Disaster Management (Recent Trends in Disaster Management) by Rajvardhan

Model Answer

Question #1. Why are floods such recurrent features in many parts of India? Elaborate on the measures taken by the Government for flood control in recent times.
Approach:

• Brief about the recent flood situation in the country. ( 25 words)
• Point out to the causes of the occurrence of the disasters; explain in what way the impact of the floods has been huge and impulsive owing to lack of preparedness.  ( 50 words)
• Discuss that how well a country mobilizes resources to tackle disasters, natural or otherwise, is a sign of how advanced it really is. India has made progress, but our efforts need to be stepped up.  ( 50 words)
• Conclusion ( 25 words)

Hints:

Recently, floods in Assam and other north-eastern states have caused devastation of life and property, which is an annual problem in the region. However, floods are not restricted to North-eastern India, rather it affects many other areas in the country. The National Flood Commission estimated that the total area vulnerable to floods in 1980 was around 40 million hectares

Floods such recurrent features in many parts of India: Apart from natural factors like incessant and heavy rainfall during the monsoon, there are man-made factors that contribute to floods in India. India is highly vulnerable, as most of its geographical area is prone to annual flooding

In 1980, the National Flood Commission made 207 recommendations and four broad observations.

• First, it said there was no increase in rainfall in India and, thus, the increase in floods was due to anthropogenic factors such as deforestation, drainage congestion and badly planned development works.
• Second, it questioned the effectiveness of the methods adopted to control floods, such as embankments and reservoirs, and suggested that the construction of these structures be halted till their efficacy was assessed. However, it did say that embankments could be constructed in areas where they were effective.
• Third, it said there has to be consolidated efforts among the states and the Centre to take up research and policy initiatives to control floods.
• Fourth, it recommended a dynamic strategy to cope with the changing nature of floods. An analysis of the report suggested that the problem began with the methods of estimating flood-prone areas of the country.

The measures taken by the Government for flood control in recent times:

• National Water Policy (1987/ 2002/2012): The Government of India while framing policy has laid significant emphasis on the management of floods which gets reflected in the National Water Policy.
• Engineering /Structural Measures: The engineering measures for flood control which bring relief to the flood prone areas by reducing flood flows and thereby the flood levels.
• Administrative / Non-structural Measures: The administrative methods endeavour to mitigate the flood damages by;
  • Facilitating timely evacuation of the people and shifting of their movable property to safer grounds by having advance warning of incoming flood i.e. flood forecasting, flood warning in case of threatened inundation
  • Discouraging creation of valuable assets/settlement of the people in the areas subject to frequent flooding i.e. enforcing flood plain zoning regulation.
• Early Warning System and Communication: Dissemination of flood warnings is carried out, using a wide range of latest technologies. This would help in giving real time data where traditional systems fail.

Conclusion:

For addressing natural calamities such as floods and drought, there is a need to make full use of existing schemes and priority needs to be given to the implementation of schemes that will help overcome the conditions created by the calamity.

Question #2. Every hazard is unique in terms of local socio-environment factors that control it, social response it generates and the way each social group deals with it. Citing specific examples, examine the importance of the role of local government and community in dealing with disasters.

Approach

• Introduce by highlighting the importance of local government and community in disaster management (25 words)
• Bring out specifically the role of community and local government in disaster risk reduction (100 words)
• Conclusion (25 words)

Hints:

The way a community responds to a hazard is one of the key determinants whether it will turn to a disaster or not. Being the closest institution of the state to the people, local governments have a greater responsibility to take all possible efforts in order to prepare for a disaster or to respond to it. Its efforts clubbed with local knowledge about resources, facilities and support systems and capacity possessed by local community are crucial in disaster management.

Role of the local community and local bodies

• The High Powered Committee on Disaster Management has, in its draft policy, stated the importance of the Community Based Disaster Management and the involvement of the local governments, Municipalities and the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
• When compared to other levels of government, local governments do have more important roles in disaster preparedness, disaster management as well as in meeting the post-disaster situations. 
• Being close to the people and by virtue of its sheer mandate for local leadership in its functional area, local governments have a greater responsibility to take all possible efforts to forecast, prepare and meet any such eventualities.
• Local knowledge about the resources, facilities and support systems, and the alternative options are crucial in disaster management. 
• During disasters, people look up to the local government at the first instance, for addressing their basic needs and concerns. And to perform up to their expectation, the local governments must be adequately equipped too.
• The Panchayats can act as catalysts to social mobilization process and tap the traditional wisdom of the local communities to complement the modern practices in disaster mitigation efforts
• The community based disaster preparedness (CBDP) is a process to capacitate communities to prevent, mitigate and cope with disasters effectively. The process is designed, managed and owned by the communities.
• The National Disaster Management Plan recognizes the community as the first responder in the event of a disaster, which means that it has invested significantly in ensuring that communities know what, where, when, and how they should be planning for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. This is especially the case with rural communities, who usually are most exposed to disaster risks.
• The National Disaster Management Authority drafted the National Policy Guidelines on Community-based Disaster Management to better inform communities and those working with them in this regard. 

Some examples:

• Driven by draught, a lot of people migrate out of Nuapada district in Orissa for temporary alternate livelihood elsewhere. A long term draught mitigation strategy emerged in the shape of the village DM plan in the Boirbhadi village. The problems and issues were analysed threadbare and greater emphasis was laid on implementation of NREGA for the benefit of the migrant poor.
• In the coastal villages of Nallavadu and Veerampattinam in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, a Public-Address System (PAS) installed in their ‘Rural Knowledge Centers’ saved thousands of lives when the tsunami struck on 26th December, 2004.
• The Government of Maharashtra and the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) have developed a multi-hazard response plan to respond to various types of disasters. It has also instituted a Search and Rescue Task Force that comprises experts from various disciplines such as structural engineering, medicine, communications and coordination, fire fighters, etc.

Conclusion:

An essential feature of community based disaster management is reducing the communities’ risk or vulnerability to natural disasters. To accomplish this, long term plans are necessary with an eye on potential dangers such as climate change which threatens to increase the intensity and frequency of natural disasters in the future. India needs to adopt a collaborative approach, where the roles of the government, corporations, academia, civil societies and communities are recognised, and all actors work hand-in-hand towards achieving disaster resilience.