Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management
VOLUME - I
Centre for Disaster Management
Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration Mussoorie - 248179 (INDIA)
Edited by Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, IAS, Dy. Director (Sr.) Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie Vasudha Mishra, IAS, Dy. Director (Sr.) Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie Chiranjiv Choudhary, IFS, Dy. Director (Sr.) Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie
Copyright © 2006 Centre for Disaster Management Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA)
Published by : Centre for Disaster Management Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie 248 179 (Uttaranchal) INDIA and Printed in India at Print Vision, Dehradun - 248 001(Uttaranchal) Tel. : 0091 135 2652627, 2629970
PREFACE
India on account of its geo-climatic conditions is highly vulnerable to a large number of natural
disasters like flood, landslides, Tsunami, droughts earthquakes etc. The country suffers substantial losses, livelihood and damage to public and private properties. The occurrence and severity of disasters seen in the recent past has brought attention to various issues related to emergency management. There has been a number of government initiatives in capacity building of responders as well as community to be better prepared for disasters and be capable to quick response as well as long terms strategies. Coordination among responding agencies, proper resource management, information management, sharing of knowledge, training etc. are some of the key challenges in this field. The increasing importance of the subject of disaster management in administration at the cutting edge level as well as broader areas of governance has been realized by the government and in past few years attempt has been made to give structured inputs to the officers joining the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie at different levels. Ministry of Home Affairs has set up the Centre for Disaster Management in the Academy to cater to these needs as well as to act as a Nodal Training Centre for adaptation and integration of Incident Command System for professionalizing the response. A curriculum of training was suggested by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the Officers at various levels, in pursuance of which many initiatives have been taken by the Centre to provide professional inputs. It has been observed that many of these trainees witness certain natural disasters during their district level field training and chose to write reports on them based upon their observations as well as the valuable experience they gain during this exposure. We have also been witnessing growing interest among officers in this area. As part of training methodology, Academy takes up certain Action Research Projects, organizes Seminars and Syndicate Group work on the subject. Similarly, the senior officers coming for In-service training programmes are encouraged and requested to share their experiences, write case studies and share them with us. It has also been realized that there is need to get field level experiences in emergency management documented which can provide insight on different aspects and ground realities and serve as good reference for Administrators as well as others having interest in the subject. It is noteworthy to mention here that the subject of disaster management is finding place in the curriculum of many universities which are running courses on disaster management. We have taken up the exercise of selection of good district reports sent by the trainees and others. Similarly, the Action Research Projects and certain cases sent by the senior officers have also been selected with an objective of compiling and publishing collections in the nature of "Readings and case studies on disaster management". The idea is to continue this process and bring out subsequent volumes periodically. The first article in this volume narrates the experiences of Ms. Anu George, an IAS Officer in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu in the midst of unprecedented disaster in the form of Tsunami during December, 2004. She covers in great detail how administration coped up with this challenge and the innovations which were made during this challenge. It also reflects upon some of the initiatives taken up earlier
in the district by way of community preparedness and training and vividly documents the positive impact of such initiatives. The Action Research Project was undertaken in the Academy with the team of IAS Officer Trainees ( Ms. Aswathy S, Shri Krishna Kunal, Shri Nitin Jawal, Shri Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Shri Sachin B. Kurve, Shri Siddharth Mahajan & Shri Vikas Gathalwal) during their Professional Course, which was guided by the undersigned to study the inter relation between Rural Connectivity and Disaster Preparedness in reference to the State of Uttaranchal. As part of this project the officers interacted with administration at different levels and also with the affected communities. This exercise is in tune with the growing focus on mainstreaming disaster management into development process one of the important component of national framework of disaster management. The group studies different initiatives, their impact and also reflected upon the case of Varunavrat landslide in Uttarkashi district. The paper by Ms. Avantika Gautam, an IAS officer of Assam Cadre comprehensively covers the framework of Disaster Management in that State. This describes the scenario of recurrent floods and dwells upon the earthquake vulnerability as well. The first part deals with floods, second part dwells on earthquake and the third part focuses on the scenario in Kamrup District where the officer had first hand experience in flood management. It also reflects upon the Urban earthquake vulnerability reduction project in Guwahati and GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme in Kamrup District. Mr. Solanki Pravin K. an IAS officer of Gujarat shares his experiences and observation in handling of flash flood in Bharuch District of Gujarat and in addition to covering various aspects of response, also discusses the institutional framework for disaster management in Gujarat and District Disaster Management Plan. "Tuni-The mid summer cyclone and floods" is a case study written by Mr. Samir Sharma, an IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh who was then working as Joint Collector and Additional District Magistrate East Godvari District of Andhra Pradesh. This reflects upon the immediate response, quick thinking and the challenges which such incidents pose at field level. The Centre hopes that this publication may provide insight into the actual challenges at field level and also be useful as a teaching learning material in Disaster Management. We also welcome similar sharing of experiences in future which can be suitably documented and published periodically.
RAJIV RANJAN MISHRA, IAS Deputy Director (Senior) & Coordinator, Centre for Disaster Management, LBS National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge the support of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
in setting up the Centre for Disaster Management at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, (LBSNAA) Mussoorie as well as making provisions for development of such reference materials. We are extremely thankful to Shri D.S. Mathur, IAS, Director, LBSNAA and Shri Rudhra Gangadharan, IAS, Joint Director LBSNAA for their constant encouragement and valuable guidance. We are thankful to all the persons who have contributed the write-ups, case studies and worked in Action Research Project. Thanks are also due to all those officials who helped them in their endeavour and work during their field work. We are also thankful to all those who helped us in compilation and bringing forward this publication.
CONTENTS
Preface Acknowledgement
Disaster Management in Cuddalore District Anu George, IAS (Tamil Nadu)
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Rural Connectivity and Disaster Preparedness (Uttaranchal) - Action Research Project
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Disaster Management Scenario in Assam - A Case Study in Kamrup District Avantika Gautam, IAS (Assam)
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A Case of Flood in Bharuch (Gujarat) Solanki Pravin K., IAS (Gujarat)
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Tuni
127 -The Midsummer Cyclone and Floods Samir Sharma, IAS (A.P.)
DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN
CUDDALORE DISTRICT Anu George, IAS (Tamil Nadu)
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DISASTER MANAGEMENT - The Cuddalore Experience
Cuddalore has always been classified as a multi-hazard prone district. Cyclones and floods have wreaked havoc in the District several times in the past few centuries. The District also falls within the zone-3 with respect to earthquakes. A part of the problem owes its genesis to the location of the district. The District has a long coastline of 57.5 KM. Therefore the district is vulnerable to the cyclonic depressions and the resultant rains which causes floods. Cuddalore District has an area of 3678 Sq. km comprising of extremely fertile and well-irrigated lands benefiting from water draining over fields and through major and minor river systems. The District however suffers from the flooding when excess water flows down these local rivers and over the fields due to northeast monsoon rains in the river basins and in the district itself. The drainage is poor and the encroachments over the drought years have led to a scenario where, even rainfalls, which are slightly above normal, can cause floods disrupting the normal course of work. Coupled with this is the perennial problem of low water carrying capacity of the lakes and eris. Desilting of these water bodies involve huge expenditure and over a period of time they have been neglected altogether. The District is one of the most backward districts in Tamil Nadu in terms of social indicators. Natural disasters often tend to set the clock back in time further accentuating the problem as they lead to serious disruption of the functioning of a society causing widespread losses. These losses far exceed the affected society's ability to cope with it using its own resources. In the year 2004 the District witnessed a severe drought, floods in October and then in December -the tsunami.
The Tsunami Disaster For a district, which has become accustomed to tackling cyclones and floods the tsunami that struck the Indian coast on the 26th of December 2004 was like no other. The magnitude of loss, the suddenness with which it approached and the total lack of preparedness are but a few differentiating aspects. This disaster was different from any other before also because it had wreaked intensive damage along the coastline. The spread was small but the damage huge. The tsunami (in Japanese the word means 'harbour') refers to mighty waves that are triggered by disturbances on the ocean floor. These disturbances are a result of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. A mighty earthquake measuring about 9.1 on the Richter scale (as per the revised magnitude) caused the disaster. The earthquake itself was caused by the collision of the Australian and Eurasian plates in the Indian Ocean. The quake triggered a tsunami that is a series of waves that spread over thousands of kilometres in a matter of hours. In over seven hours the waves carved a path of destruction across the 4,500 Km Indian Ocean. The tsunami is formed when the energy from the earthquake vertically jolts the seabed by several metres. In the process several hundreds of cubic kilometres of water is displaced. The Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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waves moved at a speed of 800Km/Hr and as it neared the coast the speed reduced but the height of the wave increased and almost without any warning ate up everything on its path.
The Outcome In Cuddalore alone the tsunami left 618 dead. Livestock loss was put at 29 lakhs. 517.7 Hectares of land was rendered saline and destruction to property was to the tune of 300 crores. The humongous tragedy scarred the lives of over 97,000 people in Cuddalore alone and thousands were rendered homeless in a matter of minutes. The relief and rehabilitation operations that followed should be looked at keeping the specific nature of the tragedy.
Immediate Rescue and Relief Operations The first and foremost task in disaster mitigation is rescue and relief. When it comes to a sudden tragedy of mammoth proportions this task is a tough one. The tsunami had struck on a Sunday morning and that too a Sunday after Christmas. This meant that the effort in organizing relief is much more than in normal time. The hospitals had to be geared up to attend to the thousands being brought in dead or alive. First aid had to be given to the injured, care for the seriously affected and consolation to the bereaved. The hospitals had to tackle thousands of people who had come in search of their lost relatives or friends. One of the first things that were done was to arrange for a public announcement system. This helped in streamlining the process as well as in reducing the confusion at the hospitals. Simultaneously, the search for the dead and the injured had begun in the coastal areas in all earnestness. Public information centres offering assistance was also set up The next job at hand was to mobilise food and water for the 24,000 people who had fled from their villages. It was a gargantuan task and the strong system delivered when pushed to the wall. Food and water was mobilised with the help of the voluntary sector by 3:30PM in most areas. The rice was taken out of the ration shops and various philanthropic agencies pitched in to get it cooked. Meanwhile, the administration also had the onerous and painful task of disposing the dead bodies. Mass burial was the only way out and it took a lot of persuasion and effort on the part of the field officials to get it done by the morning of 27th December. The JCBs, which were mobilised in the morning, were used for this purpose. All the bodies were photographed individually for future identification and buried. This was an important task for two reasons: l
To control the outbreak of diseases and
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To ensure faster and smoother relief operations
Relief Centres Though most of the villages had cyclone shelters, the nature of the disaster was such that the villagers from the coastal areas fled to the interiors of the district. Most of the relief camps that were opened up almost immediately were the wedding halls of the District. Around 38 centres were set up for the refugees. }
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The next task at hand was to give them food and water till such camps existed. This was a massive exercise in coordination between the authorities and the voluntary
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sector. We devised a tracking system whereby; the officials in charge of each centre would report to the control room the arrangements that were in place for the next meal. }
Sanitary workers were appointed to clean the place on a daily basis. Their work was constantly monitored.
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Medical camps were also set up. The arrangement was such that every camp had at least one visit from a team of doctors every day. Wherever, there was more than one camp within a short distance a medical camp functioned all day.
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The cooked food brought in by the volunteers was monitored as a precautionary measure. This was inevitable because in a few places the food, which was brought in from far-flung areas often, got spoiled in the heat.
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With the help of a few agencies we were able to put up sintex tanks in all the relief centres ensuring steady supply of water.
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In addition to the officials a few capable members from the camp were given our phone numbers so that if anything was amiss we could plug it immediately.
While the relief camps functioned, Arun Roy (Another IAS Officer undergoing district training) and I had to divide between us all the centres and take a trip around them especially before and after meals to ensure the regular supply of food and water and medical attention. It was a tough task, as more often than not, the population in the camps would fluctuate so drastically. I remember, a day (29th December) when the population in a camp went up to 1020 in the afternoon from 200 in the morning. This floating population is peculiar to this disaster and this made arranging adequate provisions in the camps an onerous task.
Restoration of Civic Amenities Simultaneously, it was also important to attend to the restoration of civic amenities in the villages. Power and water supply had to be restored and intensive police patrolling had to be introduced to prevent thefts and also to pre-empt any untoward happenings. }
The water from all the sources was tested with the assistance from voluntary agencies and in all but one source it was found to be potable. With the support of the NGOs which kept pouring in, 3 desalination plants (reverse osmosis) with commitments for maintenance was put up in areas where the tsunami had rendered the water saline.
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107 shallow bore wells were dug in other places to facilitate regular supply of water
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All the temporary shelters have been provided with an extended pipe line as of now.
Communication Control rooms were established in the three worst affected areas to coordinate the efforts of the field staff and also to monitor the relief operation. To some extent the HAM radio operators helped us in this process. Another priority area was to equip the top officials with mobile phones Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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(some lent and others rented). This eased the channels of communication and helped us no end in tackling SOS calls.
Mass Cleaning The area near the coast had been reduced to rubble in most of the villages. 51 habitations bore the brunt of the ravaging sea waves. It was therefore important to clean up the villages to lend a semblance of normalcy. It was also a vital move in the control of epidemics and detection of bodies and carcasses. In the first few days, the assistance of the local NSS and NYK volunteers were sought in this regard. However, it soon became clear that the district needed a more massive and organised effort to accomplish this. It was here that we utilised the services of the army personnel. With the help of JCBs the unit started work in the worst affected of areas on the 30th. Within a week and a half mass cleaning was completed in all the villages. The disaster also brought to the district a number of people who just wanted to help. We were also able to use them for identification of hot spots in the villages. These were places in which the seawater had stagnated causing considerable stink to spread in the area. The next task was to clear these spots with the help of the fire force and the septic tank cleaners of the municipality.
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Mass Cleaning Operations
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The World Health Organisation had warned that more people would die of epidemics rather than of the tsunami. Even before the sounding of these alarm bells the District had started a massive exercise to disinfect the relief centres and the villages. Bleaching powder and Phenyl were made available in large quantities for this purpose. Quantity Used Bleaching Powder 32,200 Kg Phenyl
2,985 Litres
Lime
20,350 Kg
Community Kitchens After the tsunami and during the floods the administration had the onerous responsibility of organising community kitchens to feed the thousands of displaced people. This was an exercise in coordination as more often than not, it involved mobilising huge quantities of vegetables, fuel and other provisions at short notice. The help we had got from donors were also channelised towards this purpose. 7,085 people were fed in the 23 community kitchens across the district for over a month. The DSO was to provide a daily report regarding the provisions for the next day to ensure that the supply was never disrupted.
Interaction with Media The first few days saw the district flooded with people. There were scores of reporters from the fourth estate and lot of people who craved for information. It was important to have people in the right place to just engage them so that undue pressure was not put on the higher officials. It was here that the Relief Officer for Cuddalore, a Secretary level Officer played a key role. Talking to the media set a lot of things right as we were seen to be doing work. The questions from the reporters can at times be trying and very often it is intended at sensationalising the relief measures. An incident is worth recalling. A prominent news channel showed a byte where a dog was eating some left over food. He then dramatically stated that stale food was being served and people had thrown it away. The Collector immediately sent Arun and me to enquire as well as to pacify the people. We carried about 300 packets from the taluk office just to be doubly sure. When we reached Singarathope the villagers told us that they had been served good food. On further enquiry it was found that the food they had thrown away was packets of chapathis that they were not fond off! A false report can trigger a panic in such situations! Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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There are a number of such instances, which are worth narrating. Once a lady reporter approached me and in total agony posed this question-"What is the Government doing?" "There are people who have not got any food for the past 48 hours!" As I was the only official in the office at that time I was taken aback that such a lapse could actually happen. Without showing this fear on my face I asked her to show me one person who had not got food that particular day. She immediately got one person- I was about to feel a little jittery till I heard the name of the village. The lady belonged to Nellikuppam, a town that is far away from the sea and in no way affected! The reporter had just asked her whether she had got anything from the Government. The answer to that would have in any case been an emphatic 'no'. It was also an exercise in patience as many of them almost wanted to write their whole story from our office. I learned a few things from this experience. }
Never talk in an open ended way. During these times, it is likely that you may not know that you would be quoted. Someone casually asked me about the number of NGOs working in the district. I said 'Loads" as we had no clue on the 3rd day. I later saw a clipping which had the headline "Does anyone know how many NGOs are working in the area?" and under that my saying "loads".
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One needs to be always abreast of the latest figures. I was able to be of some help here as I made it a point to keep all the details with me from that day on. This included details of families, death toll, number of items needed etc. This is an important function as it serves to quell rumours and also projects the image of an administration, which means business and is abreast of the facts.
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It is important that the media sees you in the field so that it is conveyed to the decision makers
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It is also important to project through the media messages allaying fears as well as information regarding important steps undertaken by the administration.
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I had a particularly tough time with a prominent local newsmagazine that was more interested in my personal details. It is an exercise in patience.
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When the media relays wrong information we also tend to lose a lot of our precious time in setting it right. This was particularly true of the days after NDTV flashed that those who wanted to adopt the tsunami orphans can call some particular number. I remember answering around a 70 calls in this regard on the very first day, explaining the same thing.
People's Representatives
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As I will be mentioning later on the way the People's representatives deal with you also depends on the track record. Giving their ideas and concerns due weightage helps to the extent that at times they are veritable sources of valuable feedback and information. Regular meeting with the local leaders were held religiously. There were times, however, when, the demands had to be toned down. This was particularly so when it came to identification of beneficiaries and during enumeration. It was a tough job to keep the undeserving out of the list. The field staff Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
bore the brunt of this and it is commendable that they rose to the occasion. Except for an odd complaint here and there the whole exercise was a smooth one. Another aspect, which is closely related, is the high profile visits of national and state level leaders. These visits are time consuming and diverts scarce manpower to protocol duties. However, the visits also tend to bring focus on to the issues in hand. Yet another positive outcome is that the field level problems are easily conveyed to the decision makers. Thus very often they have borne excellent results for the District. The same can be said about the community leaders who were a tremendous source of help in identifying the beneficiaries. They were also instrumental in keeping us posted on the happenings in the field. But there was also a flip side to this in that at times they tended to bargain a lot more than was there causing delays and factionalism within the communities. The situation warranted a lot of tact from our side.
Handling the Relief Materials From the second day relief material started pouring in from all directions. We had to set up a system in place to ensure the smooth distribution of materials without the hazard of duplication. }
The first thing we did was to computerise the inventory with the help of two volunteers who had come from Bangalore. This made it easy to track the materials as it came in to the relief centre opened for the purpose. (See Annexure for the sample list). We were also in a position to ascertain the requirements and hence quantify it. These lists were circulated to the donors and help came in the way we had wanted. Old clothes, which were causing a problem, stopped coming in thereafter.
The Relief Centre
Storage of Relief material
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The doctors and the medicines were channelised through the DD (Public Health) and JD (Health). This ensured that the medicines and the doctors were always routed through one central office. Thereby, we were able to keep a tab on the medicines distributed as well as ensure that the teams were sent to areas that had not received any medical attention.
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The donors who routed the materials through the administration were given an official acknowledgement. This also addressed the issue of accountability.
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There were others who wanted to directly distribute the relief in materials in the Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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villages. This was not a good option never the less we had to facilitate the smooth distribution. So we made a system whereby we knew which villages would require that particular assistance. The cooperation of the police was sought and the coupon system was encouraged. This ensured that no untoward incident took place. This was particularly important as in the initial days people had started comparing the relief materials they had received from various donors. Yet again, we had to avoid incidents like this one where, an NGO distributed 50 packets of vegetable biryani in a relief centre that housed a 1000 people. It was a common sight to see the villagers run after the trucks. Health The yeoman's service rendered by the Department of health has been mentioned in various contexts. 23 teams comprising of both Government doctors and private doctors were organised. The camps that were initially set up in the relief centres were later shifted to the villages.
Some of the salient figures are given below: } } } }
80,117 people were given medical attention 437 people were treated as in patients 9,373 doses of vaccines were given (measles+ Rd Polio) 17,000 typhoid vaccines were mobilised through the voluntary sector
In the meantime we also had to organise counselling for the traumatised. This was organised in the first few days with the help of Red Cross volunteers. They helped us identify the people who had been in need of counselling. To ensure some kind of continuity to the process, SHG members and the ICDS assistants were trained to carry the programme forward. A temporary camp has been set up now in one of the villages for this purpose. I was especially lucky to be part of the monitoring team for the health sector. Their commitment needs to be lauded for the simple reason that except for a few cases of measles (seasonal) there were no reasons to worry on that front.
Other Relief Measures
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Yet another important step that was taken by the administration was to identify the most vulnerable people affected by the tsunami. 21 pensions for the old, 7 for the physically handicapped, 79 widows and 1 agricultural labourer were identified. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
The government soon announced the relief packages for the primarily and the secondarily affected. These packages were based on the requests that we had forwarded from the district. The requests were in turn a result of consultation with the community leaders. The enumeration had already been done for the various packages as was announced by the Government. The distribution of relief was an arduous task as the beneficiaries kept increasing by the day. There was a lot of pressure from various quarters and the lower officials had a tough time standing up to the task. This was particularly true of the larger villages as caste-based divisions and friction played spoilsport. The strength of system saw to it that it geared up to this task. The 3 main zones were divided into areas under area officers who were of the rank of Deputy Collector & above. Each area officer had to supervise this task of disbursal. I was directed to assist the local RDO (Revenue Divisional Officers who are equivalent to SDM, SDO) in a particularly tough village, where all the 765 packages had to be disbursed in one day. Due to various delays we were able to start the work only at noon. There were apprehensions of law and order problems. The VAOs saved the day for us by supporting us to the hilt despite earlier reluctance (they had faced threats from various quarters). We photographed the beneficiaries in groups of 10 to eliminate double entries and also sought the help of the police as a precautionary measure. In addition to this duplicate ration cards were also issued.
Agriculture In our District about 517.7 hectares of land was rendered saline. Tests were conducted using mobile testing centres and it was found that reclamation would take 5-7 years of normal rainfall as the salinity was to the extent of 90 cm to 1 metre. The administration mooted for an enhanced compensation package for the farmers. We also tried to pre-empt the excess usage of water by the farmers by requesting for eco-friendly technologies from the various scientific institutes to facilitate faster reclamation. This was also important as in many places the farmers had already watered the land in the hope of planting the next crop without being aware of the consequences.
Animal Husbandry In a disaster like this it is natural that the animals are left stranded in the villages. There was also a likelihood of animal carcasses remaining unattended to. Fast disposal of carcasses thus received topmost priority. Further, 42 tons of fodder was mobilised for the stranded cattle. 20,109 animals were vaccinated and a large number of animals treated for various illnesses.
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The distribution of relief cheques to the beneficiaries was also done in such a manner as to eliminate bogus claims by making use of the OP records with the Veterinary Inspectors and the insurance papers at the various insurance offices. This ensured that the process was a fair one.
Restoration of Livelihood The disruption of livelihood has been massive during the tsunami. The annual fish production of Cuddalore is about 25,225 tons. Around 15,000 tons are exported. Therefore, it is nobody's guess as to the extent of devastation caused by the tsunami. The fishing industry supports a number of other trades and allied activities. There are boat cleaners, carpenters, boat mechanics, salvage workers, fish vendors, ice manufacturers, dry fish vendors, transport workers and so many others. The big question is as to whether the relief will actually reach each and every one of these affected categories. The only long-term solution is to get the boats back to the sea to ensure that the cycle gets going. }
Within the first few days of the disaster we tried tying up various villages with the donors interested in long-term rehabilitation. This was to ensure that the boats and nets would be ordered well in advance. We also worked out the cost of nets and boats and the types of nets required with the help of the fishermen. Meanwhile, efforts were to be concentrated on the repair of boats. To this end the engineers from the army, navy and the industry were mobilised. These efforts were however, not so smooth.
