management[edit]
Structure[edit]
- Hydro-meteorological, Climate change and Environment related
- Man-made disasters and Policy Planning and Community issues
- Geological disasters and engineering related issues
- Emergency response and administration related issues
Besides these, are envisaged/working:
- Cell on Environment and Climate change
- Indo-German Cooperation Programme on Environmental Knowledge for Disaster Risk Management (ekDRM) www.ekdrm.net
- Training Cell.
Activities[edit]
Research:
- Drought Disaster Vulnerability Assessment and Mitigation Analysis for Bundelkhand (ICSSR Project)
- UNDP-MoEF Project on Climate Resilient Development and Adaptation.
- CDKN-START project on integrating climate change adaptation and DRR (flood) - Case study of Gorakhpur (with GEAG and ISET)
- GIZ-EU project on case studies/pilots of climate resilient disaster management plans at various levels ( case of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh).
- National Cyclone Risk mitigation project (Capacity building component) with NDMA.
- Urban Flooding - India - Case studies of 8 cities. (Institutional).
- Preparation of National Human Resource Plan for Disaster Management.
- Disaster Research Fellowship (National Fellowship for Ph.D. registration in interdiciplinary subjects like environment al studies, etc. on topic related with disaster management/risk reduction.
Tsunami hits India[edit]
The Tsunami triggered by the earthquake of magnitude 8.9 on Richter Scale near the coastline of Sumatra in Indonesia also severely affected some of coastal states of India. NIDM served as a great agency in working upon the estimates of loss and building plans to tackle the damage served by the disaster.[6]
Training[edit]
The NIDM works under government's directives to train and conduct periodic checks to regulate effective earthquake and disaster control policies throughout the country with support from semi-government,private firms and NGOs. It also conducts mock drill, crises communication and a hazard hunt exercise among their staffers every two to three months. Recently, Delhi witnessed one of biggest mega mock drills conducted in India, simulating an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 on Richter Scale. The main purpose was to check the alertness and preparedness of various agencies,commuters in the event of a disaster of such magnitude.[7]
National Disaster Management Authority and Delhi Disaster Management Authority jointly conducted the drills at several places across the national capitol including the six Metro Stations at 11.30 a.m.
Publications[edit]
1. Safeguard Environment for Disaster Risk Reduction : Poem & Slogan Book 2012 NIDM, Anil K. Gupta
2. Environmental Legislation for Disaster Risk Management: Training Module 2012 Anil K. Gupta & Sreeja S. Nair
3. Science Festival : http://nidm.gov.in/books.aspDisaster Management 2012 Irfana Begum, Surya Parkash & Rita
4. Geoinformatics Applications in Disaster Management: Training Module 2012 Sreeja S. Nair
5. India Disaster Report 2011 2012 K. J. Anandha Kumar, Ajinder Walia & Shekher Chaturvedi
6. Environmental Extremes : Disaster Risk Management 2012 Anil K. Gupta & Sreeja S. Nair
7. Chemical (Industrial) Disaster Management : Training Module 2012 Anil K. Gupta & Sreeja S. Nair
8. Ecosystem Approach to Disaster Risk Reduction 2012 Anil K. Gupta & Sreeja S. Nair
9. Adaptation to Climate Change with a Focus on Rural Areas and India 2012 Anil K. Gupta
10. Disaster Management for NDRF Commanders : Training Module - Arun Sahdeo
11. Directory of Institutions and Resource Persons in Disaster Management 2012 A. D. Kaushik & Megha Kohli
12. Proc of National Workshop Earthquake Risk Mitigation Strategy in North East (24-25 February 2011, Assam) 2010 NIDM
13. Risk to Resilience: Tools for Disaster Risk Management 2009 A K. Gupta, S S. Nair, S Chopde & Praveen Singh
14. Proceedings of 2nd India Disaster Management Congress (04-06 November 2009, Vigyan Bhawan) 2009 NIDM
15. Psychosocial Care in Disaster Management : A Training of Trainers (ToT) Module 2009 Sujata Satapathy
16. Proc National Workshop on Chemical Disaster Management (2008), 2009 NIDM, AK. Gupta & S S. Nair & Shard (MoEF)
Special Publications:
a) Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (Role of Environmental Knowledge) P380, Narosa Publishing House (Anil K Gupta, Sreeja S Nair, Florian Bemmerlein-Lux, S Chatterji)
2) Prospects in Disaster Management (Some Eco-hydrological and Strategic Issues), P230, Astral Group - Daya Publishing, In Press (Anil K Gupta, S S Nair, Vinod K Sharma).
