Disaster is something that often happens to people. People have experienced disasters in different forms from the beginning of time. The latest World Disaster Report shows that disasters have increased in number and intensity.
People are becoming more and more exposed to disasters of all kinds. They include earthquakes, floods, cyclones, landslides, droughts, accidents, plane crashes, forest fires, etc. This is quite true in the case of both developed and developing countries. The floods in the UK and France, and the heat waves in Europe, especially the one in France in 2003, claimed many lives. In the last few years, America has also faced devastating disasters in the form of tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones. They caused many deaths and much destruction. Although progress in technology is helping man to reduce the impact of disasters, it is still not enough.
There is a direct correlation between higher human development and better preparedness to manage disasters. The less developed countries are more prone to suffer damages caused by disasters.
Of all the disasters, floods are the most common. They are followed by windstorms, droughts, and earthquakes. Drought is the deadliest, accounting for 48% of deaths due to natural disasters. Asia has the highest number of death toll from disasters. India, China and Bangladesh are in the Asian continent.
India, due to its geographical location and geological formation, is highly prone to disasters. Its long coastline, snow-covered peaks and high mountain ranges and the perennial rivers of the north combine to make the problems worse. India has only 2% of the total geographical area, but it supports 18% of the total population. So,
there is a great pressure on the natural resources. This directly or indirectly leads to disasters like floods, droughts, landslides and earthquakes.
The northern region of India faces problems due to landslides, floods, droughts and earthquakes because it falls under the seismic zones III to V. The eastern region has the problem of floods in the perennial rivers which include the Brahmaputra, the Ganga, etc. Drought, heat waves, hailstorms, cyclones, heavy winds and earthquakes are also common here. The north-eastern region has floods, landslides and earthquakes. This region comes under seismic zones IV & V.
The western region is known for severe droughts, wind erosion of land and soil, floods and cyclones. It is also prone to earthquakes. The southern region, particularly the coastal area, is vulnerable to cyclones, sea erosion, tsunami and landslides. The islands of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep are open to the problems of Sea erosion and tsunami. The Indian coastal areas have faced some of the worst cyclones.
Among all the disasters in India, the tsunami is a relatively new thing. Due to the lack of an adequate warning system, the tsunami of 2004 destroyed a large portion of the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and also the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It killed many people and destroyed properties worth many crores.
India has faced a number of natural disasters. There was also the man-made disaster of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. During this century, India faced the Gujarat earthquake (2001), the Mumbai-Gujarat floods (2005), the tsunami (2004), the Uttarakhand flash-floods and the hurricane Phailin in coastal Orissa and Andhra Pradesh (2013).
The direct and indirect impacts of disasters, either natural or industrial, are damage, destruction and death. When disaster strikes, the lifeline support systems like communication, power supply, watersupply and drainage are damaged. Healthcare and hospitals come under severe stress. Commercial and economic activities are badly affected. Life almost comes to a standstill. The psychological traumas caused by disasters are so severe that they last the entire life of the victim. So along with other rehabilitation works, psychological rehabilitation should be given.
The impact is the same even in the case of man made disasters like riots. The most affected are the poor sections of society, who have to work daily to earn their livelihood.
In some natural disasters like cyclones, tsunami and earthquake, it is the building structure that causes the destruction and death. In developing countries only 30% of the buildings are constructed in accordance with the regulations laid down for ensuring safety and security. The lack of a masterplan and the inferior quality of materials used for construction also increase the casualties arising out of disasters. Both private and public buildings should be constructed according to the guidelines prescribed by law. Construction should also be according to the master plan approved by the authorities. Good quality materials only should be used for construction.
The UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination), along with the Indian Government, has jointly prepared an action plan for cities and towns prone to earthquakes. In vulnerable areas, the existing buildings should be technically assessed and owners should be informed about the weaknesses in their construction. It is estimated that nearly a million buildings are constructed in India each year and an equal number of them gets damaged as a result of disasters. To reduce the damage to buildings, a monitoring mechanism should be set up. It should work in proper coordination with the concerned authorities to ensure the fulfillment of building codes.
In the case of disaster management, the state governments play a major role. The central government plays only a facilitating role. At the state level, there is a State Level Disaster Management Committee consisting of the senior secretaries of various departments and the representatives of NGOs. At the national level, there is a Crisis Management Committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary and the secretaries from the major departments of the government. Thfffcentral government, with proper coordination with various ministries, gives the necessary support to the states. This includes defence services like airdropping, rescuing, searching, transport of relief goods, etc. and availability of railway and ferry services, health personnel and medical support.
Rehabilitation is an integral part of disaster management. Disasters are non-routine events and so they need non-routine services. It means the Government can’t rely on normal procedures to take urgent action. There should be proper coordination among the various departments of the government to bring speedy relief to the victim. The rescue teams have to learn special skills and attitudes in dealing with disasters. They need to be well equipped and should have the latest technologies.
Disaster management has acquired greater importance of late. The purpose is not to prevent natural or man-made disasters. We may not be able to prevent many of these disasters but we can definitely reduce their destructive impact.