The fishermen doubted our intentions and misconstrued that the repairs that were to be carried out would render them ineligible for the relief. We had to really work hard on that front through repeated meetings with the community and give assurances.
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The enumeration process of the fisheries department was even more cumbersome as many of the boats were unregistered. The number of boats/catamarans reported to be missing was phenomenal in certain villages. The fishermen who were given compensation for their engines and boats were photographed with their boats so as to send the message that everything was being recorded and thus double entries would warrant punishments.
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There was yet another aspect for which we were not initially prepared for . The bigger villages had by virtue of its size and population suffered much more damage than the smaller ones. They were also the ones who controlled the fishing operations in the sea by the virtue of their numerical strength. The smaller villages were mostly taken care off by the small NGOs who had greater flexibility of operations. This meant that they delivered faster than the bigger more famous counterparts. Secondly, the smaller villages were easy to please than the bigger villages that bargained hard. Therefore, in some of the villages the fishermen could not venture out into the sea regularly fearing the wrath of the bigger villages.
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Boat salvage works had started within the first few days of the disaster and huge cranes were mobilised for the process.
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We also had to make repeated forays into the sea to motivate the fishermen.
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Fish melas and seafood festivals also had to be organised to quell rumours and also to ensure that the fishermen went to the sea regularly.
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Toolkits were also given to the carpenters, masons, boat mechanics etc through the voluntary sector. BOAT SALVAGE WORKS
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Yet again, individual assistance in terms of sewing machines, grocery shops etc were also given so that the family could start afresh.
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Consumption loans were mobilised for the SHGs and a fresh impetus was given to their training.
Children How do we address the needs of the traumatised children for whom the beach is no longer a play area??? How do we wipe away those scars??? This was a question which we repeatedly raised as we started the counselling process. It was felt that play therapy would be the best healer. Therefore on a pilot basis a children's park was put up in one of the villages. This made a tremendous impact in the sense that within a period of one week we were able to set up 68 children's parks across the coastal villages. This was a step that endeared the administration to the people and at the same time ushered the people into a state of normalcy. Similarly, with the help of different universities like the Bangalore University, play therapy sessions were held for the children in various schools and in the villages. A number of volunteers were trained and awarded certificates to carry forward the programme. The Government Home that was opened for the tsunami orphans also received special attention. The children were provided with all the basic amenities and comforts through various donors.
For their tomorrow ...
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Even today, every weekend a trip is organised for the children. The home was opened bearing in mind the special needs of the tsunami affected including their psychosocial well being. It was also important to prevent child trafficking and other such potential dangers. The schools and colleges were also identified in the fastest possible manner and the students were provided with books and bags. Immediate steps were also undertaken to reopen the schools as early as possible.
The Voluntary Sector The nature of the tsunami disaster was such that it evoked a wave of sympathy, which was unprecedented. The mass media played a critical role in driving home the plight of the people. Voluntary agencies of various sizes and hues started coming into Cuddalore. It was important to engage them and direct them. It was also important to give them a range of choices by which they could assist the District Administration. Another vital task was to be vigilant against the misuse of the funds generated by an outburst of philanthropic generosity. It was important to ensure that people did not make money out of the disaster. There were also a number of NGOs and individuals that were to be tolerated for their nuisance value. The attention they commanded in the media often outshone the efforts of the District Administration. However, it was also important to see that our efforts were not undermined by negative feedback by the media.
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The most important thing to remember is that the coordination with NGOs is a full time job. The Administration would do well to have a single point of coordination as it eases communication and effort for all.
}
Secondly, the NGOs are also bureaucratic. The bigger the NGO and taller its reputation the more bureaucratic they are. So very often though they are the first to reach the site of a disaster their rigid set up makes their progress slow and tardy.
}
Thirdly, one needs to be wary of agencies wanting to spread it thin. The rehabilitation package should have inbuilt safeguards which ensures that the process is not communal or political.
}
Fourthly, most of the NGOs need someone to hear him or her out. This essentially means a trip down the memory lane from Lattur, to Orissa and from there to Bhuj.
}
Fifthly, the voluntary agencies need to be given centre stage in whatever they do. Very often what they do depends on the choices you give and the way you present your case. Thus it is important to be specific. For eg it is better to say that "we need 75 sets of the following tools for 75 carpenters. The price of each tool is listed and the total cost of a set works out to RS 5,000". This is a much better approach than saying we need tools for our boat carpenters. (See annexure for an indicative list)
}
Sixthly, never let any help that comes to your district go away. Every penny is important and can be used to do a lot of things. Talk to the NGOs, give them choices and also call them up and remind them that you are waiting to hear from them. I have realised that it is often the call from your side, which brings the people to the
Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
actual action process. The very fact that we call makes them feel that their effort is important for our cause. A small gesture can reap dividends for the district. }
It is also important to broker peace between various agencies working in a village. It was a tough task to do as it was a common sight to see NGOs vying with each other to earn the support
}
Last but not the least the follow up has to continue till the end of the delivery stage. NGO coordination meetings can be of tremendous help here as it serves to build a friendly pressure on the NGOs forcing them to deliver.
Shelter Temporary shelters had to be put up on a war footing, as it was inevitable that the relief centres were shut down at the earliest. It was also necessitated by the fact that normalcy would be restored only if people went back to the villages. A large number of temporary shelters were put up with the help of the voluntary sector and by the Rural Development Department. Based on the feedback from the field the design of these shelters was constantly improved. A lot of thrust was placed on the flooring and on controlling the heat. It was also ensured that the sanitation needs of the rehabilitated were met through voluntary agencies and by engaging women masons.
Temporary Shelters and Toilets
Another aspect, which required a lot of effort, was to keep the NGOs, engaged till the Government announced its policy on the resettlement of the tsunami affected. The policy is still awaited as I write this paper. During the discussions on what should be the deciding variable it was invariably conveyed that the willing ness of the people was paramount in any policy. The issue was of finding lands near to the coast and at the same time, which was located away from the high tide line. We have also been persistently pressurising the NGOs to convert all the kutcha houses in the affected villages into pucca earth quake resistant structures. This is important, as there is likelihood that these may not survive a cyclone though it has weathered the tsunami. It was all the more important to leave the tragedy behind and to seize the help pouring in to set a lot of things right.
Tsunami : An Analysis Though I have mentioned the floods in October 2004 in Cuddalore only in passing, I would like to reflect on the flood and the tsunami in greater detail for a critical analysis of the whole Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
15
process. Cuddalore, came in for a lot of praise from all quarters for the way the relief was handled. As one looks back a few questions are bound to rise. Was there a scope for improvement? Can we do without certain systems that we are so used to? Has the Government response been quick enough?
Scope for Improvement? Whenever we stress on disaster management much of the emphasis is placed on training and developing of plans. In a disaster of such tremendous magnitude the plans seldom work, as most of the response is spontaneous. However, plans work well during seasonal disasters. Even before the on set of rainy season, the District Administration had given clear instructions to the field officials on the course of action. In no time the assistance could be mobilised as we saw it coming. Following the tsunami disaster however, such a system could be put in place only after a few days. One of the primary reasons is because the District Contingency plan is specifically fine-tuned to tackle floods and cyclones. Tsunami does not find mention in the pages of the plan and therefore there was a near total lack of preparedness on the part of the administration and the general public. The districts are generally under-equipped to handle such disasters as communication channels invariably gets shut down during the time of crisis. The communication networks can facilitate and improve relief and rehabilitation efforts. Certain aspects like desilting of the channels and backwaters often find no mention in the disaster mitigation plans. This step can bring down the losses during floods etc. Desilting carried out in some of the channels as a part of the food for work programme ensured that the damages caused by floods were limited in certain areas. There is a tendency on the part of the government to assist the crisis-ridden district by sending in a number of officials to help the District Administration. The level of officers sent for the purpose should always be borne in mind. The need of the hour is often to have more field level officials who can carry forward the commands of the leader- the District Collector. Multiplicity of commands can lead to duplication of work and also considerable hardships to the subordinate officials. This is because well meaning decisions of individuals can work at cross-purposes. This can lead to considerable confusion and disenchantment among the junior ranks. The assigning of work to an NGO is best done by one centre. This centre should be the closest to the field of action. There were a number of instances where same villages were assigned by different centres causing considerable confusion. It is a task, which is best undertaken by the people who are at the scene of action. Similarly, one also needs to be wary of the organisations or individuals who boast of 'high connections', quite often there is a lot of "sound and fury signifying nothing". They take a lot of time and very often remain committed to the cause. Collection of data and its compilation is no doubt important. But it can cause considerable hardship to the field staff and can lead to under reporting or over reporting. This is because with the limited resources available to them they are forced to look into the normal duties, crisis management and enumeration. A well thought about database will be useful in times like this. This includes updating of basic records like ration cards at regular intervals. 16
Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Monitoring and review of officials is of importance. However, it is equally important not to delay the field officials in meetings that are not focussed. It is also important to ensure that after the initial crisis phase the subordinate officials get adequate rest. It was also found that the Public realised that the Government is doing a lot only after a few days. This was because the NGOs kept stealing the show. It was a costly mistake and a lot had to be done to undo this. We later put up banners in various places indicating the Government efforts. Media too played its role in creating this false notion by selectively asking the NGOs whether it was they who gave the food to the village etc. For instance in a particular village an actor was supposed to be doing a lot of work. The actual amount spent by the actor was about Rs 2 lakhs while the government had spent Rs 8 crores! The publicity stunts of various donors also need to be understood. There were times when one puts up with certain people for their nuisance value. There are a few things, which is best done when left to the voluntary sector. For example we had through a discussion with the community leaders formed a list of items that were needed by a family. This list was sent to the State Government. A number of packages were, announced by the government. Based on a similar list the NGOs too delivered. There was considerable duplication of efforts that in some places people started selling their kerosene stoves in the open market. During relief operations provision of cash as part of relief does not always ensure that the money actually reaches the household. On the day the relief packages were given, the collection at a TASMAC shop (IMFL Shop) went up to Rs 30,000 plus from a modest Rs 4000/-. We had a proposal to use the Rs 1000 component of the above package, which was meant for household utensils. I had personally spoken to some vessel dealers together with the community leaders and we had got the lowest possible quotation of prices. We decided that coupons for the amount would be distributed and the households could select their own vessels. Everyone welcomed it. However, the urgency of distributing the package and the fear that it could raise doubts on the accountability aspect made us develop cold feet. It was also thought that the voluntary sector had been providing vessels in a few areas. The Rs 1000 was never used for buying vessels. Well meaning projects may at times be not feasible. The liberal enumeration of beneficiaries was essential, as some of them had lost it all. However, it had wrought in problems in its wake. Every other village started claiming the relief. This caused considerable problems as we had a tough time handling petitioners. Within a month the number of petitions in the Cuddalore Taluk Office alone was a staggering 18,000 plus! It is also a lesson well learned to ensure that we need to appreciate the subordinate staff, as they are the ones who never get a share of the glory, nor the satisfaction. To work in the crisis mode for more than two months at a stretch is a commendable task. It is also important not to shout at one's junior officials. They need to be cajoled than shouted at as unlike in normal times they are also digging into the last ounce of energy to sustain themselves. Another issue to be handled is the endless stream of 'disaster tourists' especially during disaster like this one that was sudden and dramatic. This can cause considerable disruption of work. Once we started updating the website on a regular basis a lot of such disruptions could be curbed. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
17
There is also a danger in giving acknowledgement to the donors. Many of them needed a letter from us to carry forward their work to raise money. This was like a twin edged sword as it was also like giving a blank cheque to some of them without any productive results. Some of our well meant rules could at times work at cross-purposes. There was a time when we took more than a month to get customs exemption for a consignment of tents. This too after relentless pursuit! During emergencies we should be able to streamline this process, if the consignment is to be used directly by the district. During the floods and the tsunami the central teams were sent to assess the damages. The central team that came to assess the floods came to cuddalore in December - 2 months after the floods. It was a tough task for us to show the damages to the team as many of the farmers had already resumed cultivation. Timing is important in damage assessment. Similarly, it is quite a task to take care of a delegation with diverse interests varying from environment to resettlement and agriculture. I had the tough task of taking a team of 14 topnotch officials from various international agencies that wanted to know the specifics of 10 different areas. This essentially meant that in various villages that we visited there could be so many areas that need to be looked at. I wonder how much assessment is possible in the din. Not only that the repeated visits also signals the villagers to be ready in anticipation of more assistance. More often than not they are also inadvertently forced to relive the trauma.
Can training mitigate the effect of a disaster? It is repeatedly emphasised that disaster preparedness is the best course of action to mitigate the effects of a disaster. How do we prepare for such an exigency? A lot of thought has gone into disaster management plans and command systems. They do help in the management of the situation before and after the actual incident. However, there are a large number of issues involved in this process. First and foremost, unless and until a disaster strikes it is very difficult to convince the people as to how important disaster management is. One need not go far to have a look at this. How many of us take the mock fire drills seriously when it is conducted in the offices? We do not feel the pinch, as a fire outbreak seems remote to most of us. Similarly, public memory being short, the scars of a disaster is easily forgotten by the people. It is in this context that I would like to delve in greater detail into the Samiyarpettai experience.
18
The beautiful coastal village of Samiyarpettai was a bright spot even in the midst of the disastrous tsunami. The villagers were not adverse to change and in perfect coordination with the District Administration had organised themselves into various teams and mapped themselves according to the Disaster Mitigation and Reduction Plan. They had conducted a mock drill on the 30th of October 2004. The day was chosen to coincide with the 29th, the day the super cyclone hit the Orissa coast. A brain child of the sub-collector of Chidambaram (Mr. Ratnu, IAS), the programme got off to a flying start as the villagers were eager to reciprocate their feelings to the Sub Collector as he had been instrumental in the truce between two strong fishermen villages a few months earlier. This assured us a receptive audience. With the active co-ordination of the fire service and the health department, training was imparted to them over a week's time and without seriously interrupting their day-to-day activities. Through a few co-ordination meetings held Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
in the presence of the village elders, we were also able to improve our action plan by involving more women in the process. The women sang songs to the effect that floods and cyclones would never wreak havoc in their lives again...
Rescue Operations
RESCUE Operations- First Aid to the victims
Did the training make an impact in the wake of the unpredicted tsunami??? The villagers were the best judges in this regard. In this big village 24 precious lives were lost. In the neighbouring village of Pudukuppam (a smaller village) the final death toll was 118! Training did make a difference.
Other Important Aspects The year 2004 had been a particularly harsh one for the District in terms of the number of natural disasters it had to tackle. First, the drought, then the floods and finally the ravaging tsunami have all thrown up other issues that could also go a long way in mitigating the effects of these disasters. Some of these can be illustrated to drive home the point.
Parangipettai The Parangipettai (Porto Novo) area, was one of the worst affected parts of the District in the recent tsunami. It also shot to fame as a striking example of communal harmony and humanitarian values in the midst of a humungous tragedy. The Muslim Jamaat had opened its doors for the thousands of Hindu refugees. They were offered shelter and Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
19
the best of food. How did this bright spot come about? In a day? The answer to this is a big NO. The Parangipettai area is known for its deeply fragmented social fabric. Differences of class and religion abound here. The muslims of the area are seen as wealthy and many of them have relatives working in foreign countries. About a year back the Sub-Collector had started a culture of joint Eid celebrations in the village. This had brought down a lot of barriers and facilitated the helping hand that the Jamaat had stretched out. Clearly, it is an indicator that disaster management also involves innovative solutions to day- to - day administrative issues like law and order.
Track Record Both during the floods and the tsunami Cuddalore got widespread acclaim for being one of the better-administered districts. This was a unanimous opinion and even the international media expressed their appreciation. How was it possible to maintain such a semblance of order when confusion and chaos reigned supreme in other areas? The answer is simple- track record. We could not have found a better time than this one to bank on the support of the people. The hard work and visible changes, which were brought about in the sleepy town of Cuddalore, rallied them behind the Collector. Small lapses like delay in getting food in the centres were forgiven as people had tremendous faith in the District Administration. Even in the wake of probing questions intended at sensationalizing the disaster the people rallied behind the administration. The District Administration under the Collector was seen as responding to the crisis in the quickest possible manner. During the recent floods the Collector had personally supervised the relief operations in the affected divisions. They knew that we would deliver as we had done before! This is perhaps the most wonderful lubricant one can hope to oil the wheels of relief operations. The District was blessed with an excellent team. A strong team also meant that delegation of duty was not a problem. In such a scenario it was not a tough task to be seen doing things. More often than not, the problems arise when you are not seen to be doing the things you have been doing. Last but not the least, the floods in October/ November had in some way inadvertently prepared us for the bigger disaster.
Conclusion
20
Disasters both natural and manmade expose the most vulnerable sections of the society to grave danger. It is believed that the disasters are related to the poverty levels of a society. It is often the poor who bear the brunt of natural disasters. One just needs to take a look at the colonies for the scheduled castes in the District. Invariably located in low lying areas the thatched structures of the most vulnerable are the first to get inundated by floods. During the tsunami too the maximum lives lost were of women and children. Yet again, the houses that bore the brunt were the ones that were of the poorest Though the damages caused by the floods is not of the magnitude of a tsunami it is a more recurrent damage and costs much more than a tsunami that hits once in a hundred years! It also throws up an interesting question as to whether human philanthropy is only limited to dramatic happenings like the tsunami. This is also true of the undramatic drought. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Disaster management is also about a sound administration, which is already in place to tackle such exigencies. A strong system invariably gives a positive response and enjoys the support of the people. This is reflected in the thinking of the administration. Very often, it is not possible to envisage a policy of resettlement, which is long lasting as in this particular case where, the livelihood is inextricably linked to the sea. So what is important is to ensure the mitigation of the effects of a disaster. The safety of the buildings in the area have to be mooted rather than looking out for a policy of total resettlement which, may not be monitored in the long run. The response of the state Government is particularly important for the simple reason that a strong backing from the Government is essential to work in extraordinary circumstances. The Government stood by every decision taken on ground and sanctioned every request made in this regard. There was no constraint of money or sanction and this made the process a lot easier. Last but not the least, the importance of mangroves in saving the lives of hundreds of people cannot be undermined. In the Pichavaram area of Cuddalore this was the only factor, which saved the region. At least in the case of some of the disasters like cyclones and tsunami nature holds the key to mitigation. Ultimately what we need in addition to warning systems and communication equipments are people who can manage the situation against all odds. This together with training and preparedness can go a long way in making this world a better and safer place to live. This report is still an incomplete one as the process of permanent rehabilitation is yet to start. We have a number of assurances and commitments and some of them stretch to the non-tsunami areas in the District. What happens in the next one-year or so will determine the success of our Disaster Management operations. Only then can we hope to build on this successful initial phase of operations. *****
ANNEXURES I
Route Map - Tsunami Affected Areas in Cuddalore District
II
Affected Families and Death Details as on 07.01.2005
III
Tsunami Affected Victims - Relief and Rehabilitation in Cuddalore District
IV
Requirement of Medicines - Deputy Director of Health Services, Cuddalore
V
Tool Kits for Carpenters Affected by the Tsunami
VI
Details of Materials Required by Building Labours Welfare Munedra Sangam, Cuddalore O.T.
VII
Children’s Parks in Tsunami Affected Villages as on 12.2.05
VIII
Rehabilitation Agencies and Activities under Taken as on 1.03.2005
IX
Tsunami Relief Contribution Report
X
Assistance for Individual Cases and Community Assets in the Tsunami Affected Villages of Cuddalore as on 24.02.05 Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
21
ANNEXURE-I
ROUTE MAP TSUNAMI AFFECTED AREAS IN CUDDALORE DISTRICT
22
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ANNEXURE-III
TSUNAMI AFFECTED VICTIMS - Relief and Rehabilitation in Cuddalore District Following the Tsunami disaster that struck the Cuddalore coast on the 26th of December 2004, 51 villages were badly affected, killing 615 people and affecting 99,704 people. Fishermen bore the brunt of the disaster and their boats were destroyed or badly damaged. Therefore it is imperative to help them reconstruct their shattered lives by providing them with boats and fishing accessories. As requested by your agency I am forwarding the details about the various fishing boats/catamarans and the rough cost of the same along with other essential details.
Damage to boats and accessories in Cuddalore Kattamarans without OBM
2632
Kattamarans fitted with OBM
216
Vallams
168
Mechanised wooden boats
300
Mechanised FRP boats
842
Trawl nets
900
Gill Nets
57,000
Estimated Cost per unit A. Catamaran 23” Size -Do-
Rs 25,000/-
C. Fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) Catamaran
Rs 70,000/-
Out Board Motor (OBM)
Rs 40,000/-
Fishing Nets
Rs. 40,000/-
Total cost for the unit
Rs 1,50,000/-
For 3 active fishermen
D. FRP in board engine mechanized fishing boat a.hull cost
Rs 1,25,000/-
b. Inboard Engine with gear box
Rs 80,000/-
c. Fishing Nets
Rs 70,000/-
Total Unit Cost ---------------------------------
24
For 10 families
Rs 2,75,000/-
There are 15,000 active fishermen in the coastal areas of Cuddalore and it would be of immense help if you could assist the fishermen by providing them with boats/funds for the same. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
ANNEXURE-IV
REQUIREMENT OF MEDICINES Deputy Director of Health Services, Cuddalore Sl.no. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43
Name of the Medicine Tab Paracetamol Tab Co-Trimaxazole Tab Metronidazole Tab B Complex Gentamycine Eye & Ear Drops Cap Doxycycline Tab Erythromycine Tab Pencilin V Tab Dexamethasone Tab Deriphylline Tab Salbutamol Tab Brufen Tab Ascorbic Acid Tab Ranitidine Tab Chlropheneramine Malaetae Surgical Spirit Tab Ciprothaxine Cap Indomethacin Tab. Multi Vitamin Povidone Iodine solution Tab Contrimaxazole (Paed) Phenyl Tetanus Toxoid 5ml Silver Sulphadizine Cream Povidone Iodine ointment Tab Aluminium Hydroxide Absorbent Cotton Gauze Cloth (20 mtr) Disposable Syringe 2 ml Disposable Syringe 5 ml Surgical Gloves (7 inches) Surgical Gloves (6.5 inches) Inj. Dexamethasone 2 ml O.R.S. Powder Adhesive Plaster Tab Dicyclomine Tab Domipridone IG Paint Face Mask Amoxycilin Inj. Pheneramine 2 ml Diclofenac (gel) I.V. Set
Quantity Required 150000 75000 75000 150000 7200 vials 50000 50000 50000 35000 35000 100000 70X500 ml 50000 50000 100000 100X450 ml 50000 50000 100000 100 X 450 ml 50000 1000 X 5ml 1000 X 100 gm 1000 X 100 gm 50000 100 X 500gm 500 X 20 mtr 5000 5000 1000 1000 5000 100 roll 25000 25000 200 bottles 2000 50,000 10,000 1000 1000
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ANNEXURE-V
TOOL KITS FOR CARPENTERS AFFECTED BY THE TSUNAMI Sl. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Items 4 “ Chisel 3 “ Chisel 2 “ Chisel 11/2 “ Chisel Hammer 2 ‘ hand saw Kitty 4 ‘ C Clamp 6”/12” T Square Files Set (Aram) Spirit level/ Mercury bar Axe Nail Puller Cutting Plate Drill Machine Total
Needed : 130 more (130 sets@Rs 2118/- and 13 drilling machines)
26
Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Quantity 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 set 1 1 1 1 set Total 1
Indicative price 50.00/40.00/30.00/25.00/78.00/75.00/550.00/500.00/120.00/250.00/50.00/50.00/150.00/150.00/Rs. 2118/3500.00/5618.00/-
ANNEXURE-VI
DETAILS OF MATERIALS REQUIRED BY BUILDING LABOURS WELFARE MUNEDRA SANGAM, CUDDALORE O.T. Sl.no
Name of the materials
Size & Quantity of the materials
1
Trowel
Big Size - 1 No. Small size -2 Nos
Rs.200/-
2
Bond
Big size - 1 No. Small size - 1 No.