Weakness of India in Disaster Management[edit]
After the mega earthquake and tsunami rattled Japan, concerns were raised about the preparedness of India towards such natural calamities. India being the second most populated country in the world, is threatened by a greater damage of human lives and property loss. The fact is more supported by the less technological and sophistication involved in efficient management of disasters of such enormous proportion.
Chandan Ghosh, Professor and Head, Geo Hazards and Hydro Meteorological department at National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) being quite skeptical about the disaster mitigation and preparedness measures pursued by Indian corporates said
| " | The buildings and infrastructure in India have been designed with short term goals. Over the past five years there has been a scorching growth in the telecom sector. The number of mobile connections have proliferated with communication towers being erected in various places. These towers are the arteries of communication. But, they are designed in a way that renders them vulnerable to calamities. They cannot withstand the rigours of a natural calamity.[8] | " |
The Government of India, learning the seriousness of the matter, initiated a project through the Ministry of Earth Sciences called theSeismic Microzonation, which can help to detect which area will be hit by an earthquake.
Dr. Anil K Gupta, Senior Associate Professor (Policy Planning and Environment) was associated with drafting sub-committee for Natioanl Strategy on Climate change (Planning Commission, 2007), Key expert for preparation on National Human Resource Plan for Disaster Risk Management, and is pioneer on integrating climate-change adaptation with DRR, and mainstreaming DRR into development (environment/NRM, etc.), and conceptualised ecoDRR (ecosystem approach to DRR) piloted by UN-PEDRR. He envisions for a national University of Environment and Disaster Risk management to be established by MHRD and be situated in NCR region with special functions of research, teaching/degree awarding, international network/cooperation and operational level training. A national development programme and Academic faculty resource development in climate change and disaster management related issues are being promoted by NIDM.
Notes[edit]
- ^ "Disaster Management Act 2005". NDMA. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Aparna Meduri (2006). "The Disaster Management Act, 2005". The ICFAI Journal of Environmental Law. (The ICFAI University Press) (6-11). Unknown parameter
|Ed.=ignored (help) - ^ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 219 session 54 on 3 February 2000 (retrieved 2011-07-05)
- ^ "Our Mandate". The United Nations The Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ National Institute of Disaster Management. "Genesis and Functions". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- ^ Mohanty, Ashutosh. "Report on Tsunami in India". sc99news. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ "Mega drill in Delhi to test quake readiness". The Hindu (New Delhi). 15 February 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ Jha, Sneha. "Indian Cos Can't Withstand Japan-like Disaster, Says NIDM". CIO.IN. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
| 12 teams of NDRF BN have been deployed to various location for response and relief operation in the state of uttarkhand,Himachalpradesh and Uttarpradesh. Various other NDRF teams have been preposition at certain location through out the country such as Malda, Silgudi, Westbengal, Mumbai and Pahalagam, J & K |
| Rain affected areas of Uttrakhand Control Rooms Nos. |
| Uttarkashi -01374-226461, Chamoli-01372-251437, 09411352136, Rudraprayag-01364-233727,09412914875, Tehri -01376-233433, 09411548090 |
| Sh.Bhaskar Joshi (Secy, DM), Uttrakhand-09837542221, Control Room-Uttrakhand-0135-2710334, 09557444486, Kedarnath-01364-233727 |
Chairman
Dr Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister
To build a safer and disaster resilient India by developing a holistic, pro-active, multi-disaster and technology-driven strategy for disaster management through collective efforts of all Government Agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Vice Chairman
M. Shashidhar Reddy, MLA
EMPOWERING STAKEHOLDERS FOR IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN INDIA The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister of India, is the Apex Body for Disaster Management in India. The setting up of the NDMA and the creation of an enabling environment for institutional mechanisms at the State and District levels is mandated by the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
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