Rs.350/-
3
Spade
2 Nos.
Rs.100/-
4
Crow Bar
6 ft.- 1No. 4 ft.- 1 No.
Rs 300/-
5
Pendulam
1 No.
Rs. 75/-
6
Levelling Bar
6 ft.- 1No. 4 ft.- 1 No. 2 ft.- 1 No.
Rs. 250/-
7
Measuring Tape
50 ft.- 1No.
Rs.200/-
8
Thread
1 No.
Rs. 50/-
9
Hammer Iron Cutter
1Bound- 1No. 1ft.-1No.
Rs. 100/-
10
Thimmusu
1No.
Rs.150/-
11
Finishing Bar
1No.
Rs.120/-
12
Centering Sheet
500sq.ft
Rs.3000/-
13
Casusuarina Post
50 Nos. (1/2 tonne)
Rs.1000/-
TOTAL
Rate(in Rs.)
Rs.5895/-
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ANNEXURE-VII
CHILDREN’S PARKS IN TSUNAMI AFFECTED VILLAGES as on 12.2.05
28
Sl.No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
Village/Habitation Gunduppalavadi Kandakadu Thazhankuda Rasapettai Nanamedu Suba Uppalavadi Pachayankuppam Sothikuppam Nallavadu Uchimedu Sonaganchavady Thammanampettai Chithiraipettai Nanjalingampettai Periyakuppam Kayalpattu Ayyampettai Petodai Reddiyarpettai Pudupettai Chinnor North Chinoor South Pudukuppam Kumarapettai Samiyarpettai T.S. Pettai & AD Colony Velangirayanpettai Keezhirukazhipalai Devanampattinam Sonankuppam Singarathoppu Akkaraigori Malumiyarpettai Panankattu Colony Salangai Nagar
Name of the Sponsor Ankidyne World Vision Department World Vision World Vision CROSS Relief Foundation World Vision Relief Foundation TRC (Vridhachalam) TRC (Vridhachalam) UELC World Vision ISHA World Vision TRC UELC ISHA TDHCT Department Oxfam Lalji Hirani Lalji Hirani Lalji Hirani ALC ROAD/SPF Oxfam ROAD/SPF Project Hope Aurocity World Vision World Vision Claretians & Family SASY REACH OUT
Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Stage Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed
36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76.
ThaikkalThonithurai MudasalOdai Mulukkuthurai MGR Thittu Killai Meenavar Colony Pichavaram MGR Nagar Irular Colony Chinnavaikkal Kalaingnar Nagar Mudasalodai Killai South Parangipettai Naickerpettai Pudukuppami - Indira Nagar Annappanpettai Pudukkam Indira Nagar Sangolikuppam Madavapallam Annankovil Orphanage-Pudupalayam Thiyagavalli Andarmullipallam Nallur Mangalore Chidambaram Samiyarpettai Devanampattinam Sonankuppam Kannikoil Mudasal odai Muzhuthurai Pillumedu Nochikadu Andarmullipallam Nochikadu (Nandan Nagar) Pallipattu Govt. Orphanage Govt. Blind School Govt. Deaf and Dumb School Tirunaraiyur Kammapuram
Relief Foundation CREED Archana & Friends Relief Foundation REACH OUT Archana & Friends World Vision Lalji Hirani SPF/ROAD SOS Village CREED Lalji Hirani ISHA BLESS St. Joseph’s Tiruppapuliyur World Vision Claretians & Family Sumanahalli Sumanahalli TANFAC Rotary Club of Brimingham Rotary Club of Brimingham Rotary Club of Brimingham Rotary Club of Brimingham Rotary Club of Brimingham ROAD/SPF CASA CASA CASA CASA CASA CASA SUCHI SUCHI SUCHI Rotary Club of Brimingham Do Do Do Rotary Rotary
Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed (Ordered) (Ordered) (Ordered) (Ordered) (Ordered) Completed (Ordered) Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed In Progress In Progress In Progress In Progress In Progress Do Do Do Do
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Fax : 230555 Off. : 230999 Res. : 230666 : 230777
GAGANDEEP SINGH BEDI, I.A.S.,
District Collector, Cuddalore District
Date :
To
After the initial shock and the painstaking process of immediate rescue and relief we are in the process of rebuilding the lives of lakhs of hapless victims of the Tsunami waves. Your kind and timely gesture of contributing ........................................................................... to this process is greatly appreciated by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
COLLECTOR, CUDDALORE DISTRICT
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ANNEXURE-X
ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUAL CASES AND COMMUNITY ASSETS IN THE TSUNAMI AFFECTED VILLAGE OF CUDDALORE as on 24.02.05 Sl. No.
Name of the agency
Type of activity
Village
Remarks
01
Cavin Care, N. IIango, Sr. Manager, No.25, Perumal Raja Garden, Reddiyarpalayam, Pondicherry, Ph. (04143-2290519) (9443147439)
ð 40 Anganwadi Buildings
Villages decided. Orders issued
Committed and Proposal have been submited with the building Plan ready to start Work ASAP
02
Save the children, Elizabeth Berryman, Emergency Health Officer, South Zone Office, Ist floor D.N. 6-3 852/2/B/6/1 Aparajitha Housing Colony, Hyderabad500 016, Ph, 040-55632384, Fax-040-23411628
ð Reconstruction of 12 Damaged centres. ð Provision of structures to replace 15 centres in private Building ð Support to ICDS programme in further 10 indirectly affected village ð Outdoor play materials for an additional 10 villlages
Cuddalore & Chidambaram Taluk (26 villa ges)
Proposal submitted Rs. 2,38,88,000Work to start soon
03
PMSSS, Pondicherry Fr. Raktchagan, (St. Josephs) (9345452059)
ð Community Toilets ð Toilet in school ð Tuition and community classes ð Tool kits for 250 masons
Sothikuppam
Work completed. Tools given Classes held regulary
04
Hum Awaaz, Dr. Ved Thapar, (02026336562) (09820090079)
ð Community Hall, Library and Community Toilets
Mudasal Odai
Committed
05
Action Aid Mr. Ajay Kuruvila Jacob, (04426191620) (26191621)
ð Play Materials to 20 Schools ð 20 Fish Drying Yards
Committed. Play materials delivered.
06
Tsunami Relief Committee, Vridhachalam. M. Agarchand Chordia (04143-230751, 230451) Ln. Rev. Fr. Y. Olivier, MEP. (04143260703) (944.264277)
ð Educational Needs ð Multipurpose Community Halls-5
Sewing Machine given to a tsunami widow
07
Social Awareness Society for Youth (SASY), (04147251251) Mr. Sekar, (09894385061) Mr. Ramesh Nathan, (09842325490)
ð EdCommunity Assets in Dalit Colony/Streets in affected villages ð Uniforms and Special Coaching to Dalit School Children
Delivered
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34
08
Bank of Punjab
ð Play Materials for 19 schools
Committed
09
ISRO, Bangalore
ð Rolling stock for 6 ladies@ 5,000 per unit ð Medical instruments for a nursing student ð Electrical equipments for an electricianRs. 7500
Done
10
CAF- India Through Bless and Life Help
ð Silver Beach up gradation ð Computer for AD (Fisheries) ð Schools for renovation
Committed
11
Rotary Club Cuddalore through a gentleman from Brimingham
ð Sponsorship of 3 bicycles and studies of three girls ð Sports shoes (Spikes) for the 10 girls in OT girls school.
12
Claretians, The family, 42, Bhagavandhar Nagar, Pudukuppam, Cuddalore. Ph. 09443092647
ð Tools for carpenters-58 Thazhanguda, Ginjankuppam, (Rs. 5000) Malumiyarpettai ð 2 parks ð Tools for all winch operators (No.8) 28000 each ð Tools for all caulking workmen (Rs. 5000) ð 5 bore wells in kandakadu ð Text Books for College Students ð Sponsorship for 2 families from the Andamans
Done
13
Life Help for Handicapped, Blaze Kannan, Hon' Sec., 3/441, East Coast Road, Neelangarai, Chennai-41 Ph. 9840075756
ð Payement of Educational Cess for the Benetton Consignment. ð Tools for carpenters (100) and for boat mechanics (40) Rs. 8000 One boat (4.5 lakh) for Chidambaram ð Desalination Plant ð Counseling Centre
Done
14
Lutheran World Service
ð Compound Wall ð Toilets
15
Round Table
ð Reconstruction & Repair of 40 Elementary Schools.
Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Devanampattinam
Gunduuppalavad I Ambedkar Nagar, School.
Committed distribution on wednesday
Committed
Committed Survey started
16
Eureka Forbes & Zenon 9444073991 Sankar. S.K.
ð Water purifiers in 5 villages ð Water purifier in the GDP Venue
Done
17
World Vision
ð Structure to store the water purifiers
Erected in all places
18
UNDP, GEF and CREED
ð Strengthening mangroves ð Livelihood enhancement
Pichavaram and Killai
19
INDP
ð 196 Cycles for the ADW, BC hostels in ð Out of which 50 for girls.
Devanampattinam Semmandalam
20
Association Santha
ð College text books and stationery for all the 196 students of BC and ADW hostels & dictionaries ð Tools kits for 130
ð Devanampatti Delivered nam ð Chellankuppam
21
Ntrust Infotech
ð Toolkits for 75 Karankadu carpenters ð 2 sewing machines ð Tool kit for mechanic ð More sewing machines and cycles promised. ð Text Books for 2 college students
Delivered
22
Discipleship centre
ð School books and stationery for 4 students. ð 8 sewing machines ð 2 bicycles
Delivered Committed to deliver 50 sewing machines 218 ice boxes 550 crates 218 bicycles
23
Sumanahalli
ð OT Girls Schoolstationery and books ð Medical assistance ð Alternate livelihood ð Counseling and playtherapy for 1200 children
Delivered
24
TAGROS
ð 8 bicycles
Delivered through another SIPCOT industry
25
TDHCT
ð Paid examination fees of Mr. Gopu
Delivered
26
Devi Shivani Helping Hands BC Society, Canada
ð Provision for 250 families
Delivered
Delivered
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36
27
Mr. Vijay Puniyani
ð 2 sets of cooking vessels for the ADW/BC Hostels ð 24*2 sets of vessels for curd sellers ð Grocery shop for one individual
28
Sanjeevani
ð Play school
Thazhanguda
Done
29
UELCI
ð Provisions and other support for all the fish vendors (42+83)
Manjakuppam Thirupapuliyur
Done
30
E.I.D Parry
ð High mast lights at Kumarapettai ð 250 bicycles ð Cyclone shelter ð Sports complex for OT girls school ð Toilets ð Parangipettai Girls
Committed for more assistance
31
Hewlett Packard
ð Video conferencing and other communciation equipment
Done
32
Satyam Computers
ð Comprehensive grievance redressal tracking system
First phase of discussion with NIC and PGRC officials done on 21.2.05
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IGSSS
ð Office stationery and equipments ð Photocopiers ð Computers
Committed
34
Rotary club of Brimingham
ð 10 Children's Parks ð Flooring of Govt. Orphanage ð Blind School
Erection to start after March 5th.
35
United Colours of Benetton
ð 300 tents ð 100 portable toilets ð Water purifiers
Done
36
CEDEC
ð 5 sewing machines ð 1 coal iron
Delivered
37
ICCW
ð Cuddalore OT School Compound wall and filling of land.
Delivered
38
Khalsa Aid
ð Upgraded 30 anganwadi ð To take up 92 anganwadi
Done
Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Done
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GIDF
ð Periyar Arts College Compound Wall ð Periyakuppam Boys School-repairs
Committed
40
Mr. Aravind Sawla
ð Table/Chair-ADW Hostel ð Dining Hall
Done
41
Schunk Chemicals
ð Physically handicapped (22.25 lakh)
Done
Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
RURAL CONNECTIVITY AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS (UTTARANCHAL) ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT
TEAM Ms. Aswathy S. Shri Krishan Kunal Shri Nitin Jawale Shri Rajesh Kumar Sharma Shri Sachin B. Kurve Shri Siddaharth Mahajan Shri Vikas Gothalwal Faculty Guide : Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, IAS
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INTRODUCTION Overview The state of Uttaranchal is disaster prone. Landslides, forest fires, cloudbursts and flash-floods strike various parts of the state at regular intervals. Earthquakes are the most devastating disaster in the mountains and are unpredictable. So far, in the recent years (1990 onwards) Uttaranchal has experienced two major earthquakes (>6 magnitude) in Uttarkashi (1991) and Chamoli (1999) and a series of landslides/cloud burst such as Malpa (1998), Okhimath (1998), Fata (2001), Gona (2001), Khet Gaon (2002) and Budhakedar (2002).
Methodology The Action Research Process:1 Stephen Kemmis has developed a simple model of the cyclical nature of the typical action research process (Figure 1). Each cycle has four steps: plan, act, observe and reflect.
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Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Different Steps of ARP 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Establishing the scope of project - What we want to learn Determining our sample - Whom we will interview Choose interviewing methodology - How we will interview Creating our questionnaire - What we will ask Conducting interviews and enter data - Ask the questions. Analyzing the data - Produce the reports.
Scope has already been defined in the section given below. The questionnaire was designed on the basis of a DMMC questionnaire with additional inputs from our side keeping the scope of our report in view. For the purpose of conducting interview our group visited three villages namely Koti-Dhalani in Vikas Nagar block district Dehradun, Khumera and Phata in Ukhimath block in district Rudraprayag. The sample consisted of people of all sections residing in these villages. Based on these interviews the group has tried to evaluate the schemes under consideration. Besides, the above activities the group also visited DMMC and had a detailed discussion on the subject with the officials.
Scope At the outset, it would be advisable to define the scope of our report. Our theme was "Rural Connectivity and Disaster Preparedness". Rural connectivity has to be seen in terms of connectivity by road, air wherever possible as well as telecommunication links through landlines, mobile phones and even satellite phones and internet. However, our group soon realized that disaster preparedness encompasses many other important factors in addition to rural connectivity. As a matter of fact, if we look at the work being done in Uttaranchal in this field, we realize that rural connectivity issue has been only recently come into focus in the disaster preparedness planning of the state government. Till now, more emphasis has been laid on sensitizing people and government officials, capacity building, training, GIS mapping of the disaster prone areas etc. Considering these facts and our experience during our first field visit we, after consultation with and approval of our faculty coordinator, decided to broaden the scope of our report and analayse in addition to the issue of rural connectivity the impact of various other measures being undertaken by the government for disaster preparedness. To sum it one can say that disaster preparedness has to be seen as integral part of the overall development strategy and we have tried to analayse the same.
Development and Disaster Preparedness Development and disasters have been considered separately by the specific institutions, professionals and staff assigned to deal with the disciplines within the current institutional arrangements in India. The subject of development and disaster are handled by different departments and ministries. This arrangement indicates that no possible linkage between the two disciplines is assumed, foreseen or understood. The two sets of organizations largely operate on their own, without any linkages in terms of the content, action, planning and investments. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Under such an arrangement while some efforts are made to place development issues within the larger context, disasters are taken to happen in a vacuum, with no relationship with the social, institutional origin economic context. Further, it also depicts that the action taken in dealing with disasters is largely one of emergency management and relief with welfare orientation. However, this approach is flawed. Disasters need to be seen in the context of where they take place and within what complex and dynamic physical, socio-economic, institutional and political forces. It is the social, cultural, economic and political environment that makes people vulnerable to shocks, disease and other negative forces. Class, caste, ethnicity, gender, disability and age are other factors that affect people's vulnerability. Thus no development plan is complete unless it addresses contributory factors to disaster risk. Ultimately, the objective of development and disaster management needs to be the same, that is, reducing socio-economic vulnerability. Our group through this study also tries to analyse whether in the state of Uttaranchal measures have been taken to integrate the needs of development and disaster management. If so, to what extent such integration has occurred or is planned.
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Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
RURAL CONNECTIVITY Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Real India lives in the villages. Inspite of the rapid urbanization in recent times and efforts made in the development of the rural areas, the fact remains that almost 40% of the rural areas of the country do not have proper road connectivity. A large majority of India's population, i.e., upto 72%, is rural. No plan for the comprehensive development of the country could complete unless it involves the development of these villages as well. Poor rural infrastructure has been a major impediment in the development of these areas. Connectivity with the outer world opens up a whole range of new vistas for the populace. It not only provides accessibility but also acts as an effective poverty reduction measure because of the new opportunities. Development has invariably followed connectivity and it has been observed that the places having better connectivity, especially with bigger cities or market places, have shown rapid development. Rural Connectivity has been considered to be a major component for the development of not only the rural areas, but also for that of the nation as a whole. As the growth prospects of urban areas cannot be seen in the isolation with rural areas. In its endeavor to bring about development in the rural areas through road connectivity, the then government launched an ambitious project on 25th December 2000. The aim of the project is to provide single all weather road connectivity to over 1.60 lakh unconnected inhabitations at an estimated investment of Rs 60,000 crores. It was estimated at the beginning of the project that around 3, 30,000 villages out of the 8, 25,000 do not have any all weather road access. Some states like Punjab, Haryana have good road connectivity, where as states like that of North Eastern India, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa have poor rural road connectivity. The PMGSY aims to achieve in a time bound manner to connect every inhabitation with a population of 1000 or more by all weather road, by 2003 and those with a population of 500 or more (250 and more for hill states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and North Eastern, including Sikkim and the Desert areas as identified in the Desert Development Programme) by the year 2007. It is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme with the Ministry of Rural Development being the monitoring agency through the National Rural Road Development Authority. The amount of funds needed to implement a programme of this magnitude would be enormous and hence Central Road Fund Act was promulgated in which it was incorporated that 50% share of the cess on high speed diesel which was levied in the year 1999 would be directed towards rural road development. From then onwards, this has been the primary source of funding for this project. To augment this resource in the present years budget an additional 50 paise cess is being levied on every liter of Diesel. Keeping in view the resource gap for the programme, the government of India is taking steps to look out for additional funds. Both the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have responded positively to India's request. The institutions have released funds, with the help of which projects have begun in some of the most backward states such as Chattisgarh and Jharkhand. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Though the project has originated from the centre and is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme, the states are expected to playa major role. Infact, the execution part has been left on the states and as said earlier only the monitoring and the progress made will be monitored by the central agencies. The proposals are to be prepared by the Panchayats and the district and are to be sent to the state level standing committee, thereafter detailed project reports will be prepared for those roads and scrutinized by the state technical agencies (STA) nominated by the NRRDA. The salient features of the PMGSY are
44
}
Preparation of Rural roads plan and Core network: All roads under the PMGSY are to be prioritized out of the core network , which is the rural network road required for providing the basic access to all habitations, as per the guidelines in population size and giving preference to new connectivity. After the Core network is prepared, the length of the roads required for new connectivity as well as up gradation for every district.
}
The PMGSY projects involve the cluster approach. The unit for this programme is a habitation and not a revenue village panchayat. A habitation is a cluster of dwellings and this cluster of dwellings is clubbed together for the purpose of determining the population size.
}
The roads are to be built as per the specifications given in the rural roads manual published by the Indian Roads Congress.
}
The district wise allocation of the funds for this project will be made by the NRRDA every year on receipt of the demand regarding the same from the state government.
}
The projects are to be cleared by the Ministry of Rural development and 25% of the estimated cost will be released at the time of clearance, the future release of funds to particular state will depend on the way in which 60% of the earlier funds were utilized and also on the completion of 80% of the approved road works in the previous year.
}
The works will be tendered as per the standard bidding document circulated by. the NRRRDA.
}
A time period of nine to ten months is given to the party completing the project to complete the job at hand, this period is relaxed in the hill areas where it is relaxed upto 18 months.
}
The cost escalation due to changes in the design and time over runs is to be borne by the states.
}
Ensuring the quality of the project work shall primarily lie with the state governments who are implementing these programmes. Along with this, District vigilance and Monitoring Committee have been set up by the Ministry of Rural development to monitor the progress of the projects in the states. Also, the progress of the roads is constantly reviewed by the NRRDA and the ministry. The NRRDA also extends supports to the programme through advice on technical specifications, project appraisals, appointment of part time quality control monitors, management of monitoring systems and submission of periodic reports to the Ministry of Rural Development.
Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
}
The roads constructed under the project are to be maintained by the state government. The state governments have to communicate a satisfactory mechanism for the development of the rural roads under the scheme to be able to receive the programme assistance.
}
The criterion of accessibility when any habitation is deemed to have been connected by a rural road is generally a permissible maximum distance of the habitation from an existing all weather road facility or from an already connected habitation and the permissible maximum distance has been recommended as 0.5 Ian in plain areas and 1.5 kms of the path distance in the case of hilly regions.
The project has shown good progress and after the completion of more than three years 70% of the total packages has been cleared and work has commenced on the same. The appraisal of the project after three years reveal that the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have shown good performance in implementing the projects undertaken under this scheme. Though, the performance of the Northern states is not as good as that of the southern states, Uttar Pradesh, one of the BIMARU states has shown a good performance in building the roads under this scheme. The scope of our field study was limited to Uttaranchal, a hill state. The hilly terrain and the scattered habitations present enormous problems in the matter of rural connectivity. We visited a 4Ian stretch of a PMGSY road under construction, in the Horawala- Koti village of the Vikas Nagar block of Dehradun district. The tract Under construction begins from the said village and connects the village Dhalani in the interior region with the main road that passes by Horawala. In the hilly state like Uttaranchal connectivity is a major problem, as it involves not only more cost but also more effort and time. The mountain tracts need to be cut for the construction of the road. The problem of land slides and cloud bursts make the construction and maintenance of the roads more difficult .The availability of an all weather road in these regions would go a long way in not only bringing development through connectivity, but would also play a crucial role in the disaster mitigation efforts, as the region is prone to more than one type of natural disasters. The construction on the Koti - Dhalani tract had begun three years back on 3151 of May 2001 and by now 41 % of the targeted distance has been constructed. The time period set for the completion of the project was 30th of May 2003. This implies that the project has not only over nm it$ time limit, but also that still it is half way towards completion. There are six other connectivity projects undertaken in the Dehradun district and all of them have over run the stipulated time period of their completion. Though, in some cases, a considerable amount of project work has been completed (upto92%), there are some projects where only 6% or 10% of the targets "have been met. The reasons are as varied as non cutting of forest trees to stopping of the work by the contractor, as in the case of the Construction of the 48 m span of bridge at the Sera - Seroli road. The people whom we interviewed during the course of our field visits were mostly semi literate. They may not be in a position to give the detailed description as to how the road would bring about economic upliftment for them, but they were convinced that the connectivity that the road would bring about would surely benefit them. The responses of 5 of them show that they have their own way of analyzing the good effects of these development programmes. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Name of the respondent
Awareness about PMGSY
Perception about impact of road on life#
Importance accorded to connectivity*
Satisfaction regarding the implementation
Ravindra Singh
Aware
5
5
Not satisfied
Balwant Sharma
Not aware
5
5
-
Ishwar Pawar
Aware
2
3
Not satisfied
Pratap Singh
Not aware
5
4
-
Hagar Singh
Aware
5
5
Satisfactory
# Rated I to 5 in ascending value of utility * Rated I to 5 in ascending order of value as compared to other infrastructural developments such as Health services, electricity, etc.
Thus, we see that the rural connectivity projects are not only an instrument of development but also an effective poverty reduction measure. The idea is to provide access to economic and social services that would enable the rural populace to generate increased incomes from farm and non farming activities and to provide productive employment opportunities. This would certainly help in achieving balanced development of the country. There are some success stories in south, but in many cases due to varied reasons the progress of the project is not going as it was intended, especially, in the hilly areas, such as Uttaranchal. There are many factors other than inhospitable terrain that hamper the progress of the projects under the PMGSY. However, it is clear that these are the regions which are going to be benefited the most once these projects are completed.
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Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS - Initiatives Administrative Structure for Disaster Management in Uttaranchal Shortly, after the carving out of state of Uttaranchal, a new administrative structure for disaster management has been put in place, The state became the first in the country to have ministry of Disaster Management. The structure of disaster management system is as follows: Institutional Arrangements at District Level
District Magistrate/ District Disaster Manager
DMMC
• Operation Desk
• Police
• Service Desk
• Civil hospital
• Infrastructure • Health Desk • Lohigstics Desk
District Control Room Desk Offices & Officers in charge
• Agri Desk
• Corporation • RTO • DSO • Others
• Information & Site Operation Center Site Manager
Communication
Transit Camp
• PWD
Relief Camps
Cattle Camps
Feeding Centers
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Institutional Arrangement at State Level
Ministry of Disaster Management
Pr. Secretary of Disaster Management
Commissioner Disaster Management
Disaster Management and Mitigation Center
Pr. Secretary of Disaster Management
Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre The disaster mitigation and management centre is the apex centre in the field of disaster mitigation and management in Uttaranchal. It was established in October 2001 "to study amI disseminate in a coherent and timely manner, the needs of those exposed to disaster and emergencies." The objectives of DMMC are }
To find and promote solutions to the root causes of disasters in the state of Uttaranchal and
}
To facilitate the smooth transition from relief to rehabilitation and development.
DMMC has a well structured framework to carry out its activities. It involves three focal layers of participatory organizations. 1. State level: Ministry/department of disaster management through State emergency Operations Group under the control of Principal Secretary/ Commissioner, disaster management. 2. District level: District ,Magistrate through District Emergency Operations Group under the control of District Disaster Manager. 3. Local level: Tehsil/Block/Village through Site Operations Centre under the control of the Site Manager. Through these institutions, DMMC strives to
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}
Offer an extensive range of training programmes.
}
Provide advance information about likely disasters through latest technologies.
}
Maintain a network of experienced experts working in the field.
}
Provide consultancy services to all levels of government and NGOs and
}
Develop a strong regional knowledge base towards disaster policy.
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The DMMC has also formulated a strategy to be adopted for five years from its inception. These include: }
Setting up of State Emergency Operations Group.
}
Setting up of District Emergency Operations Group
}
Institutional Strengthening and Coordination
}
Development and Operationalization of DDMPs.
}
Preparation and Operationalization of VDMAPs.
}
Strengthening of Village Disaster Intervention team.
}
Creation and strengthening of Rescue Teams.
}
Networking of NGOs.
}
Capacity building, training and sensitization.
}
Creation of RS/GIS Database for village, town, block and the district.
}
Updating the strategy for disaster management from the lessons learnt.
}
Technical assistance to the Government of Uttaranchal and
}
Consultancy.
District Project Officer Amongst the various initiatives taken for disaster management is the creation of a post of District Project Officer. This new post has been created under the Disaster Risk Management Programme of Government of India-United Nations Development Programme [UNDP]. This programme aims to contribute towards the social and economic development goals of the national and state Governments by enabling them to programme is being implemented in 8 districts of Uttaranchal with the help of the local governments and PRI institutions in two phases. The District Project Officer (DPO) will be posted at district head quarters to work in consultation with the state nodal agency DMMC and under the direct supervision of the District Magistrate and perform the following duties; }
Facilitate and Coordinate for preparation of multi-hazard Disaster Management plans of the District, Blocks, GPs and Villages along with government functionaries.
}
Help the District administration Block for selection of partners for the Community Based Disaster preparedness work.
}
Helping in development of awareness campaign strategy and awareness generation activities like street plays, rallies, painting and drawing competitions amongst school children on disaster preparedness.
}
Supporting in the training and capacity building programme of government officials/ PRIs/ NGOs/CBOsN outh Clubs/ SHGs Teachers and others concerned on various aspects of disaster management.
}
Facilitate the process Community Based Disaster Preparedness exercises at blocks, GP and village levels through active involvement of government officials, PRIs, NGOs/ CBOs, youth clubs. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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}
Coordinating and facilitating training programmes for disaster management task forces formed at various levels on Health and First Aid, Search and Rescue Operation, Sanitation, Shelter Management, Carcasses & Garbage disposal, use of early warning equipments I EM! radio operation etc.
}
Establishing linkages with Civil Society Response group at various levels for emergency response plan development.
}
Networking with NGOs/CBOs/NCC/NSS and other agencies working in the field of Disaster Management for unification of the strategy and process.
}
Assisting the Collector and District Magistrate in performing all activities related to disaster management.
}
Regular reporting to the Collector State Nodal Agency and State Project Officer on the programme activities.
}
Helping district administration in organizing mock drill at various levels.
}
Facilitating establishment of effective communication systems for early tracking and dissemination of warnings at the district level.
}
Facilitating establishment of control rooms at District and block levels for Disaster Management Information dissemination.
}
Any other tasks assigned by the SNA or/and the Supervisors.
During our visit to Rudraprayag, our group met Shri Roop Singh Rana who had been recently posted as the District Project Officer there. Our first impression based on the interaction with Shri Rana and the field visit was that this idea of DPO has started on a right note and if such posts are manned by competent persons it would go a long way in sensitizing not only the common people of the districts hut also the district officials about disaster preparedness and mitigation.
Initiatives for Earthquake Resistant Houses In 1999, Garhwal was rocked with an earthquake which was measured 6.8 on the richter scale. It was second major earthquake in the last 10 years. Around 20000 houses collapsed, 85000 houses damaged and 130 people lost their lives. One of the prime reasons of such a huge devastation was that the structures could not withstand the tremors because the design and quality of these houses was substandard. Earthquake resistance was not kept in view while constructing these houses.
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Thus, it is felt today that all houses in Uttaranchal should be earthquake resistant. Constructing a new house is an expensive preposition and more so in the hilly terrains as it is difficult to transport modem construction equipments and articles in these regions. Moreover, construction activities lead to environmental degradation which is a potential threat in the region. In this context, it becomes imperative to repair and retrofit the existing structures so that they can withstand any future eventuality. It is not only cost effective hut also will help in future from the devastating aftereffects of earthquakes. The existing structure should be repaired and retrofitted accordingly, while, the new structures should be constructed as per the earthquake Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
resistant techniques. With the help of modem day techniques, the old houses can be converted into earthquake resistant houses without demolishing them even there is no need to remove the roofs. It is not required that houses should be of brick, cement and iron rods only. It is quite possible to construct houses with the locally available materials. The only thing which should be kept in mind is that appropriate techniques should be adopted.
Repair and Retrofitting of Existing Houses The house owners have little or no awareness about the dangers of a future disaster and the ways the houses can be made stronger to withstand the impact of a future disaster. It is difficult for people to invest more than their already stretched resources in their houses to build better. There is little or no knowledge in the public about the alternate affordable technologies. Nor do the people know that their vulnerability to future disasters can be reduced through the use of suitable technologies for the construction. DMMC has taken up this task and is creating awareness in this regard through its machinery. It has laid down various categories of damage as G-l, G-2, G-3, G-4. and has developed detailed plan to rectify that. In order to prove the strength of such houses an experiment was done in Latur in 199899. In this demonstration two houses were constructed on a temporary platform. The first one was a traditional house of stone, mud and wood while the second was again a traditional house but Retrofit with new techniques. Now, earthquake like situation was created by hitting the platform with a tractor. It was shown that Retrofitted house withstand such collisions. The total expenditure in Retrofitting. is just 15% of constructing a new house. This experiment is being given wide publicity through pamphlets and training programmes to build up acceptability and confidence of the masses. DMMC has prepared booklets for local masons in Hindi language. These booklets are prepared after taking into account the experiences of Lattur in Maharashtra, Jabalpur in MP and Uttaranchai state's own house construction methods. Aiso, earthquake related Indian standards have been taken into account.
Training One major initiative taken by DMMC is that of Building centers which have played a pivotal role in promoting safer building technologies and practices. A number of workshops involving middle level government officers, academicians and engineers took part in the workshops. These workshops were: }
Review of functioning of Building Centers, their role in Earthquake Resistant Construction and means to revitalize them.
}
Review of adequacy of current legislation in implementation of Building codes and means to improve implementation of codes.
}
Review of current curriculum with regard to awareness about Earthquake Vulnerability of the state population and recommendations to include Earthquake Engineering in Civil Engineering curriculum. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Mason's Training To percolate the awareness and technology at the bottom level DMMC has organized training camps for the Masons. One such camp was held in the district Rudraprayag from 281h March to 3151 March 2004. In this camp, 35 masons from different villages were trained by experts in building earthquake resistant structures and retrofitting techniques. In the training, a model of different retrofit techniques was constructed. It consisted of traditional as well as modem design of construction and their retrofitting. During our visit to Rudraprayag district we visited the place and had a look on this model. In order to prevent the sliding of lower portion of hills one more model was constructed there. These masons after getting trained will further act as 'gurus' to their next generations and will ensure the sustainability of the process. At the district level, a computerized database of trained masons and construction workers is being created. Till date, 800 masons have been registered in the database.
Public Awareness and Community Participation For generating awareness among the public at large DMMC has taken up a comprehensive planning. It has come up with manuals in this regard which outlines in details the various steps to be taken to face any eventuality and impart awareness. Four such manuals are published which are as follows: }
Guidelines for formulation of Village level Disaster Management Scheme.
}
Preparedness and Mitigation.
}
Preparedness- Dos and Don'ts
}
Search and Rescue
A detailed action plan formulation at the village level has been initiated with the involvement of community. The plan consists of Social and Flood maps, resources and service installation maps, prioritization of problems, measures of safety and traditional knowledge, climatic analysis (food, agriculture, health), planning of disaster management, action plan at village .level, formulation of village disaster management committee (role and responsibilities), management of information system. The members of the committee are identified within the community including both male and female members.
Integration with Other Schemes DMMC is also exploring the possibilities of integrating disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts with other government schemes.
lAY Under this scheme government provides assistance to wcaker and marginalized sections of society to construct houses of society to construct houses. DMMC is trying that all houses to be constructed under the scheme should be earthquake resistant. Block offices are taking care of this aspect. During our field visit, we came across one such initiative where a BPL family who lost their house due to sinking of the ground was provided a house under lAY. 52
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Rina Sahay Yojana Under this scheme, Government of Uttaranchal is providing a loan of Rs 30000-40000 with Rs 10000 as subsidy to construct earthquake resistant houses.
Integration with Rural Connectivity DMMC in association with Public Works Department is looking into the possibility of integrating rural connectivity and disaster preparedness. The project is to be completed in three phases. The first phase consists of identification of disaster prone state highways with the help of geographical information system. This step will help in future planning of state highways. In the second phase, DMMC will identify the safe routes which are less vulnerable to natural disasters like landslides. In the third and final phase, plans will be developed to connect villages with the state highways through link roads identified by DMMC. The whole object of the planning seems to be twofold firstly resources should not be wasted on highways which are vulnerable to disasters. Moreover, any hindrance to normal flow of traffic due to these disasters can be minimized. Secondly, to ensure year round all weather rural connectivity. To ensure phones at these locations to ensure communication in all eventualities:
Analysis of the field visit to Rudraprayag Our study of Disaster management has been based on the premises of vulnerability that are of various types: 1)
Physical Vulnerability: pertaining to matters of location, proximity and infrastructural conditions including agricultural assets. a) Buildings: considering their use, site design, shape, structural and infrastructural conditions. b) Infrastructure: structural based systems and related processes necessary for socioeconomic functioning of a society and thereby called as "lifelines" }
Transportation system and connectivity
}
Telecommunication links
}
Public utility services
}
Essential community services
c) Agriculture: loss of crops, livestocks, fisheries and other resources. 2)
Economic vulnerability: It is determined by evaluating the direct loss of the economic assets and processes, indirect loss potential and consequent secondary effects. It is mainly measured in terms of net opportunity costs. Any complete assessment of economic vulnerability must be linked to the study of physical and social vulnerability. a) Direct loss }
Damage and destruction of buildings
}
Replacement costs
}
Loss of employment Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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}
Crop loss
}
Damage to means of production
b) Indirect loss potential }
Loss of markets and opportunities
}
Loss of vital services
}
Destruction of savings
}
Impact of lost production and employment
}
Loss to consequential income earning activities
c) Secondary effects }
Inflation and indebtness
}
Labour migration
}
Reorientation of capital allocation
}
Frustration of development investment
3) Social vulnerability: is determined by the perception of the risk and the ability of the people to take measures to reduce that risk a) Critical indicators of the perceived risks and ability to respond }
Poverty and resource crunch
}
Degree of public awareness
}
Prior personal experience of specific risk and related consequences
b) Demographic considerations }
Total population
}
Concentration of population
}
Demographic distinctions between vulnerable groups: children, disabled, single parent family, women, remotely located isolated groups and, seasonal migrants
c) Cultural attributes affecting social vulnerability }
Literacy levels
}
Leadership and rote playing
}
Political strength and public confidence
}
Extent of self reliance and community organization capabilities
}
Informed, practical local/traditional coping mechanisms
}
Nature of belief systems, peoples' view of themselves and their own abilities
However, the questionnaire that we have adopted for the informal discussion in the villages focuses on
54
}
Awareness of people
}
Degree of loss and damage
}
Lifelines
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}
Economic activities and resources
}
Areas of importance
}
Developmental schemes
We went to Khomera and Phata villages of the Ukhimath block in Rudraprayag district and conducted PRA exercises to access the disaster preparedness, awareness and the attitude of the people, especially the vulnerable, to the government disaster machinery operating in the region. For the purpose, we divided ourselves into groups of two and dispersed into various hamlets involving all sections of the population. ... from women to disabled to panchayat members. We began with the history of disaster in the area and talked about the various awareness and preparedness measures to reduce the impact of disasters. We also sought their opinion about the functioning of the government machinery and the role in pre and post disaster situations. After elaborate social mapping, we carried out a problem prioritization of the villagers. The importance of the various services in general and rural connectivity in particular. in disaster situations was prioritized and reduced into a chapatti diagram (which was drawn by us based on the inputs given by the villagers in interaction with them). This enabled us to reach certain conclusions about disaster mitigation in the hazard prone Rudraprayag district. Based on these methodologies, the group has come to certain conclusions regarding disaster awareness, preparedness and attitudes of villagers in Khomera and Phata. We carried out a problem prioritization through a preference ranking chart. Also, the importance of various services in general and rural connectivity, in particular, in disaster situations was prioritized through chapatti diagram. These enabled us to reach certain concrete conclusions of disaster mitigation in hazard prone Rudraprayag district. On the basis of our visit to these villages and thereafter discussions with DMMC officials we could observe following things:
Phata Village Phata is situated in Ukhimath block of Rudraprayag district at a distance of 57 kms from district headquarters and 26 kms from Ukhimath. Around 90 families reside in the village with a total population of 206. Out of which 25% live in the Phata village while rest in and around Phata Bazar. Very few people own land in the village most of the people are earning their livelihood from tourists coming to Kedamath and Gaurikund shrine.
History of Disasters A massive earthquake in 1991 followed by another in 1999 led to destruction of houses, cattle sheds and standing crops. The 2001 landslide preceded by torrential rains led to collapse of houses and sheds leaving atleast 15 people dead. The august 2002 landslide killed 40 animals and destroyed houses and a school. However, a quick response prevented any human casualty.
Response People generally believe that these disasters are due to wrath of God rather then any geographical reasons. Though, the disasters affect all sections of society but peasants, women and children are most vulnerable. 55 Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Name of Villagers Disaster Related Issues Impact
Gota Devi
Chaitu Lal
Land & cattle shed destroy ed
Assistance
Tent & tin sheds
Restoration of 3 days food supply Visit of Seldom government functionaries Knowledge NA about government schemes
Kailash Chand Tamloki
Gangotri Devi
Umar Singh
Saraswati Devi
Vishveshal Lal
Land None destroy ed & cracks in house
None
Loss to property
Bread earner killed in 1991 earthqu ake
5 members killed in 1991 earthqu ake
Tent, Rs. 1000 ex gratia, Land related help NA
Village Bacho samiti formed
Gram samiti works
10 kg food & tent
All family members & killed & house destroyed in 2001 landslide Ration, Rs. 1000 ex gratia, tent
Food and house built
Rs. 4000 for cattles & a house construc ted
4 days
3 days
NA
NA
2-4 days
Weekly
Seldo m
Frequen t
NA
NA recently
Frequently
IAY
IAY & Old age pensio n schem e Good
PMGSY & IAY
IAY
10-15 days Mainly during disaster NA
Widow pension & old age pension
IAY & PMGSY & Drinking water mission
Good
Good
NA
Good
Good
No, its better should be left to god Averag e
Yes
Yes
Yes
No, Gods mercy
Yes
Average
Average
Below Average
Average
Good
How they have been implanted Does better disaster preparedness help
NA
Good
NA
Yes
Effectiveness of government initiatives
Could be much better
Good
Shivlal Arya
Preparedness The village has radio, Telephone, Television, Motorable road, Power and Drinking water facilities. People were divided in their opinion about the role of government in disaster management. While some alleged that senior officers visited frequently with tall promises during disasters but nothing was fulfilled. In pre and post disaster situation visit of government functionaries was very less frequent. The people believed that there is no strategy to 'reduce disaster's impact. Though, compensations were given to the victims the deserving people could not access the aid. Further, there was no insurance policy in the village. However, the villagers admitted that } 56
Improvement in infrastructure (earthquake resistant houses, check dams, forestation, good roads) could reduce the damages inflicted by disasters.
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}
The greed and animosity of a few were responsible for negligence of the village by the government functionaries in post disaster scenario.
The people believed that connectivity via roads and telecommunication has greatly enabled awareness and information dissemination among them. Further, the VDC were playing a key role in evacuation and rehabilitation works during the disasters. Also, construction of new houses and repairs of old structures were done with modem construction technologies. For this, the masons were trained by DMMC at Guptakashi at government's cost. Soil research teams and geological survey teams from IIT Roorkee were conducting surveys. Hopefully, their analysis would enable better planned strategies to contain the ill effects of such natural catastrophes.
Khumera Village This village is located around 6 kms towards Rudraprayg trom Phata; Around 30 families are residing in- the village. Since, it lies in the sinking zone due to reoccurrence of frequent landsides on a steep slope it is a highly vulnerable area.
History of disasters It also received the tremors in 1991 earthquake. However, the 2001 landslide was the cause of worry. In every rainy season, the villagers are forced to migrate to other village to their relatives place because of high vulnerability of the area to landslides and come back only after the rains die out.
Preparedness The villagers allege that in the absence of communication facilities there is no pre disaster or post disaster warning mechanisms. They are particularly unhappy with apathy of government functionaries towards their problems. Yet, they honestly admitted that the DMMC staff is an exception who visits frequently to asses the situation. Since, they are mainly cultivators they want consolidation of small scattered plots that makes agriculture unviable and difficult in the already harsh physical and climatic conditions. There is high prevalence of unemployment among the males as labourers from outer states work at lower rates.
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During disaster the role of various services (as perceived by the villagers
Water and food supply
Good houses
Villagers
Electr icity
Roads
Health Care Infor matio n
Preference ranking chart
Villagers Problems
Gota Devi
Chaitu Lal
KC Tamloki
Umar Singh
Saraswati Devi
Visheswar Lal
Total
Ranking
4
Shiv Lal Arya 1
In getting touch with administration Getting extended assistance and compensation Condition of roads and transport House condition Food supply
4
5
1
3
4
24
IV
3
2
4
1
3
2
3
19
II
5
5
5
4
5
5
5
38
V
1
1
2
3
2
4
1
16
I
2
3
3
2
4
2
2
21
III
Least rank shows the highest preference of problem for example '2' means the item is 2nd most anxious activity.
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UTTARKASHI CASE STUDY1 Landslides threatened to destroy the town of Uttarkaskhi last year. This town is situated at the foothills of Varunavrat hill. The landslide began on the Varunavrat on the night of 23rd September 2003 and continued for a couple of months. There was immense loss of property. Large number of private houses, hotels and Municipal buildings were destroyed. 3000 people were uprooted and 611 trees had been destroyed at the time of study. However there was no loss of life, human or cattle. The most important reason for that as analyzed by the group of probationers of LBSNAA, who had gone there to study the administrative response was the advance preparation of the district administration. Some of the preparatory measures taken by the administration are mentioned herein. 1. Constant monitoring of the cracks: the administration had prior knowledge that cracks had developed in the mountain. Therefore, they had been constantly monitoring the cracks. The Forest department played a leading role in the monitoring. 2. Guards were posted at potentially dangerous sites to continuously monitor the situation and keep the administration abreast with all developments. 3. The administration solicited advice from expert groups who were invited to study the cracks. 4. The state secretariat was kept informed about the situation through regular reports. 5. The populace was forewarned of the impending danger. They were evacuated just before the landslide. Interestingly, in a number of cases force had to be used to evacuate the people as they refused to move out on their own. The last point is very interesting. It clearly brings out the necessity of sensitizing the citizens about the dangers of various disasters and how to react when a disaster occurs. It also highlights the need of mutual trust between the administration and the people in the context of preparedness for and mitigation of disaster. It should be noted that Uttarkashi town is the headquarters of the district and lies on the way to two important pilgrim spots, Gangotri and Yamnotri. As such it is well connected by road to other parts of the state. Although small part of the highway at Uttarkashi was blocked due to the landslides, the administration with the help of paramilitary forces was able to start an alternative route from the town within a day. However, the telecommunications were severely damaged. All landlines became non functional. As a result fax and internet services were also disrupted. Only mobile services were working. In a state like Uttaranchal, during a disaster situation, the difficult terrain impedes quick connectivity via road or air. To be in touch with the disaster prone area telecommunication plays an important role. This case study shows that more emphasis is required to see that telecommunication network is strengthened in the state in such a way that effect of disaster can be minimized. There is another aspect to the whole aspect of preparedness in this particular incident that came to our knowledge. It has be(;n alleged that the cracks had developed during the 1991 earthquake. The state machinery inspite of having the knowledge about it did not take any remedial measures. To that extent any preparedness against the impending danger was lacking. ________________ 1(A group of 4 probationers of the 74th foundation course at LBSNAA went to the town to study the administrative response to the landslides there. This case study is based upon their findings.)
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COMPARISON WITH GUJARAT MODEL From the description of the activities and strategies of the DMMC, it seems in the outset that the state of Uttaranchal has a well structured disaster preparedness plan in place. After studying the functioning of the DMMC, the group has identified certain areas in which the agency has fared extremely well and some grey areas in which there is large scope for improvement. These observations are arrived at after visiting some of the villages in the state, interacting with the villagers and also comparing the policy framework with that of the Gujarat State Disaster Management Agency. In the first place, the inventory of technical infrastructure has really gone up in the state. With the help of the GIS the agency has been able to prepare detailed maps for almost all the districts in the state. The disaster vulnerability assessment has also been underway. However, there are some other aspects that should be taken care of and the state has a lot to learn from the example of Gujarat State Disaster Management Agency in this regard. The crisis that shook Gujarat has in fact provided them with an opportunity to take initiative towards disaster prevention and mitigation. A disaster management policy of the State was prepared by the GSDMA and approved by the government in 2002. Gujarat became the first state in the country to have passed a Disaster Management Bill that provides legal framework to a range of issues related to disasters. The act is quite comprehensive in nature and covers areas like authorities for disaster management, functions of the state government, powers and functions of officers such as Chief Executive Officer in charge of disaster management, State Relief Commissioner and the District Collector, functions of local authorities, duties of police force, Gram Rakshak Dal, Home Guard, Civil Defense and Fire Services, duties of communities, private sector enterprises, other agencies and citizens and offences and penalties related to disaster management. It is a very elaborate and comprehensive act which takes care of almost all aspects relating to disaster management and preparedness. The existence of such an act can go a long way in providing focus to the whole agenda of reducing vulnerability from disasters. Another fact to be noted about Gujarat experiment is that they have a very elaborate plan in place as to how to handle rehabilitation and reconstruction issues post disaster. They had formed a separate Gujarat Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Fund. The GSDMA and the state government also get funds from donor agencies and proper mechanism is in place to ensure their maximum utilization. Again given the terrain of Uttaranchal, establishing Emergency Response Centre at different places would prove extremely useful in the event of an eventuality. These centers should be equipped with emergency equipments. This would bring down the response time after any disaster substantially. Gujarat is a state which has successfully carried out this policy. The GSDMA has made sure that one hundred municipalities in the state be provided with the emergency rescue equipment. 60
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SUGGESTIONS Act and Legislation DMMC has developed a draft Disaster Management Act, which should be speedily reviewed and taken up for enactment. All existing policy guidelines and omnibus orders should be brought under the purview of Disaster Management Legislation and Relief & Rehabilitation policy. The existing ad-hoc measures have to be replaced to the extent possible with more definite arrangements. The legislative framework involving Town and Country Planning Acts, Area Development Control Rules and Building Regulations needs to be modified, to ensure safety from hazards in all future planning of habitations, expansion of existing structures and new construction of various types of buildings. Strengthening regulatory mechanisms will be essential to ensure compliance of the various components of techno-legal aspects.
Enhancement of role of Ministry of Disaster Management and DMMC The most important need at the State level in Uttaranchal is to strengthen its capacity to undertake disaster mitigation strategies. The emphasis must be on proactive pre-disaster measures rather than post-disaster response. The state policy on disaster management needs to be formalized, emphasizing pre-disaster mitigation (prevention and preparedness) along with post-disaster relief and rehabilitation. The DMMC should be developed ~ an 'Autonomous' centre taking on the role of providing technical support and expertise for all disaster management activities undertaken by various sectors..
Insurance Insurance is a mechanism for spreading the cost of losses both over time and over a relatively large number of similarly exposed risks. The introduction of disaster-linked insurance should be considered, but it requires careful thought before implementation. One of the difficulties in promoting disaster insurance is that those who are at highest risk have the least capacity to pay the premiums. Possibilities of group/community insurance could be explored, particularly for the marginalized communities. The insurance agencies may be asked to promote a Community Rating System to encourage communities to go beyond the required standards of minimum safety. Gram Sabha should take this agenda as one of their prime activities.
Enhanced capacity for Response and Rescue A task force for 'Response and Rescue' should be constituted in Uttaranchal involving Police department as the 'First Responders'. Such task forces should be constituted at the State, District, Tahsil and Village level, with training. Issues at Policy Level that need to be addressed are as follows: 1.
Policy Issues } Mitigation regulations Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Incentives and resources for mitigation } Conditions for relief Administrative Issues } Institutional and technical capabilities } Enforcement } Public information Private Sector Issues } Financing Mitigation investment } Insurance } Safety standards }
2.
3.
Action Plan } } } } } } } } } } } }
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Provision of satellite phones at vulnerable regions. New Government Buildings to Comply with National Building Code of India Registration of Experienced and Technically Qualified Engineers and Architects. Earthquake-Resistant Construction taught at the Undergraduate Level. Securing of All Electricity Supply Equipment. The development of Infrastructure at the District Level Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Advanced Warning Systems Safety of all schools and health centers Earthquake-Resistant Community Water Tanks Building Technology Centre Operational in each District Hazard Resistant Home Improvement Program.
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CONCLUSION Uttaranchal, due to its peculiar geographical setting is vulnerable to minor ecological changes. This makes the state disaster prone in terms of land slides, forest fires, cloud bursts, flash floods, and most importantly earth quakes. Given the frequency and the unpredictability of the occurrence of these disasters, an attempt to develop capacity to undertake disaster mitigation strategies is very important. The ultimate end of all these strategies should be to reduce the vulnerability of the state to disasters. These programmes should include, inter alia, disaster vulnerability assessment for the entire state and investment that would reduce vulnerability. In short the emphasis of the approach to disasters should shift from reaction to anticipation. In other words, the thrust should be on pro active pre- disaster measures rather than post disaster response. One observation that our group would like to make is that there is total ignorance among those villagers about disaster preparedness who belong to places which have not been severely affected by ay disasters. But it would be a wrong assumption to make that such places are out of range for any disasters. And most importantly, there is a need to complete the rehabilitation of villagers from those areas which are considered as risky. For example our group visited a village which has been sinking and the area is identified too be highly prone to land slides. But efforts at resettlement have been very slow. The usual policy of the government of acting only when the crisis has actually happened needs a change. Rural connectivity vis a vis disaster preparedness has not been a focus area for the government both at center and state level. This fact is clear from the guidelines of the PMGSY where disaster preparedness does not find any mention. However, things seem to be changing for the better. As mentioned above, DMMC and PWD have come together in an effort to integrate rural connectivity and disaster preparedness and management. Disasters both man made and natural are one of the most challenging problems faced by the state of Uttaranchal. It is true that we cannot avert or prevent the occurrence of many of the disasters. But by taking appropriate steps, we can definitely reduce their effects. The focus should be on all areas including connectivity in form of road, telecommunication and air connectivity. It is here that the role of a proper mechanism to guide and coordinate a comprehensive disaster preparedness programme becomes relevant. Some of the initiatives have been taken in the right direction but still there is a long way to go.
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DISASTER MANAGEMENT SCENARIO IN ASSAM A CASE STUDY IN KAMRUP DISTRICT Avantika Gautam, IAS (Assam)
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FOREWORD During 2004, however, Assam witnessed an escalation in the intensity and fury of the annual phenomenon of floods as well as the threat of an earthquake occurring in the region in the near future also seemed to have become quite real. My district assignment report is based on my first hand experiences during the flood last year as well as my exposure to the working of the GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme in Kamrup district and the Earthquake Vulberability Reduction Project in Guwahati city. Therefore, I have divided my report into three parts wherein the first part deals with floods, the second part dwells on earthquakes and the third part deals with disaster management setup in Kamrup district. The Tsunami disaster in Southern India has raised the vigil in Assam as well and there is a renewed focus on disaster management. The seriousness with which the state government deals with the issue translates into concrete action at the field level. Moreover, the group of geoscientists who had predicted the Sumatra earthquake had made a similar prediction of a massive earthquake in Upper Assam, some time earlier. In fact an earthquake alert had been sounded in all Upper Assam districts at that time. Further, after the tsunami disaster, the US Geological Survey had also warned that Assam would be the next most probable site for an earthquake to occur in South Asia. As the entire North-Eastern Region lies in the Seismic Zone- V, such district has a high probability of occurance.
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INTRODUCTION The state of Assam lies at the heart of Northeastern region which is one of the most hazard prone regions in the Asian continent, with different areas being prone to multiple hazards like earthquakes, floods, landslides and cyclonic storms.
Assam essentially consists of two valleys namely Brahmaputra valley in the north and Barak valley in the south. The Brahmaputra river has a catchment area of 5,80,000 Sq km in Tibet, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh and in terms of discharge is the third largest river in the world. The river flows for a length of 918 Km in India of which 720 Km is in through the plains of Assam. In this valley, about 20 major tributaries on its North bank and about 13 on its South Bank join the river Brahmaputra. The precipitation here is mainly due to the South-West monsoon i.e. June to September. Average annual rainfall in the region is very high and ranges from 1750 mm in the plains to about 6400 mm in the hills, this huge volume of water rushes through the narrow bowl shaped valley of Assam to the Bay of Bengal ravaging the area through which it flows with floods and land erosion. The recurring floods on an average devastate about 20% of the total area of the plain districts of the state of Assam and in the high flood years the devastation has been recorded to be as high as 67 %. The region lies at the junction of the Himalayan arc to the north and the Burmese arc to the east and is one of the six most seismically active regions of the world. The entire region falls in Zone V, the most vulnerable seismic zone. Twelve major earthquakes have occurred in the region in the last 100 years of which the devastating earthquakes of 1897 in the Shillong plateau and in 1950 in upper Assam have been recorded as two of the largest earthquakes in the country. Under the Gap theory for prediction of earthquakes it is forecasted that the region is likely to witness a major earthquake in the near future. The monsoon in the region normally commences around the months of April and May and is active till the end of October. The pre - monsoon period is often marked by severe cyclonic storms and hailstorms. The annual cyclonic depressions in the Bay of Bengal hit the coast of Bangladesh & cause severe storms to hit the bordering states of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Considerable variation in the precipitation during a particular month /period at a given place has also been observed, and this variation results in drought like conditions in many parts of the region. Continued deforestation and demand for more and more agricultural land has also lead to destabilization of hill slopes which during the monsoons come down as landslides. Unscientific mining has also rendered many a hillside vulnerable to cave-ins and landslides. The vulnerability to natural disasters combined with socio-economic vulnerability of the people, poses a great challenge for the government machinery and underscores the need for a comprehensive plan for disaster preparedness and mitigation. The Government of India since the last decade has been actively supporting programs for reduction of vulnerabilities and risks. Vulnerability reduction and linking disaster management with sustainable development efforts has been one of the key approaches of GOI-UNDP partnership in Assam.
Part-I Managing Floods
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ASSAM & FLOODS The State of Assam is comprised of 22 districts of Brahmaputra Valley, 3 Districts of Barak Valley and 2 hill districts. The geographical area of Assam is 78,430.00 sq.km out of which 56,194.00 sq.km fall under Brahmaputra valley and rest fall under Barak Valley and two hill districts. Over the years, more than Rs 15,000 million approx. has been spent in building 3647 km of embankments, 599 km of drainage channels and in covering 431sq.km. area under soil conservation projects in an effort to control the floods in Brahmaputra. Yet, almost 12.21% of the geographical area of Assam is annually affected by floods and since 1954, 4 lakh hectare of fertile agricultural land and a few urban centres have been eroded which accounts for 7% of the plain land of Assam. Assam has traditionally been the symbol of the ferocity and extent of floods in India. The annual floods used to leave silt on the agricultural fields making them more fertile every year and were a boon for the farmers. However, their intensity has increased over the years and so has the destruction of crops, human settlements, roads, bridges etc. and loss of human and animal life.
Every year large areas in the state are inundated and considerable tracts of land is swallowed up by erosion. The tributaries of the Brahmaputra on both banks have considerable hill catchments especially in the neighbouring states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya and the neighbouring country of Bhutan and China. The heavy monsoon rains that fall on them soften the top soil on the steep slopes. The streams and rivers carry these sediments down the steep hill slopes and these sediments are deposited on their beds, thus choking the channels. The resultant rising of the bed naturally reduced the volume of the channels making the rivers shallow. The heavy water and silt discharges occurring in upper region of the rivers during the peak monsoon find their way through numerous streams and rivulets resulting in excessive spilling over on the banks of the rivers and their tributaries and consequent water logging in extensive areas of the plains. Presence of an adequate forest cover especially in the watershed areas would have mitigated the problems of flood to a great extent. The great earthquake of 15 August, 1950 disturbed the courses and beds of many rivers like the Brahmaputra, Subansari, Burhi Dihing, Jia Bharlai etc, causing them to either change their courses or raise their beds. A shift in the course of Brahmaputra and certain other rivers has been observed over the years. Besides other reasons, the seismic instability of the region also contributes to such shift. The result is that the rivers due to the shifting of their course causes devastation through floods and bank erosion. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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KAMRUP DISTRICT At A Glance LOCATION : Kamrup district is located between 90 degree 48' - 91 degree 50' E Longitude and 25 degree 46' - 26 degree 49' N Latitude. POPULATION : 15, 34,500 (as per 2001 Census) AREA : 3473.35 Sq km ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : }
This district has two Sub-Divisions-Kamrup Sadar and Rangia Civil Sub-Division.
}
The Kamrup (Sadar) Sub-Division has 8 (eight) Revenue Circles and Rangia Civil Sub-Division has 3(three) Revenue Circles.
}
There are total 15 (fifteen) development Bocks I Kamrup district, out of which 11(eleven) development Blocks are under Kamrup (Sadar) Sub-Division and 4(four) are under Rangia (Civil) Sub-Division.
CLIMATE : Sub -tropical with semi dry hot in summer and cold in winter. Annual rainfall
: Ranges between 1500 mm. To 2600 mm.
Average humidity : 75 % Max. tamp.
: 37-39 degree C.
Min. temp.
: 6-7 degree C.
TOPOGRAPHY : The district is bounded on the north by a portion of the Kingdom of Bhutan and Nalbari district, on the south lies the state of Maghalaya ; in the east we have Kamrup Metropolitan District, while on the west we have the Goalpara District. RIVERS : R. Brahmaputra, Puthimari, Borolia, Nona, Kulsi, Pagladiya , Kalajal etc. NATIONAL HIGHWAYS : NH 31, NH 37
Flood Profile of Kamrup District OCCURRENCE OF FLOODS }
Flood occurs generally in the low lying areas of the district during May to August every year
}
Late flood during the later part of September & October also occurs
REASONS FOR VULNERABILITY
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}
Annual Rainfall: - Ranges between 1500 mm. To 2600mm and is concentrated in 4 months of June - September
}
The occurrence of flood in the district is due to the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries- Pagaladiya, Puthimari, Pagaladiya, Nona, Borolia, Kalajal etc.
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}
Kamrup district is located on both banks of the river Brahmaputra
}
As a result of large-scale erosion in the increasingly deforested watersheds, deposition of the sediments in the riverbed takes place and as a result channel's carrying capacity is reduced
}
Population concentration in the most vulnerable areas even char areas are densely populated despite harsh living conditions
FLOOD-2004 }
The H.F.L. of R. Brahmaputra was recorded in 1988 as 51.37 m and the water level of R. Brahmaputra was 51.46 at the peak of 2nd wave of flood on 21/7/04.
}
Incessant rains since the last week of June, 2004 through out the State of Assam and adjoining essentially hill states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and neighbouring country of Bhutan
}
Sudden rise in water levels due to release of waters from dams, reservoirs and breach of the Tsatitsu lake in Bhutan which caused flash floods in areas which were not traditionally flood prone
}
There were 2 prominent waves of flood i.e. 23.6.04-29.6.04 and 8.7.04-29.7.04 during the Summer Monsoon season marked by heavy bank erosion and breaches in embankments at several places.
}
In addition to this, due to continuous rains from 5.10.2004 - 10.10.2004 at a stretch, South-bank region of the district was inundated mainly because the breaches in the embankments like Futuri-Simina breach which had occurred during the Summer Monsoon could not be plugged so soon.
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FLOOD IN KAMRUP DISTRICT -2004 First Wave Date of Onset: 23rd June,2004 Area Affected: Hajo Revenue Circle Major Reasons }
Rise in water level of R. Puthimari, R. Pagladiya
}
Breach in embankment on R. Puthimari at -
No. 4 Bagta village
-
Akadi- Bhairatullajan
Effect Area Affected: 8780 ha Villages Affected: 26 Population Affected: 35,123 Villages Affected: 26 }
Completely submerged : 5
}
Partially submerged : 12
Loss of Life : 1 Loss of Cattle : nil Communication Disrupted : }
Hajo - Nalbari Road
}
Dumduma/ Dimu Road
Action taken }
Relief Shelters opened on embankments and highlands
Gratuitous Relief Distributed In First Wave Flood Total quantity of G.R issued ( in Qtls.)
HAJO CIRCLE
Rice
M. Dal
100
19.50
Salt
Chira
7 Bags@ 75 Kg per bag
Gur
10
100 Kg
Tarpaulin
200 Pcs.
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Second Wave Date of Onset : 8th July,2004 Area affected : Rangia Sub-division, Hajo Revenue Circle, Parts of N. Guwahati Circle, Palasbari Revenue Circle, Chaygaon Revenue Circle, Goroimari Revenue Circle, Chamaria Revenue Circle, Nagarbera Revenue Circle, Parts of Boko Revenue Circle Major Reasons }
Alarming rise in water level of rivers Brahmaputra, Pagladiya, Puthimari, Nona
}
Change in river course of R. Puthimari
}
Severe Erosion on banks of R. Puthimari, R. Boralia, R. Nona
Breaches Breach in embankments at Kamrup District: Rangia Sub-Division Division
Kamrup Sadar Sub-
- Left bank of R. Puthimari at :
}
Mandakata
}
Maregaon
}
Bagta
}
Uttar Harijura
}
Dihir Ekati
}
Barpathar
}
Tupamari
}
Mukul Danga
}
Phuturi - Simina
}
Baghdoba
- Right bank of R. Puthimari at: }
Effect
1
Bogoribari
Approximate area flood affected Population affected
Kamrup Sadar Sub -Div.
Total
30643 ha
68375 ha
99018 ha (Appox)
377308
606144
983452 (Appox)
300
406
706
2
Number of village affected
i)
Completely Submerged
1 Completely washed away
235 Completely submerged
236
ii)
Partially Submerged
64 Partially washed away
98 Partially submerged
162
235
73
308
iii) Undamaged but surrounded by flood water
74
Rangia Sub- Div.
3
Loss of life
3
10
13
4
Loss of Cattle
53
2
55
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Action Taken With the onset of floods, the district administration was involved in: -Search & rescue operations for the marooned people }
265 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Rangia Sub-Division were rescued and evacuated to safety with the help of IAF helicopters
}
46 nos. of helicopter sorties made during the period 13/7/04 to 19/7/04 for delivering the relief urgently required by the flood affected people in Hajo
}
Army boats are also being used to conduct rescue and relief operations
}
40 member disaster management team from NISA deputed in Hajo.
-Evacuation of villages and opening of relief camps and centers (i) Number of village evacuated
10
88
98
(ii) Number of Relief Camps opened
41
104
145
Total Inmates in Relief Camps
125000
72307
197307
131
177
308
Total Inmates in Relief Center
268196
161010
429206
(iv) Number of relief parties deployed
34
34
68
(iii) Relief Center opened
- Distribution of gratuitous relief to the flood affected families Gratuitous Relief Distributed In Second Wave Flood (10-7-04 to 29-7-04) GR Distributed from Kamrup District. dated upto 29/07/04 GR Relief
Rangia Sub-Div
Kamrup Sadar Sub- Div
Kamrup Dist
Cumulative Fig.
Cumulative Fig.
Grand Total
8121
7408.50
15529.50
Masur Dal (Qtls.)
730.24
1611.00
2341.24
Salt (Qtls.)
248.88
340.75
589.63
Chira (Qtls.)
158.75
415.25
574.00
3.7
124.00
127.7
Wheat Bran(40 Kg per bag)
1410
3890
5300
Tarpaulin (Nos.)
5000
17530
22530
0
3400
3400
497
0
497
(Items) Rice ( Qtls.)
Gur (Qtls.)
Bread (pcs) Rice Polish ( Bags)
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FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCES IN FLOOD MANAGEMENT The Sub-Divisional Relief Committee meeting was delayed by about 5 months as per the relief guidelines i.e. assam relief manual, 1976 due to preoccupation of the district administration with the parliamentary elections. The meeting was attended by officers from various line departments, all Circle Officers, Army etc. There was a detailed discussion regarding the availability of vehicles, boats etc. and highlands for setting up relief centres, circle-wise and also the readiness of various line departments was reviewed.
Rangia Sub-Division The whole Rangia subdivision was reeling under floods after the breach at Bogoribari on R. Puthimari. The Rangia town was accessible only by way of army trucks and for going further interior only army bouts could be used.
Breach of the embankment on R. Puthimari at Bogoribari which triggered heavy floods in Rangia sub-division
Damage to the Metre Gauge section of NF Railway in Rangia
In a major rescue operation on 10-7-2004, about 265 students of the Navodaya Vidyalaya who had been stranded were evacuated by air-force helicopters. The Baihata Chariali Police Station was made the base camp while the rescue operation was being carried out. The DC had already contacted the IAF officers at Borjhar Air Force station but because of rough weather the
Marooned children of Navodaya Vidyalaya, Rangia being rescued by the IAF helicopters on 10-7-2004 76
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helicopters were unable to take off. Finally, the DC left with the army for the helipad at Rangia while the Relief Commissioner, ADC (Relief), State Project Officer, UNDP DRMP and I were stationed at Baihata Chariali Police Station. It was a daring rescue operation by the IAF and all the children were evacuated to safety and were shifted to Rangia College where provisions had already been made for them. During a visit to the flood-affected areas the former MLA from the area and a prominent AGP politician with his touts came to the place where the district officials were camping and followed them as they stopped to enquire about the well-being of the affected people. One of his touts carried a video-camera and recorded as the politician tried to create an impression in the crowd that he was instrumental in arranging for the relief material being distributed.
Hajo Revenue Circle After the onset of the first wave of flood in Hajo revenue circle, marked by the breach in the embankment on river Puthimari, all communications were disrupted as the NH linking Hajo with Guwahati was submerged in stretches and a RCC bridge at Kalitakuchi collapsed. Even telephone lines were down and only wireless communication came handy in maintaining contact with the Circle Office.
Collapse of the RCC bridge at Kalitakuchi, HAJO which led to disruption in road communication disruption in
Breach in embankment on river Puthimari at Hajo
Then, the IAF helicopters were employed to carry the relief material and a temporary helipad was constructed atop a hill. I had been sent for delivering relief material on two such sorties wherein we not only dropped the relief material but also aerially surveyed the vulnerable area
Aerial view of the flood affected areas of HAJO
Looting and disorder during relief distribution through IAF helicopters
People trying to grab the relief material by entering the helicopter
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of Phuturi-Simina in Palasabari revenue circle where the Brahmaputra had been eroding the embankment at an alarming rate. However, because the entire low-lying areas were submerged and hence, air-dropping could not be done in a dispersed manner hence, it was done only on the highlands where people had taken shelter. Due to the absence of sufficient deployment of police personnel at the landing point incidents of looting were reported. Apart from the almost total breakdown in communication, there were a plethora of problems in Hajo. The Circle Officer was down with viral fever and was totally incapacitated. The local MLA had sabotaged the entire process of relief distribution. It was reported that the local MLA dictated to the staff of the Circle office involved in the relief work as to where to distribute and where not to distribute the relief materials. The water level continued to rise in Hajo while it receded in adjoining areas as the water which had drained from the relatively higher areas like Rangia entered the basin-like low-lying region of Hajo. There were also stray incidents of law & order problem as certain miscreants tried to cut the embankment. Altogether, for the Hajo area alone about 46 helicopter sorties were made till the road communication was restored. In order to control the chaotic situation which had developed in Hajo, the DC planned that for better distribution of the flood relief material Hajo would be divided into zones and an EAC from the headquarters would be made as the acting Circle Officer. Each zone was to be covered by a team which would comprise of a doctor, veterinary doctor, Public Health Engineering personnel etc. and headed by a magistrate. I also headed one such team and my team was allotted 7 villages namely, Mandikuchi, Hodda, Tetelia, Baasi Laotdi, Ketckiberi, Bahana and Kulhati no.1. The DC held a meeting at Hajo Circle Office and each magistrate roughly assessed the requirement of the villages in their zone (@ 500gms of rice, 100 gms of dal and 30 gms of salt per person per day) with the help of the respective Lot Mandals. Accordingly, we placed the indent for relief articles at the headquarter office. Next day, my team took 75 quintals of rice, 15 quintals of dal and 4.5 quintals of salt alongwith bleaching powder, clothes etc. in 2 trucks for our zone which would suffice for a population of 15000 for a day. Altogether, we lead a convoy of 10 trucks loaded with chira, gur, rice, dal, salt, water purification chemicals etc. Since, there had been incidents of looting on the way to the affected areas hence a police escort party was sent with us. The route we followed was full of disruptions as the flood affected people had shifted their belongings including cattle etc. to makeshift houses on the road. We prioritized the villages such that the ones where relief hadn't reached even once were visited on the first day. We were accompanied by army trucks, boats which helped us to access difficult areas and their nursing staff distributed medicines due to the absence of any government doctor in our team. For the second day we took note of specific requirements based on our interaction with the people. While unloading the relief articles at the Naamghar or Panchayat Bhawan the quantity handed over to the Gaonburah and the amount each of the villagers was entitled for was announced publicly. The villagers were asked to report about any instance of pilferage immediately.
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On the first day, when we were on our way back to the Hajo, Circle Office we crossed the Dumduma College where a relief camp had been opened. The women from the camp insisted on our visiting the camp even though we had exhausted all the relief material we had brought. On visiting the camp we discovered the pitiful condition in which the inmates were living. Though we had no food articles left we assessed their requirement and distributed some medicines left with us. A pregnant woman needed urgent medical attention and the army nursing staff with us expressed their inability to handle the case. The Jt. Director Health Services was contacted and requested to send a medical team to the College in the morning next day and the Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Commanding Officer of 9 J&K Rifles was also requested to provide us with a lady doctor from the Army's side. Next morning, we were accompanied by a lady doctor who was an Army Captain who attended to all patients as we revisited the Dumduma College relief camp and distributed the relief material there. The village where we had to next supply relief was entirely submerged and the villagers had shifted to an embankment. Hence, we carried relief material in an army bout to the place. As, the water was not deep enough and we were moving over submerged fields which had standing crop the boat often got stuck up and entangled in the plants. While coming back it had become dark and there was no electricity. We found our way out with the help of the torches, army wireless sets and light signal given by army jawans from the road. In the meanwhile, on the same day, one member of the CISF's disaster management team which had come form NISA, Hyderabad went missing during a rescue operation. Mostly the erosion by the Brahmaputra had been at the south bank, however, severe erosion had struck the north bank at Sualkuchi. 28 families were rendered homeless as their homestead land was eroded. They had all shifted to the village's Naamghar where the community had made arrangements for food for them.
R. Puthimari bank erosion and bamboo pallasiding done by the Water Resources department in order to reduce erosion
Palasbari Revenue Circle In Palasbari revenue circle, at Phuturi-Simina the Gumi-Palasbari embankment was being eroded rapidly by Brahmaputra river since the onset of monsoon. It was dreaded that a breach in the embankment could have lead to submergence of the Borjhar airport also. The Water Resources Department officials who were trying to contain the situation by making a last ditch effort were not allowed to enter the village as the villagers were agitated and held them responsible for the impending disaster. The army and police parties were called in for patrolling the embankment while the Water Resources department officials undertook protection works like launching boulders in cages, bamboo pallasiding etc. at the embankment and building of a ring bund. A ring bund using sand bags was being built in the inner portion but ironically the sand to be filled in the bags was being cut from the embankment itself. The engineers defied commonsensical logic when they advanced the argument that this was being done as the embankment would in any case be breached and sand was not available anywhere nearby. This resulted in further weakening of the embankment. Despite a go-ahead from the state 79 Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
government, around beginning of month of July, and a direction to the Water Resources Department to make every effort to prevent the breach from occurring, the breach in the embankment soon occurred and the ring bund was also breached on 21-7-04. I had the opportunity to witness the embankment at different stages of erosion. The entire process was rapid as over a span of just about 2 weeks there was a more than 600 m long breach at the 9th km of the Brahmaputra dyke. The entire Futuri-Simina village shifted to the relief camps identified nearby and on the embankment which was itself being rapidly eroded. The Water Resources department blamed the state government for not having sanctioned an anti-erosion scheme under the Gumi-Palasbari project and sanctioning only temporary protection works under Flood Damage Repair works. This year they submitted an estimate of Rs 1.2 crores for just plugging the breach but till March, 2005 they haven't been able to make much progress because of land acquisition related problems.
Gumi-Palasbari embankment at Phuturi-Simina before the breach actually took place, the RING BUND made by the Water Resources department is visible but it was washed away without a trace on the day of the breach
Site of breach in Gumi-Palasbari embankment at Futuri-Simina and massive bank erosion by the R. Brahmaputra
The local MLA visited the site of the breach and rhetorically declared it as a failure of the state government and district administration especially for the consumption of the reporters from the local press who were present there. He even blamed the district administration for not having been fair in distribution of relief material. Often, the officials found his presence and his undue interference in relief work irritating.
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Since, the breach at Futuri-Simina had been apprehended the district administration had time to prepare. The nearby villages were evacuated and people shifted to the relief camps identified. The area was divided into zones and the circle officer, BDO and EACs were placed in charge while an ADC camped there and provided directions under the overall supervision of the DC. Hence, the loss of life was nil and the relief distribution was fairly organized in Palasbari after the breach. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
FLOOD MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS Relief Guidelines - Assam Relief Manual, 1976 The subject of organization of relief is a State subject as per the constitution. The Central government communicated certain guiding principles in 1883 and on the basis of that, many states formed their own code/manual. In Assam, no such manual was formed till 1976 when the Revenue Department, Govt. of Assam brought out the Assam Relief Manual, 1976. It includes the following: }
Flood Warning System
}
Identifies vulnerable areas
}
Flood Control measures
}
Duties and Responsibilities of DC and other district officers
}
Process of Relief Administration
}
Maintenance of Accounts & Financial Powers of officers
}
District-wise flood maps
The Assam Relief Manual essentially lays down that the entire revenue machinery i.e. DC, SDO, Circle Officer, Lot Mandals, Gaonburahs etc. is also to serve as the relief administration machinery. The Assam Relief Manual has however, not been updated since 1976 though govt. instructions and circulars were issued from time to time. Also, the manual does not in anyway reduce the need for having a comprehensive disaster management plan as the manual essentially deals with floods and cannot be treated as a plan for coping with any kind of disaster
District Contingency Plan - Flood Relief Master Plan The Kamrup district administration had also prepared a 'Flood Relief Master Plan' in 2003 that was utilized for 2004 floods also. It comprised of: }
District Contingency Action Plan,
}
Administrative setup for rescue & relief operations,
}
Circle-wise maps identifying vulnerable areas,
}
Inventory of resources i.e. boats, vehicles etc.
}
Contact nos. of all important officials,
Since, the flood relief master plan was not updated during the current year it fell short of requirements. The master plan was however not a comprehensive District Disaster Management Plan and was meant only for dealing with floods and that too only in Kamrup Sadar subdivision.
Relief Meeting Under the relief manual, the Sub-divisional Relief Committee Meeting was held to: Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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}
Review the preparedness of all line departments
}
Assess availability of stocks of crucial items like foodgrains, medicines, fodder, boats etc.
}
Monitor condition of roads, bridges, embankments etc.
}
Identify locations for relief centres e.g. highlands etc.
Duties & Responsibilities Of Various Departments } Control Room
- District Control Room opened in district Headquarters - Circle Level Control room opened in each circle office } Circle Officers :
-
To prepare contingency plan for flood relief operation in their respective circles
-
To compile a list of locally available machine boats, country boats, bullock carts, handcarts etc. along with names and addresses of the respective owners.
-
To identity the vulnerable points of the embankments
-
To prepare route maps of flood affected areas
-
To identity highlands for possible relief camps etc
} Relief Branch:
-
To ensure sufficient food stock in F.C.I., Statefed, and other semi Govt. organizations and also in the open market.
-
To keep a close liaison with the Army authorities, Indian Red Cross, Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, NGO's etc.
} Supply Branch:
-
To reserve sufficient stock of POL and Kerosene Oil
-
To ensure availability of cattle feed
-
To identity proper godowns for storing food and other materials.
} Health Department
-
To ensure adequate supply of medicines
-
To ensure that doctors and staff are deployed for flood duty
-
To conduct medical camps & constitute mobile medical teams
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To take preventive steps to avoid epidemics etc.
} Public Health Engineering
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-
To arrange sufficient stock of hand tube wells and water disinfection chemical packets/bleaching powder
-
To undertake minor repairing works of spot sources along with disinfection of the source, before flood
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} Veterinary Department
-
To ensure sufficient stock of cattle, poultry feed & medicines
-
To have mobile medical teams & cattle camps
} Water Resources Department
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To keep round the clock vigil on the embankments
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To monitor & report the flood water level
-
To ensure availability of adequate filled sandbags
} P.W.D. Department
-
To keep a round the clock vigil of roads and bridges of flood prone areas
-
To be prepared for immediate restoration of communication incase of disruption
} Police
-
To provide necessary security to the officers and personnel engaged in flood duty
Evacuation, Rescue & Relief As soon as the flood warnings indicate a rise in water level the evacuation of people to safer places wherever possible is done. Usually, in Assam people refuse to leave their houses and belongings till the water level actually begins to rise. The Assamese people have devised their own traditional way of co-existing with floods wherein as the water rises they shift to the loft within the house called 'chang'. The inhabitants of the riverside areas and chars especially immigrant population found in large numbers in areas of Southern Kamrup like Goroimari, Chaygaon, Palasbari etc. are adept in living with floods. Incase of flood in 2004, the areas affected were nontraditional and hence the people were not prepared for the calamity and they were taken by surprise by the sudden and unprecedented spate of flood in their area. There were many incidents of people getting marooned and rescue operations were carried out in full swing especially by the army and the air force. The largest rescue operation was carried out by IAF helicopters in Rangia when they rescued 265 Navodaya Vidyalaya students who had been marooned. The relief material is distributed among both the people who had shifted to embankments or highlands as well as inmates of relief camps which are usually opened in schools, naamghars, hospitals etc. Once the flood water recedes, because of the unhygienic conditions the danger of breaking out of epidemics starts looming. Moreover, due to submergence of water sources there is scarcity of drinking water. Hence, post-flood measures like disinfecting the surroundings using bleaching powder, phenyle etc., sinking of shallow tube-wells wherever possible and provision of halogen tablets for purification of water are undertaken by the administration. Mobile teams of officials from the PHE, Health, Veterinary departments visit all relief camps. It goes to the credit of the Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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district administration that there was not a single reported death due to breakout of epidemics and this proves health, nutrition & sanitation arrangements made were adequate.
Rehabilitation & Reconstruction The rehabilitation of those affected by the massive floods was a colossal task. The rehabilitation plan was drawn up after calling for damage assessment report from the Circle Officers and line departments. A central team had visited Kamrup district among other affected areas of Assam to assess the magnitude of the damage and to devise an approximate but uniform method of calculating the loss to property. The team was led by the Joint Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs and consisted of 9 other officials and they visited Hajo, Rangia and Palasbari. But the correct assessment of damage was made only after the flood water receded. Under the Calamity Relief Fund and National Calamity Contingency Fund, ex-gratia payment was made to families of deceased persons, injured etc. and assistance was also provided for repair and restoration of damaged houses. Also financial help was given to small and marginal farmers for desilting, agriculture input subsidy and compensation incase of loss of land due to erosion. Similarly, assistance was also provided to fish-farmers, artisans, handloom weavers etc. to compensate for the loss in livelihood. As the flood had destroyed the standing crop in the fields, the district agricultural department was distributing seeds and seedlings of Sali paddy, Mustard, Pea, Blackgram, Lentil, Winter vegetables etc. which could be grown during that time of the year. Also, agricultural loans are extended to the affected people. Further, under the SGRY (Special Component) schemes for reconstruction at the village level were taken up which also resulted in providing of wage employment to those who would have lost all other means of earning their livelihood. Various departments submitted proposals for availing funds under the Calamity Relief Fund (Flood Damage Relief) for repair and reconstruction of damaged structures of their department. Because of fund constraints, the CRF (FDR) proposals had to be ranked priority-wise for which a meeting of all district heads of department and MLAs was called. The expenditure on restoration of damaged capital works should ordinarily be done from the normal budgetary heads and only when it is to be incurred for providing immediate relief for e.g. restoration of communication links, drinking water sources etc. it can be done under the CRF head. However, innumerable proposals are sent by the departments and are forwarded by the DC even when they are not immediately required for relief distribution.
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ROLE OF VARIOUS AGENCIES Central Government The Central government assisted the state government by providing advances from CRF, NCCF and by providing equipment such as motorized boats, satellite phones, VHF wireless sets etc. during the floods. The Ministry of Home Affairs, the nodal ministry for disaster management (except droughts and epidemics) through its guidelines issued from time to time and through the GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme being implemented in 12 districts of Assam has been trying to streamline the process of disaster management in the state. The Central government sent an inter-ministerial team for assessing the damages caused due to the natural calamity. While the state government projected a figure of Rs 2505.86 crores as the requirement for the relief and restoration exercise, the Central government released Rs 181 crores i.e. Rs 54 crores under CRF, Rs 46 crores under NCCF and Rs 81 crores by the Ministry of Water Resources on the basis of the report of the inter-ministerial team.
State Government The state government lays down the broad policy guidelines for conducting relief operations and coordinates with the security forces engaged in rescue and relief operations. It also coordinates the relief efforts at a broader level and inter-district issues can also be resolved by its intervention. The state government compiles the flood related damage's information received from the field and requests the central government for sufficient funds from the NCCF and CRF for undertaking reconstruction in the state. The schemes for rehabilitation, rebuilding and reconstruction are sanctioned and funds are disbursed to the districts by the Revenue department at the state government level. During the disaster the frequent VVIP and VIP visits hamper the relief efforts at the ground level as the administrative machinery busy with relief duties gets unnecessarily involved in protocol functions. Also, another often practically experienced problem is the demanding of information by the state governments repeatedly in more formats than one which unnecessarily results in engaging of already overworked staff in more & more paperwork.
District Administration The overall responsibility for undertaking disaster management activities before , during and after the occurrence of a disaster lies with the district administration in the field. Its multifarious duties are: }
Preparation, updation and implementation of District Disaster Management plan
}
Maintaining proper coordination with all line departments, armed forces etc.
}
Conducting preparedness and review meetings
}
Operating the Control Room round the clock
}
Conducting Evacuation, Relief and Rescue operations Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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}
Setting up of Relief Camps and ensuring supply of foodstuffs, drinking water, medicines etc.
}
Assessing the damage caused and arranging for rehabilitation and reconstruction
Politicians As elaborated in my first-hand experiences, there were instances when the MLAs diverted relief materials to different parts of their constituencies. The opposition party's politicians also tried to score a point over the ruling party by criticizing the state government for failing in providing timely relief to the people. The district administration should consider the opinion of the politicians as people's representatives but they should not be allowed to sabotage the entire relief operation for political gains. The politicians were sometimes helpful in identifying the worst affected areas and their supporters and party workers often volunteered for relief operations. Also incase of a particular MLA's constituency, the district administration was kept on its toes as the MLA himself actively participated in the relief work. During prioritization of the Flood Damage Repair schemes of the district, the local MLAs as members of the District Reconstruction Committee were consulted. They alleged that the departments had submitted inflated estimates and duplicate schemes. This ensured transparency in scheme selection but also allowed political rather than people's interests to dominate the process of reconstruction of assets damaged during floods. Further, there were explicit directions from the state government that the beneficiary selection for schemes such as IAY upgradation for houses damaged during floods, should be done by the BDO in consultation with the local MLA. The block-wise targets for distribution of such flood reconstruction benefits were dependent on whether the local MLA of the constituency was a member of the ruling party, opposition or independent and not on the magnitude of damage due to floods in the region. Hence, there has been a gradual politicization of the entire flood relief exercise. In Assam, in the absence of effective devolution of powers, responsibilities and finances, the PRIs are yet to be involved actively in the exercise of flood management.
Army And IAF The district administration coordinates with the security forces through the District Level Coordination Committee which is though essentially meant for intelligence sharing and planning of Counter Insurgency operations but becomes a forum for eliciting their assistance in terms of men & material during crisis situations. Army officials are also members of the Sub-divisional Relief Committee. The civil administration formally requisitions the services of the army for the period of the disaster. The army machine bouts called bouts and their trucks as well as their men become an enormous support for the civil administration especially in carrying out evacuation and rescue operations.
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The Air Force helicopters were the only means of supplying relief to the Hajo revenue circle when it was isolated due to a communication breakdown and as many as 46 sorties were made Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
for a week. Even the massive rescue operation wherein 265 marooned students of Navodaya Vidyalaya, Rangia were evacuated would have been impossible without IAF help. The Army should be requisitioned only when the disaster is found to be beyond the district administration's coping capacity. However, conventionally, as soon as flood waters start rising the services of the Army and IAF are immediately requisitioned without even fully pressing the existing administrative machinery into action. This is obviously done as a measure of caution but this gradually prevents the administration as well as community from developing their intrinsic ability to cope with hazards. Even in the media, this presents a bleak picture of the government's capacity to deal with the flood situation.
Line Departments The line departments are essentially the Deputy Commissioner's team's members in the field who tackle that aspect of floods which deals with their area of specialisation. They function in coordination with each other and as per the command and control of the DC. Especially, departments such as PHE, Health, Veterinary & Animal Husbandry etc. help in restoring the basic amenities to the flood affected people such as medicines, drinking water etc. The departments such as Water Resources Deptt., PWD (Roads), PWD (Buildings) etc. help in immediate repair and thus restoration of communication, mitigation of damages through flood protection works and reconstruction of assets damaged during floods.
One Bailey bridge was provided at this damaged bridge site ( Bridge no 29 /1 ) on North Guwahati Amingaon Hajo Nalbari Road in cooperation with Army Authority
Immediate temporary measures to reduce the loss of PWD property by providing bamboo palasiding, sand filled bags at the breach portion of the road.
PWD (Roads) Department PHE Department }
Temporary installation of Hand Tube Wells in relief camps.
}
Major repairing of spot source.
}
Raising of spot source where required.
Installation of Hand tubewell in Phutri- Simina embankment
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}
Distribution of chemical packets with leaflets.
}
Distribution of beaching powder of disinfection.
Health Department }
167 Doctors and 349 Para Medicals had been deployed on flood duty
}
5 mobile teams had been formed per PHC to cover the flood affected population by conducting health camps
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Constant checks made for breaking out of epidemics among the population at camps & shelters
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Stocking of Medicines, Phenyl, DDT, Chlorine tablets for disinfections of water
Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department
Veterinary treatment camps were held in villages and in relief shelters for treating animals, vaccinating them and distributing fodder and wheat bran
Media The media especially the National News channels like NDTV, Star News, Aaj Tak came hunting for scoops. The Aaj Tak channel did a special series on flood management in Kamrup district and presented a dominantly anti-administration view of the entire process. These channels painted a highly gloomy picture of the state of affairs by downplaying the efforts of the administration and blowing out of proportion even minor lapses. This had a demoralizing effect on the various rungs of government officers and staff engaged 24 hours in rescue and relief duties. The regional news channels and local newspapers provided a much more detailed coverage. Their reporters even gave vital information regarding stranded people or lapses in relief distribution to the administration. However, the local press especially the vernacular one is infamous for picking up sensational scoops and raising false alarms many times.
Local Public Annually floods disrupt the rhythm of life and means of livelihood of the people. It is a pity to see people living in tents on the roads or in dilapidated school buildings temporarily converted into relief camps. With their standing crops destroyed they rely on the food grains distributed 88 as relief and catch fish to supplement their diet. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
However, the settlements continue to be concentrated in the vulnerable areas despite annual displacement due to flood waters. Also, a dependency syndrome is discreetly noticeable among the Assamese people who consider the Gratuitous Relief and subsequent Rehabilitation Grant as their third crop. They claim Rehabilitation grants for damages to their houses and fields located in the flood plains every year. This is a disturbing trend and such an attitude of the local people is also carried over to the other development & welfare schemes implemented by the government during normal times where they expect benefits without deserving them.
A villager fishes on the road as his fishery tank is inundated and fish produce is carried away by flood waters
Floods result in herding of the livestock in unhygienic and damp conditions with no dry fodder
The entire household with belongings shifts to makeshift shelters or tents on the roads and embankments
A man being swept away by the current of the flood water - loss of life mainly occurs due to flash floods
Children in a relief camp - their special nutrition needs are ignored, they fall prey to water-borne diseases and their education suffers as schools are converted into relief camps
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The state government should not only stop doling out money especially to settlers in vulnerable areas but also reintroduce the practice of having test-relief works i.e. food for work programme when the flood water recedes. However, there is a lack of political will to reform the process of relief distribution and post-flood reconstruction. In fact this growing dependency of the people on the government is used by the political parties to consolidate vote banks by doling out benefits among their loyalists.
NGOs In Assam recently there has been a mushrooming of NGOs and during floods multiplicity of such organizations approach the district administration. However, a few established NGOs like NYK, Red Cross etc. are reliable and their efforts in synergy with the district administration makes the process of relief distribution and post-flood rehabilitation more effective. The district administration's expectations from NGOs, during a disaster, are that they should come forward in handling those aspects of disaster management where the administration feels constrained e.g. trauma counseling etc. The NGOs should volunteer to provide articles which the government cannot provide to the victims under the relief guidelines like things of daily use like buckets, candles, lanterns, ointments etc. or for meeting specific needs like baby food. Many NGOs collect donations in the name of flood relief but fail to make an impact as they are not able to ascertain the felt needs of the people and end up duplicating the efforts of the government.
Interplay Of The Multiple Agencies Involved In Assam, the entire flood relief exercise has more facets than what apparently meets the eye. It is not sheer ignorance or the inertia and resistance to change which prevents reforms in the existing process of flood management in Assam. The present state of affairs is a reflection of the symbiotic and mutually convenient manner in which the various interest groups i.e. politicians, contractors, traders and government officials continue to further their cause at the cost of the people. There is a need for radical reforms in the manner in which floods are managed in Assam. The adhocism needs to be replaced by disaster planning and mitigation. There has been an attempt to systematize things and institute a scientific process of disaster management through the GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme in 12 districts of Assam. The programme implementation is spread over the period 2003-2007 but during the floods of 2004 there was essentially no visible presence of the disaster management machinery envisaged under the programme. It would be interesting to observe as to how during the floods of 2005 this newly introduced setup operates.
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SUGGESTIONS The annual phenomenon of floods in Assam is only going to aggravate in the near future. It has been reported that as a result of global warming the Himalayan glaciers are receding at the alarming rate of 15 m per year which would result in increasing the volume of water in the channels of rivers like Brahmaputra and hence, intensify the magnitude of floods and resultant damage and destruction. Hence, the problem needs to be considered even more seriously than ever before. There are certain measures which can be taken for mitigating the damage caused by flood annually.
Structural Measures }
Construction of embankments in a planned scientific manner using the latest engineering technology at certain selected points only.
}
Construction of dams and reservoirs on tributaries of Brahmaputra : Certain projects namely, Harrang Drainage Development Scheme, Pagladiya Dam Project and Avulsion of Brahmaputra at Dholla-Hatighuli are being envisaged by the Brahmaputra Board.
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Putting an end to felling of trees and undertaking afforestation in catchment areas, this will stop soil erosion at the headstream regions and siltation of river beds in the plains
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Watershed development and slope stabilization & protection works need to be taken up on a large scale to prevent secondary disasters such as landslides from occurring.
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Construction of drainage channels, culverts and sluice gates wherever necessary
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Construction of raised platforms near the settlements of the flood prone area for taking shelter during the period of high flood through schemes like SGRY (Special Component) and flattening of hillocks etc. for use as raised platforms
Non-Structural Measures }
An advanced warning and flood forecasting system needs to be developed through coordinated action and cooperation among India, Bhutan and China as timely warning about the volume of water flowing into the tributaries due to rainfall in neighbouring countries can help in controlling the losses.
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Flood Plain Zoning Regulations should be enacted and enforced by the State Government.
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Flood Insurance Scheme with higher premium for areas more prone to flooding can be introduced as an effective measure for providing relief to people
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Flood prone area development programme as a regional development programme on the pattern of drought prone area programmme can be introduced for adopting a holistic approach towards development of these areas.
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There should be a conscious effort to tap the traditional wisdom of the community and promote their indigenous coping mechanisms like construction of raised houses and raised community granaries, having bamboo protected plinths in houses, having raised hand pumps, making banana log boats etc.
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Also, there are certain other measures that are being taken up under the GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme for creation of a systematic institutionalized mechanism for dealing with not just floods but all kinds of hazards. These have been discussed in elaborate detail in PART-III of the assignment. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Appendix -1(I)
FLOODING AND WATERLOGGING IN GUWAHATI CITY The city of Guwahati suffers from a chronic problem of flash floods and water logging which residents of most parts of the city face every year. The genesis of the problem is mainly due to: }
Geographical factors l
Location on the southern bank of R. Brahmaputra
l
Surrounded by hilly areas
l
Hillocks located within the city
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Gradient slopes towards the centre of the city- i.e. bowl-shaped
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Silting of the natural drainage channels - Bahini, Bharalu, Mora Bharalu and Basistha as well as the Beels like Deepor Beel, Sola Beel etc.
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Overstraining of existing drainage infrastructure
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Unprecedented earth cutting and haphazard construction in the hillocks
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Filling up of water bodies to cater to construction boom triggered by rapid population growth
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Encroachment of drainage channels
Last year, there were two waves of flood in Guwahati city and each wave triggered not just water logging but secondary disasters such as landslides which claimed many lives. n
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Ist Wave : 6.7.2004 - 25.7.2004 -
Landslide occurred on 14.7.2004
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Reasons : }
Excessive rainfall within a short duration ( on 15.7.04, r.f. recorded as 83.4 mm )
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Sluice gate (Bharalumukh) got closed from 11.7.04 i.e. when the level of R. Brahmaputra rises more than that of R. Bharalu
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Closing of the sluice gate prevents the natural process of drainage and causes stagnation and water logging which further results in siltation of the drainage channels both natural and man-made
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Sluice gate remained closed till 25.7.04
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During the period ( 11.7.04- 25.7.04), pumps were operated for dewatering from R. Bharalu to R. Brahmaputra but were disrupted due to power failure on 14.7.04
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Further, the alternate drainage channel i.e. Morabharalu also did not have the required channel capacity to drain the excess water
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R. Brahmaputra in Fancy Bazaar area on 12.7.04
The bridge over R. Bharalu at Bharalumukh where it meets R. Brahmaputra at the peak of flood season on 13-7-04
Waterlogging at Athgaon in Fancy Bazaar, Guwahati city on 15-7-04
R. Brahmaputra breaches the pavement at M.G. road, in Guwahati.
n
n
IInd Wave: 5.10.2004 - 10.10.2004 }
Landslide occurred on 7.10.2004, 8.10.2004
}
Reasons: l
Excessive rainfall in the catchment areas of Meghalaya
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Continuous spell of rainfall for 5 days at a stretch (On 7.10.04, r.f. recorded as 141 mm )
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Reduced carrying capacity of the channels as a result of siltation during the previous waves
Worst Affected Areas of the city: l l
Areas already affected during the first wave. Jawaharnagar, Khanapara, Rukminigaon-Maidamgaon, Panjabari, Basistha, Beltola, Hatigaon, Sijubari etc Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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The district administration together with civic bodies like GMC, GMDA has planned to check the problem of water logging in Guwahati city and have chalked out certain short-term and long term measures. n
n
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Long-Term Measures }
Application of modern techniques like GIS for the detailed survey of drainage pattern etc. as a planning tool
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Creation of new drainage channels along the southern side of the NH bypass
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Construction of linking channel from the southern part of NH to Deepor beel
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Resectioning of Khanajan to Khanamukh and providing a multiple sluice gate at Khanamukh with pumping facility
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Diversion of refinery drain directly towards R. Brahmaputra ( Work is under progress )
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Periodic desiltation of the water bodies like natural drainage channels and Beels
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Imposing a ban on earthcutting in hilly areas
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Taking up works for stabilisation of slopes and preservation of wetlands
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Installing and maintaining silt traps at crucial points within the drainage channels
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Installing a dedicated power supply line to the pumpsets
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Eviction of encroachments
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Clearing of waterway of the culverts blocked by cables and pipes
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Construction of cross-culverts by the Railways
Short-Term Measures -
Identification of the worst-affected areas in the city
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Clearing of all drains before and during monsoon season
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Maintenance and repair of pumpsets
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Employing trolley-mounted pumps for dealing with water-logging due to flash floods
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Soliciting citizen groups participation in identification and monitoring of works
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Constitution of teams of magistrates to monitor the implementation of works
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Appendix -1(II)
Newspaper Cuttings
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Part - II
EARTHQUAKE - DISASTER MANAGEMENT Introduction An earthquake alert had been sounded in all the Upper Assam districts on 11th December,2004 after a group of scientists predicted a massive earthquake having its epicenter in Sibsagar district. Fortunately, the predictions did not come out to be true and doubts as to whether an earthquake can be predicted were being raised. These scientists had also predicted the Sumatra earthquake which had resulted in the devastating tsunamis on the basis of calculations based on the position of various planetary bodies vis-à-vis the earth's alignment. The effect of the Sumatra earthquake was felt in parts of Assam too. Further, it was observed that the after shocks were traveling northwards towards Myanmar and India's North-east. The Indian, Tibetan and Burmese plates are colliding and there are certain active faults in the region which are under strain. Earthquakes are earth's natural mechanism in order to release the tension and Guwahati is located at a distance of 200-400 kms from the probable epicenters of such earthquakes. A group of US Scientists belonging to the 'International Union of Geodesy and Geo-Physics Risk Commission' also warned that a major earthquake was likely to happen in Assam. Since, the entire North-Eastern region lies in the Zone-V in the seismic map of the country hence, the warning was taken seriously by the state government.
Assam & Earthquakes Much of Assam lies in the Bramaputra River Valley, except for a few southern districts. The northern and eastern parts of this valley are bounded by the Himalayan Frontal Thrust. In the eastern parts along with the Himalayan Frontal Thrust, there are the Lohit and Naga Thrusts. The region with the highest susceptibility of occurrence of earthquakes is along the state's border with Meghalaya, the site of the Great Indian earthquake of 1897.
Significant Earthquakes in ASSAM 10 January 1869 - Cachar (Assam), India, M 7.5 It caused serious damage in the region. 12 June 1897 - Near Rangjoli, Assam, M8.0
Largest Instrumented Earthquake in Assam This was one of the most powerful earthquakes in the Indian sub-continent. The quake wreaked havoc across a wide area of the present states of Assam and Meghalaya. 1500 people were killed and hundreds more hurt. Damage from the earthquake extended into Kolkata where dozens of buildings were badly damaged or partially collapsed. 21 January 1941 - Near Tezpur, Assam, Ms 6.5 23 October 1943 - Near Nowgong, Assam, Mw 7.2 96
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Felt strongly in the region and in neighbouring Manipur. Not much is known about this earthquake as it occurred at the height of World War II when the threat of Japanese aggression on the eastern border of British India was extremely high. 15 August 1950 - Indo-China Border Region, Mw 8.6 This "Independence Day" earthquake was the 6th largest earthquake of the 20th century. Though it hit in a mountainous region along India's international border with China, 1500 people were killed and the drainage of the region was greatly affected. The resultant floods resulted in most of the deaths and damage this earthquake. The initial shock was followed by thousands of aftershocks, some of which were big earthquakes in their own right. 31 December 1984 - Silchar, Assam, Mw 6.0 20 people were killed in Cachar District and a 100 were injured.
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URBAN EARTHQUAKE VULNERABILITY REDUCTION PROJECT Vulnerability Factors in Guwahati } } } }
}
Lack of open spaces in the city and narrow congested lanes and bye-lanes in the city which may hamper rescue operations. Guwahati has grown in a haphazard manner and building permissions were obtained even without compliance with BIS codes. Quality control tests of construction material, geotechnical investigation of soil of building site, fire safety checks etc. are not carefully carried out before giving building permission. The ground-water table being quite shallow in Guwahati especially along river banks and the alluvial soil being silty and clayey, liquefaction might be triggered by an earthquake and all built-up structures would collapse. Landslides may also be triggered by earthquakes in the hilly parts of the city e.g. the Kalapahar, Neelachal, Dhirenpara etc.
Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Project The Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the UNDP has launched the 'Urban earthquake vulnerability reduction project' as a subcomponent of the Disaster Risk Management Programme in 38 cities all over the country. These cities have been chosen on the criteria of being located in Seismic Zones 3, 4 or 5, with more than half a million population. Guwahati city is the only city to be selected under the project from the entire north-eastern region. The goal of the project is the "Sustainable Reduction in Earthquake Risk in the most earthquakeprone urban areas across the country". The Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Project is targeted over a time period of 4 years and is aimed in particular to raise the awareness of decision makers and the public to seismic risk in their region and contribute to minimizing losses to developmental gains by helping communities at risk to be better prepared. The project has 5 components namely, } } } } }
To create awareness among government functionaries, technical institutions, NGOs, CBOs and communities about earthquake vulnerability and possible preventive actions. Development and Institutionalising of Earthquake Preparedness and Response Plans and practise these through mock drills Development of regulatory framework (techno-legal regime) to promote safe construction and systems to ensure compliance Capacity building for certification by Government functionaries and professionals (engineers and architects) Networking knowledge on best practices and tools for effective earthquake risk management, including creation of information systems containing inventory of resources for emergency operations.
Steps Being Taken In Guwahati City Under The Project }
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A technical committee has been formed under GMDA to examine the 'lifeline buildings' and more than 3 storied buildings for earthquake resistance and to suggest amendments in the byelaws governing buildings of the city.
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} }
} } }
}
A District Emergency Operation Centre cum Technology Demonstration Unit is being established at MMC hospital. An initiative for going in for detailed Micro-zone mapping within the city of Guwahati has been taken up by the Department of S&T, GOI with involvement of the Jorhat Engineering College. The Assam Administrative Staff College besides other local academic institutions has been selected as Key Resource institutions under the programme. Number of sensitization and awareness meetings held among GMC ward councilors, professionals, line department officials, Nagarik Committees, schools etc. The exercise for preparation of an Earthquake Preparedness and Response Plan is underway and the information for baseline inventory which includes City physical and social infrastructure, legislations etc. is being collected. Training and capacity building programme for engineers, architects, volunteers, Quick Reaction Teams etc. to be taken up shortly.
Critical Analysis & Suggestions }
} }
}
}
It has been observed that awareness meetings conducted under the programme have thin attendance and the response of the stakeholders is lukewarm. Now, competitions like poster-making, slogan-writing etc. are being conducted along with meetings to attract students, youth, parents etc. Disaster Management Teams (DMTs) once trained need to have frequent mock drills in order to keep them active. Presently, there is no clear cut demarcation of duties and responsibilities of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation and Guwahati Municipal Development Authority especially with regard to building permission. Hence, high-rise buildings come up without adherence to safety norms by obtaining approval via one of the bodies. Traditionally, "Assam Type" houses which were flexible and sufficiently earthquake proof were constructed. However, the scenario has changed now and these houses have paved the way for multistory masonry buildings particularly in Guwahati city. If the present trend of construction and population growth continues, an earthquake of magnitude > 7.5 will bring enormous damage to property and great loss of lives. Hence, there is an urgent need to switch over to such indigenous disaster resistant and cost-effective housing technologies. The encroachment of the roads, pavements etc. for parking vehicles, by vendors, slums etc. resulted in narrowing and congestion of the paths. In the event of any disaster, rushing of relief and rescue to the site would be difficult given the traffic scenario in Guwahati city. Hence, a city-wide eviction and demolition campaign needs to be taken up by GMC, GMDA and District Administration after identifying the illegal encroachments in the various parts of the city.
}
Further, there are hardly any open spaces in Guwahati city where people can take refuge incase of a seismic disaster. The concrete jungle has been growing haphazardly both vertically and horizontally.
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It is important for the administrative agencies to reflect and plan for strict enforcement of proper building codes and appropriate land use policy in the region. The lack of political will and go slow attitude of the bureaucracy has resulted in gradual dilution of the issue of strict enforcement of BIS codes. 99 Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Appendix -2(I)
Newspaper Cuttings
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Part - III
DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN KAMRUP DISTRICT In Assam, surprisingly, at the state level there was no organized comprehensive disaster management policy or plan and no efforts to chalk out any, till very recently. The guidelines i.e. Assam Relief Manual is in operation since 1976 with frequent modifications through government circulars. However, the Assam Relief Manual essentially serves as a flood relief manual and not a generalized document which would guide the planning, rescue, relief and rehabilitation process in case of any kind of disaster. Recently, however, certain steps have been taken for evolving a systematic mechanism for disaster management at the state government level. }
Now, a state disaster management bill is being prepared and state disaster management authority is being setup.
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State Relief Code is being amended.
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State disaster management plan and policy is being drafted.
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Consultations are on for setting up a State Disaster Management Authority under chairmanship of CM and ministers of relevant departments.
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Revenue Department & Relief and Rehabilitation Department of the State Government have been proposed to be reconstituted as the Department of Land and Disaster Management.
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Assam Administrative Staff College designated as 'Centre of Excellence ' and State Training Institute for Disaster Management for training master trainers at the state level.
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Disaster Management is also proposed to be included in the curriculum of engineers, architects etc.
GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme In Assam, the GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme has been taken up in 12 districts Barpeta, Cachar, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Kamrup, Karimganj , Lakhimpur , Marigaon, Nagaon and Nalbari.
Introduction The overall goal of the programme is "Sustainable Reduction in Disaster Risk in some of the most hazard-prone districts in the 12 selected States of India". The programme relies upon a community based approach to disaster management, and seeks to build capacities of communities, government functionaries at all levels, and other stake-holders in disaster management, at all levels, in an organised manner. The entire programme has been divided into two phases for six years. In Phase-I [2002-2004], it is proposed to provide support to Ministry of Home Affairs as National Nodal Agency and Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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intensive natural disaster risk management activities in 28 most vulnerable districts of Orissa, Gujarat and Bihar. In Phase II [2003-2007], programme support would include support to the 97 districts in the remaining states of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Delhi, Assam, Sikkim, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya and few more districts of pilot states. The programme essentially involves undertaking of the following activities: }
Formation of State, District, Block, Gram Panchayat, Village/Ward Disaster Management Committees [DMC], which would include all concerned Government Departments/functionaries, Senior Citizens, National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Social Service (NSS), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Zilla Sainik Board, elected members (PRIs), NGOs, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and other civil society response groups.
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Development of disaster management plans at district, block, municipality, gram panchayat, village/ward levels.
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Development of Inventory of resources at all levels for speedy response during emergencies - use of GIS to project the resources on the maps for immediate decisionmaking.
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Development of disaster response structure from village/ward to district level by way of formation and training of Disaster Management Teams [DMT] at all levels.
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Awareness campaigns on disaster mitigation and preparedness
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Support to include disaster management in school curriculum and schedule to drills in disaster prevention and response for schools.
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Promoting partnerships with academic institutions and private sector in development of disaster risk management plans.
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Development of training manuals in Disaster Management for District, Block, Gram Panchayat, Villages/Wards for each State in vernacular languages.
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District multi-hazard preparedness and mitigation plans intergrating Block/ULB, Gram Panchayat, Village/Ward plans which would involve vulnerability mapping, risk assessment and analysis, hazard zoning, resource inventory, response structure, etc
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Dissemination of cost effective alternate technologies for hazard resistant housing including retrofitting/roof top rainwater harvesting features as long-term mitigation measures.
Status of Programme Implementation in KAMRUP District In Kamrup district, under the Disaster Risk Management Programme, 15 blocks, 162 Gaon Panchayats, 1162 villages and 3 urban local bodies need to be covered.
Constitution of District Disaster Management Committee
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The Deputy Commissioner is the Chairman or District Disaster Manager of the DDMC and the district level response is coordinated under his guidance. The District Disaster Management Committee exists to assist the Deputy Commissioner in Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Reviewing the threats of disaster
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Analyzing the vulnerability of the district to such disasters
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Coordinating with all the line departments.
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Evaluating the preparedness and
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Considering suggestions for the improvement of the District Disaster Management Plan
The DDMC should meet at least once a month and an emergency meeting will hold whenever information is received regarding calamity. The role of the body will be to incorporate all disaster precautions while undertaking development initiatives and hence, to enable integration of disaster management into development plans. Similarily, the Block Disaster Management Committee, Gaon Panchayat Disaster Management Committee and Village Disaster Management Committee are also formed in order to ensure decentralization of disaster management upto the grassroot level. Draft District Disaster Management Plan has been prepared and circulated among the various line departments for their suggestions. The plan essentially consists of: }
Type of disasters with Risk Assessment & Vulnerability Analysis
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Emergency Support Functions
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Capability Analysis with Resource Inventory
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Emergency Operation Center System or District Control Room
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Functions of District Disaster Management Committee
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Planning, Response, Recovery, Training and Awareness
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Information, Education and Communication
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Standard Operations Procedure
The District Disaster Management Committee discussed the draft plan and suggested changes. These suggestions and certain other information shall be incorporated & draft plan finalized and put into operation during the coming floods. Some of the significant features of the plan are the defining of the Emergency Support Functions and reconstitution of the District Control Room as the District Emergency Operation Centre.
Emergency Support Functions The Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) are various identified response teams which prepare their Standard Operational Procedures for action during any disaster. These ESFs are identified as per certain needs felt during any disaster such as ESF-Warning (Communication), ESF-Road Debris Clearance, ESF-Relief etc. Hence, the Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) provide vital disaster mitigation as well as response functions. The list of 16 identified Emergency Support Functions, its Team Leaders and the supporting agency is briefed in the following table: Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Emergency Support Functions, Team Leaders and Participating Agencies Emergency Support
Function
Team Leader
Participating agencies
ESF 1
Warning
S.P., Police
Meteorology (IMD), CWC, Water resources (E&D),
ESF 2
Evacuation (Search
Addl. District
ESF 3
First Aid & Medical
Jt. Director Health
ESF 4
Relief & Coordination
ADC (Relief)
Food &civil supplies, FCI, Statfed, Warehousing Corporation, Revenue & Relief (Circle officers, BDOs, LM/ Amin/ Patwari/ Gaon-Bura), Veterinary,
ESF 5
Water & Sanitation
E.E ( P.H.E)
PHED, DRDA, PRIs, Municipality /TC, Irrigation, Agri
ESF 6
Shelter
ADC ( Relief)
Revenue (CO, BDO, LM/ Patwari /Gaon-bura), DRDA, PRIs, Police (VDP), NCC, NSS, DTO, Railways, Taxes, IWT, PWD (for boats etc), Water resources (E&D), ASEB,
ESF 7
Carcass Disposal (Cattle Resource
District Animal
Animal Husbandry department of Block level and district level, ULBs Animal medicine stockiest, NGOs,
ESF 8
Damage
ESF 9
Trauma Counseling
Jt. Director Health
ESF 10
Patrolling
Suptd. Of Police
ESF 11
Logistics (TrafficElectricity-Water
ADM (Law & Order)
DC Office, Electricity Board, Transport Dept,Public Health Engineering Dept.,Municipality, Private Road Ways, PWD (Road), NH Division
ESF 12
Transport
District Transport Officer
Railway, PWD, Municipality, Civil Defence, Scout, NCC etc.
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Police (VDP), Fire services, Civil Defence, Home Guards, Zila Sainik Board, (NCC), NYK, NSS, Forests, Social forestry, Soil Conservation, PWD(R),PWD(Bldg), Sports, IS (Scouts & guides) Health & FW, Red Cross, DSWO, ICDS, Medical, Ayurveda, Homeopathy faculty/ Students, Asst
Deputy Commissioner Revenue & All departments Medical & FW, DSWO, Red Cross, ICDS Police(VDP, Nagarik Samities), Zila sainik Board,
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Emergency Support Function (ESF)
Function
Team Leader
ESF 13
Volunteers
Youth Coordinator NYK
ESF 14
Public Works
Superintending Engineer, PWD (Road),
PWD (Road and Building), Electricity Board, Public Health Engineering Dept Municipality etc.
ESF 15
Road Debris clearance
Special Officer, Municipality
Municipal Office, NCC, Scouts & Guides, Zilla Sainik Board, Divisional Forest Officer, NH Division I and II PWD (Road) and Nearest Army Cant.
ESF 16
Public Information and Help lines
PRO
NGOs, Media (print/audio-visual), NSS, Scouts & Guides, Education Dept
Participating agencies
NCC, NYK, Zilla Sainik Board, Blood Bank, Red Cross, NSS, Rotary Club, Lions Club, NGOs & other organization
District Emergency Operation Center ( DEOC) The Control Room follows the important Three C's i.e. Command, Control and Communication for effective response in an emergency. A control room should be able to provide timely and well thought of interventions to the grass root staff as well as volunteers as it will be the hub of three C's.
Purpose of the DEOC The District Emergency Operation Center under the control of Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup would operate round the clock and will be the nerve center to }
Monitor
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Co-ordinate
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Implement the actions/activities for Disaster Management.
During a disaster, the DEOC will operate under the central authority of the Deputy Commissioner, exercising emergency power to issue directives to all departments to provide emergency response service. He will also co-ordinate with the State Response Machinery like: State Relief Commissioner, Dispur, Assam and. The Control Room should be manned round the clock. Under the DRM programme, a technological demonstration unit (TDU) capable of withstanding disasters such as earthquakes etc. shall be setup as the DEOC. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Information Flow Chart of the DEOC Lower Div Commissioner
State Relief Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner
IMD/ CWC
DEOC Revenue Control Room
Line Departments Like: Jt DHS, DVO, AGRL, DTO, CSO, SP, CDMO, , IRRIG, PWD (R&B,) ELEC., DFO, and others
Block Control Room
Co-ordination Structure at District Level Control Room Deputy Commissioner (Disaster Manager)
ADM
ADC (District Emergency Operation Centre Room) DEOC
Line Departments Like: Jt DHS, DVO, AGRL, DTO, CSO, SP, CDMO, , IRRIG, PWD (R&B,) ELEC., DFO, and others
Support Staff 1 (EAC)
Site Operation Centers (Site Managers) Circle Officers and BDOs
Relief and Rehab of Affected people
Transit Camp
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Feeding Camp
Relief Camp
Support Staff 2 (EAC)
Cattle Resource Recovery
Transit Camp
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Feeding and Shelter
Mobile Vaccination and medicine
Activity wise flow of information between revenue control room, DEOC and site operation center
Revenue Control Room Deputy Commissioner
Provision of additional support Special instructions
Reporting on status of Disaster Situation Request for additional assistance
Continuous monitoring and deployment of resources as and when required
DEOC
Reporting on status of Disaster Situation
Site Operation Centers (SOC)
Transit Camps Relief Camps Rescue and Evacuation Salvage Operations Disposal of Dead and Carcasses Construction of Temporary Shelters
Feeding Camps Cattle Camps Medical Relief Clearance of Debris Distribution of Relief Materials Repair of damaged infrastructure
Community Awareness Programmes This is one of the most important components of the programme as it is the community which is the first to respond in the event of any disaster and bears the maximum burden of loss and bereavement due to it. The latent strength of the community needs to be tapped and its resilience to any disaster needs to be enhanced by way of awareness building campaigns. The community should be actively involved and made to play an active role in the preparedness programme, sharing of disaster preparedness cost, coordinating with government & NGOs, acting as a pressure group for ensuring transparency etc.
Setting Up of Disaster Volunteer Force - Identification and Training An analysis of the situation of the village community forms the first task for preparedness. After analysis, the villagers would form different groups to carry on the activities for disaster preparedness. The motivated and willing male and female group members would be trained Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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in the duties and responsibilities of each group. The groups may be formed for warning, rescue and evacuation, water and sanitation, relief and food, damage assessment, shelter management, etc. Each task force is also allowed to function as a Self Help Group, which in addition to providing self-employment also creates a group corpus to cope with emergency requirements during disasters. These task forces are to be trained by the concerned Government line departments.
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The Patrolling group (which would actually be the VDPs or Village Defence Parties already in existence) would be trained by the police and civil defence on protection/ vigilance of villages during disaster as well as non-disaster situations.
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The warning group would be trained by revenue and block officials to use their intelligence to gather warning information on impending disasters and effectively disseminate the same for protection. For warning group, members could be young boys and girls of the village (17 to 25 years) who will be trained to understand radio warnings and act fast to spread the warning throughout the village.
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The first-aid group would be trained by the local medical officers to handle immediate medical emergencies till specialized medical attention arrives. Those members with some knowledge of nursing (such as trained dais and AWW/ ANMs) would be preferred.
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The water & sanitation group will be trained by the PHE to use ORS, water purifying tablets, hygiene and low cost sanitation.
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The Carcass disposal group would be trained by veterinary and Urban bodies to hygienically dispose human and animal corpses, which during disasters create secondary disasters and formidable problems for the Administration through incidence of epidemics and diseases.
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The Trauma counseling group would be a village wisdom group trained to console victims of shock and trauma.
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The Shelter group will be trained by the revenue officials to effectively manage relief camps, cattle shelters etc. The group would essentially have women members preferably SHG members and Anganwadi Workers (AWW). They will be at the shelters and safe houses looking after the evacuees' food, water and medication requirements. This group can also coordinate with the government authorities to ensure that health and sanitation facilities are available for extra vulnerable like women and children.
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The Search & Rescue group would be trained by the police, civil defence, Fire Services, Home guards or even the Army or Paramilitary forces to reduce casualties and evacuate vulnerable people like the old disabled, babies, pregnant ladies etc. The members of this group would need to be physically strong (both men and women) and in the age group of 18 to 35 years. This team can coordinate with the government to avail the facilities for rescue and evacuation, both in terms of rescue training, rescue infrastructure and equipment and ensuring the alertness of the rescue team of the government.
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The Relief Coordination group will be trained to streamline relief materials and visiting manpower from Government as well as non-Government sources to judiciously benefit the affected population without discrimination. The members of the relief group collect, distribute relief materials such as food supply, utensils, clothes, kerosene, diesel, etc and coordinate all the relief requirements of the other action groups. Both men and women members have to be capable of interacting with the local authorities to ensure adequate supplies reach the village in time.
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The Damage Assessment group will be trained to assist the revenue officials in the task.
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The NGOs, SHGs, Clubs, Mahila Samitis, VDPs, JFMC, NCC NYK, Scouts and Guides etc should be actively involved in the process.
The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution and the resultant devolution of 29 subjects to the PRIs is the legal mandate for PRIs to enforce participation and cooperation of above line departments in creation of task forces and their sustained training at grassroots level. Responsibility of line departments in creation of task forces and their training 1.
Warning
Meteorology (IMD), CWC, Water resources (E&D), Radio, Doordarshan, DIPRO, Telephones, IWT, Police
2.
Evacuation
Police (VDP), Fire services, Civil Defence, Home Guards, Zila Sainik Board, (NCC), & rescue NYK, NSS, Forests, Social forestry, Soil Conservation, PWD(R),PWD(Bldg), Sports, IS (Scouts & guides) Inspector factory & Boilers, PRIs.
3.
Shelter
Revenue (CO, BDO, LM/ Patwari /Gaon-bura), DRDA, PRIs, Police (VDP), NCC, Management NSS, DTO, Railways, Taxes, IWT, PWD (for boats etc), Water resources (E&D), ASEB, Forests, DIC, Housing, IS, DEEO
4.
First Aid &
Health & FW, Red Cross, DSWO, ICDS, Medical, Ayurveda, Homeopathy faculty/ Medical Students, Asst Labour Commr, Veterinary
5.
Water & Sanitation
PHED, DRDA, PRIs, Municipality /TC, Irrigation, Agri (Eng)
6.
Carcass Disposal
Municipality/TC, Veterinary, Police , (VDP), PRIs, Fisheries
7.
Trauma Counseling
Medical & FW, DSWO, Red Cross, ICDS
8.
Damage Assessment Revenue, All deptts
9.
Relief & Coordination
10. Patrolling
Food &civil supplies, FCI, Statfed, Warehousing Corporation, Revenue & Relief (Circle officers, BDOs, LM/ Amin/ Patwari/ Gaon-Bura), Veterinary, Fisheries, Agriculture, Agri(Marketing) Police (VDP, Nagarik Samities), Zila sainik Board, IS(NSS), YC(NYK)
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All district heads of relevant line departments are required to sensitise their subordinate officers till the grass root level about formation and training of the taskforce. There will be an organizational structure parallel to the Disaster Management Committees called the Disaster Management Teams at the district, block, GP and village level to monitor the working of these community task forces and shall have members from the various line departments.
Community Disaster Management Plans The village or ward should be trained to formulate its own disaster management plans through PRA etc taking into account its past history of disasters, indigenous coping mechanisms etc.
Resource Mapping Each ward (rural and urban) would create through community participation (PRA) four maps resource map to depict local resources (boats, banana trees, implements etc for use during disasters), social map to show social and development infrastructure), risk/vulnerability map to identify areas vulnerable to disaster (eg low lying areas prone to floods), and opportunity map to identify safe/ advantaged sites (eg high areas in case of floods).
Cycle Rally organized as part of an awareness campaign at Rani Development Block on the occasion of Disaster Reduction day
Painting Competition for schoolchildren being organized during the Disaster Awareness Week
Demonstration by Fire Brigade organized in an open field during a block level awareness meeting
Training Programmes The training programmes are organized for different levels of functionaries from district level officials, identified NGOs, Private Sector Organizations in order to equip them to extend training facilities to functionaries at block and village level as well as organize awareness campaign and mock drills among the community members.
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The emphasis during the training programme is essentially laid on mock drills or simulation exercises incase of disasters for the disaster managers as well as the people. This helps in testing the practical applicability of the plan (structure and organization), coordination and effectiveness Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
of communication among the various agencies and the public, emergency equipment effectiveness & emergency personnel response and training, adequacy of first aid and rescue procedures etc. These mock drills are conducted periodically. Besides a contingency drill should be enacted during the flood season so that everyone knows what he/she should do and where he/she should go. It is advisable to have a mock drill at night during the rain, by cutting of the electricity in the village/ block/ district (as per the time chosen for the mock drill at each level). This exercise will help learn about unforeseen yet possible problems that might be faced. These learned lessons can be incorporated in the contingency plan.
Hazard Safety Cells Hazard Safety Cells comprising of DC as chairperson and Executive Engineers of all technical departments such as PWD (Building), PWD (Roads), Water Resources etc. as members will be constituted. They would identify lifeline structures e.g. hospitals, thanas etc., assess their vulnerability to disasters and prepare cost appraisal for retrofitting.
Use Of Information Technology And Latest Techniques India Disaster Resource Network is the official website (www.idrn.gov.in) for sharing information on inventory of 226 essential tools, equipment and machinery belonging to government, public sector, army and paramilitary sources. This along with information of private equipment will form the total inventory of emergency response and rescue, and will find place in the GIS based database. DC has been made responsible to maintain and update the database with the assistance of DPO, DRMP and DIO, NIC.
CONCLUSION }
There is a conscious effort on part of the state government for shifting the focus from 'Crisis Management' {which essentially includes Disaster Response (Rescue & Relief) and Recovery (Rehabilitation & Reconstruction)} towards 'Risk Management' {which comprises of Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Preparedness}. The Assam Relief Manual, 1976 and state government circulars guiding the process of disaster management till now did not lay adequate emphasis on disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. The Disaster Management Bill which is being drafted seeks to make amendments in the Assam Panchayati Raj Act, Assam Municipal Act and Guwahati Municipal Corporation Act to include the constitution, training and functioning of the 10 community task forces as mandatory with penal provisions incase of lapses. This will provide the much-needed legal support for institutionalizing the disaster management setup envisaged.
}
The focus on developing community preparedness through capacity building by
involving the grassroot institutions like PRIs etc. and organizing them into Disaster Management Teams is an innovative way of enabling the people to cope with disasters. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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In Assam, such a setup for disaster management, should bring a change in mindset of the people and wean them away from their dependency syndrome to a more self-help kind of approach towards the annual flood relief exercise. However, the community is yet to be involved in directly monitoring Gratuitous Relief and Rehabilitation Grant distribution as well as reconstruction schemes like Flood Damage Repair. These are the areas where maximum pilferage and corruption by the way of an unholy nexus between the contractors, department officials, traders and politicians takes place. Greater transparency in identification of beneficiaries, demystification of estimates, ready availability of documents like Plan & Estimates, Measurement Books etc. of public works for public scrutiny etc. are steps desirable for ensuring meaningful participation of the citizens in the entire disaster management exercise. }
The concept of Incident Command System is yet to be introduced in the state. This might prove as a handicap in the implementation of disaster risk management programme which while focusing on disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness places lesser emphasis in reorganizing disaster response setup through introduction of incident response at state level and district level for improving the speed and effectiveness of response. Finally, there has been a paradigm shift in policy-making and implementation in Assam from relief & rehabilitation towards mitigation, prevention and preparedness under the broader purview of disaster management. Further, there has been a conscious effort to integrate disaster management into the development process and hence aim for sustainable development.
REFERENCES 1.
Assam Relief Manual,1976
2.
Kamrup District Gazetteer
3.
UNDP Manuals on Disaster Risk Management Programme
4.
Kamrup district's Flood Relief Manual,2003
5.
Kamrup District 's Draft Disaster Management Plan
Websites
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1.
www.undp.org
2.
www.nidm.nic.in
3.
www.sdmassam.nic.in
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A CASE OF FLOOD IN BHARUCH (GUJARAT) Solanki Pravin K., IAS (Gujarat)
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I - BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FRAMEWORK FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN GUJARAT AND BHARUCH DISTRICT Due to history of disasters, Gujarat has disaster management framework, which is appreciated, at national level. The Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) is the highest body created at the State Government level to tackle disasters effectively and efficiently in the entire state of Gujarat. The Chairman of the body is the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat. It provides forum to senior politicians as well as senior bureaucrats to discuss and decide upon important issues during different phases of disaster cycle. The Government of Gujarat has constituted the GSDMA by the GAD's Resolution dated 8 February 2001 after Kutch earthquake. This authority was made statutory body later under GSDM ACT. The Authority is permanent agency handling the natural calamities in Gujarat at state level. The headquarters of this authority are at Udyog Bhawan, Gandhinagar. It also does research work in disaster management field. The objectives for constitution of this authority have been clearly spelt out and precisely defined in para (2) of the said Resolution. These are as follows: A. To provide relief to the people for the loss incurred due to natural calamity B. To undertake rehabilitation and reconstruction as social and economic activities or restoration of the situation. C. To make efforts to minimize the impact of natural calamities through precautionary programs and schemes. D. To analyze and study the reasons of natural calamities and to suggest the remedies to avoid or minimize the effects of such natural calamites. E. To make the best use of the funds, grants, donations, assistance received from Government of India and other foreign countries or from any other institutions/persons for prevention of such natural calamities or for handling the after-effects; to obtain loans and make proper use of the funds received by the Authority. The paradigm shift from reactive to proactive approach :
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Another important result of aftermath of 2001 earthquake is UNDP supported program for disaster mitigation measures in every district of Gujarat. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is supporting the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) in implementing a Disaster Risk Management Program in Gujarat. The program is being implemented in line with a paradigm shift from reactive disaster response to proactive preparedness and mitigation in disaster management. This shift in thinking was crystallized in the aftermath of the Gujarat earthquake of January 26th 2001. In Bharuch district, District disaster officer of UNDP works under collector. He is responsible for preparing Village Disaster Management Plans (VDMPs), Taluka Disaster Management Plans (TDMPs), AND City disaster management plans in Bharuch district under the leadership of Collector, Bharuch. Until now, good progress has been achieved in Bharuch district in this field because of special interest Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
taken by collector personally. Many workshops were already organized for training of staff. Updating of VDMPs and TDMPs is regularly reviewed during revenue officers meeting every month.
Brief Discription of Calamity Bharuch district faces a number of hazards every year, which pose the threat of disaster. However, this disaster was very new to the district. This occured during my first week in District. I was attached to Collector for training. On the day of 3rd August 2004, we received news of four person's death due to flash flood in Karjan River. This incidence was reported to Gandhinagar. I was invited to the dinner in evening at Collector's Bungalow on third august evening. In evening at 7:00 O'clock, rain started. That rain did not stop until mid-night. Initially we thought that the rain would stop and then we would go to circuit house, where I was staying. We, I and my Collector tried to reach at our office in night at 11.30 O'clock unsuccessfully. At 2.30 in early morning of 4th August, my Collector went to office with the help of one truck. In morning next day, when I reached office, entire Collector office was working on war-foot basis. Entire south Gujarat was badly affected by the calamity of heavy rainfall. Fourth and fifth August was very painful days for Bharuch district. For next four days, I was with my Collector office observing the situation with curiosity and great zeal for learning. The flash flood in district headquarter : Bharuch City, Ankleshwar City and surrounding rural areas were affected badly because of the rainfall. Traditional drainage in this area got blocked due to encroachment. Intensity of rainfall was very high. Therefore, the area was unable to hold the water. This created a situation like flash floods. In short, human obstructions to natural water flow and heavy rainfall were two prime reasons for this disaster in Bharuch. Due to flooding in the major areas of the district, roads and bridges were damaged seriously. 22 Rural road links were affected. Preliminary eye estimate suggested damage to 350 kms of Panchayat Roads, costing some Rs. 9.44 Crores, necessitating roughly Rs 1 crore on immediate repairs and Rs. 8.44 Crores on permanent repairs. Six state highways in the district were totally blocked for traffic due to heavy water logging and flooding in the roads. 2 bridges and 22 culverts were damaged. Water was overflowing at the Sardar Sarovar dam on 2nd august. However, with the increasing rain activities in the Narmada Catchment area the water level at the dam had been increased which is at 113.62 meter. Similarly, at Garudeswar the water level was 18.62 and at the Golden Bridge 5.00 meter on 3rd August. Communication & Traffic disruption : Ahmedabad-Mumbai rail and road links were disturbed due to heavy rain. Therefore, railway traffic was disrupted in major way and many trains were cancelled. However, there was no disruption in railway lines in Bharuch district. Since none of the trains were stopped at Railway Stations in Bharuch district, no outsider passengers were stranded here. Communication and electricity were also affected in rural areas of Bharuch district. Power supply was badly affected due to damage to supply lines. Many localities witnessed felling of electricity poles. In all, 2 municipal towns and 325 villages were affected. 7 PDS shops were affected due to seepage of water into these, spoiling the food-grains and other stocks worth Rs. 42,860.24 stored there. 115 Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Various Adverse in imparts : Without narrating too much details of the calamity, adverse effects of this disaster can be analyzed in following manner. 1. Physical Damage : Blockage of water and force of a water flow damaged Structures, especially in old city of Bharuch and Ankleshwar. Many structures were collapsed due to soil erosion. One such collapsed structure took 17 lives in Bharuch Old City. Bharuch is an Industrial District. Therefore, this damage in industrial area was very high. 2. Casualties : Moving water can knock down and drown people and animals. Some causality was result of structure collapsing and waterborne debris. Total 60 deaths were reported during this Disaster in Bharuch District. 3. Public Health : Flooded areas were prone to endemic diseases, like diarrhea, malaria, cholera and other viral outbreaks. However, speedy actions taken by Administration during this disaster prevented such outbreaks in Bharuch District. 4. Water Resources : Open wells and other ground water resources were contaminated temporarily by debris carried by flood water. District Administration in Bharuch provided alternative water supplies in term of water tankers, etc. 5. Crops and Food Supplies : Agricultural crops were lost together with animal fodder due to flood. Grains in APMC storehouse were spoilt due to water logging. 6. Land Erosion : Land erosion is natural side effect of this type of flash flood. In same way, heavy silting may have adverse effects on fertility of the soil. Industrial area like Bharuch has complex problem of this nature due to such flash flood. 7. Animal losses : Large number of animals including cattles were lost in Bharuch. Corpses of dead animals were danger to public health in flood affected area. In two villages (panoli & Bakrol), near Ankaleshwar industrial estate, this problem was really acute.
Response of District Administration This type of flooding requires rapid localized warnings by administration and immediate response by affected population if damage is to be minimized. The administration took the relief activities with great speed. NGOs and community are supplementing the administration's effort. Followings are some important measures taken by district administration to tackle the situation 1. 307 animal carcasses had been lifted and disposed at places far away from the city. 2. 38 wells, 23 water tanks, 5126 houses were chlorinated throughout the district to avoid spread of any water borne diseases.
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3. 1,02,244 Chlorine tablets had been distributed in Bharuch city. 8500 kgs of disinfectant powder had been sprayed in the waterlogged and low lying areas to prevent water borne diseases Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
4. 93 blood samples had been checked for detecting traces of any communicable diseases such as Malaria. However, none of them found positive. 5. In rural Areas Zilla Panchayat had distributed 40055 chlorine tablets 173 ORS packets in flood affected rural areas. In the district, a total of 337 patients for fever, 196 for dysentery and 172 ARI and 299 others had been diagnosed and treated 6. A total of 11,070 kg wheat, 4775 kg rice, 2407 kg. sugar and 902 Kiloliter kerosene had been released for PDS shops under APL, BPL, Swarna Jayanti and Antodaya schemes during flood as a special measures 7. By 12th August, Rs. 11,20,000/- was paid to 26 families on account of death of their family members. Cash-doles are provided to all the displaced persons, and 46,638 persons were paid Rs. 29,60,420/-. On account of damage to the household articles, Ghar-Bakhari Sahay had been paid to 4104 families by providing them assistance to the tune of Rs. 31,21,218/- Hence, a total of Rs. 72,01,638/- was paid as compensation to the affected persons. 8. 56 medical teams led by 19 medical officers and 114 paramedic staff were deployed for emergency first aid and health check-up. 9. Industries and NGOs in Bharuch district had expressed their willingness to adopt specific affected areas for supplementing the relief efforts of the District Administration. They agreed to provide household assistance kits to the affected populations in their adopted Taluka/cities.
Sector Wise Actions Roads and Railways : All the National Highways had been cleared and traffic was normally going on in NH-8. Out of affected 22 rural roads, traffic was restored in 14 links by the 5th august, and by 7th august traffic was back into normal. Bharuch-Dahej state highway and Ankleswar-Olpad-Surat, which were totally blocked are open for traffic. In two marooned villages i.e., Kothia and Sadadla in Vagra Taluka, approach roads had been opened. Railway was also restored to the normal. Power : Within the 24 hours, electricity supply was restored in 90% area in Bharuch City and 80% area in Ankleshwar City and 301 villages. By 5th August electricity supply was restored in Bharuch city except the Phata-Talao area, and in 17 villages. By the 6th, electricity supply was restored to normal in whole district. Water Supply : Water supply was largely maintained, despite the grave situation. All the Group water supply schemes were operational without major disruption. Power supply was restored to these services within the hours. 24 villages having individual water supply schemes facing problem of water supply due to disruption in power supply, were fed with Tankers/Tractors. Out of these 24 villages, 17 got functional by 7th august. The 7 villages were supplied water through tankers, till the normal supply was restored. There also 38 wells, 23 water tanks, 5126 houses chlorinated throughout the district to avoid spread of any water borne diseases. Supply of Food Packets : Food packets were being provided to the displaced and other needy Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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people in all the affected areas. Many NGOs and Industries came forward to extend valuable support in this regard. All these efforts were being coordinated at different levels by the Liaison Officers. Some 16,000-food packets were distributed on 4th August, 6600 on 5th August, 5680 on 6th august and over 4000 on 7th August, taking the total to over 33,000 food packets distributed from the onset of this problem. On 10th of August supply of food packets had been discontinued. Medical and Sanitation Measures : A total of 50 medical teams had been deployed throughout the district to provide medical help to the people. Water quality was being monitored and all drinking water storage structures were being chlorinated. Super chlorinated water was being supplied in the Bharuch city as an additional precautionary measure. People had been informed through media to use boiled water to avoid spread of any water borne diseases. Measures taken by Municipal Authority : Extensive garbage removal and cleaning operations had been taken up in worst affected Bharuch and Ankleshwar cities through the municipal authorities. Ankleswar city : Ankleswar Municipality took up the cleanliness drive using 1 JCB, 6 Tractor Trailers, 2 three-wheeler and 1 four wheeler tempos and 2 Jetting Machine. 50 tones of garbage was lifted from the city areas and disposed. Also, 2 de-watering pumps were deployed to drain out water in the waterlogged areas. 3,500 D.D.T powder and 400 liter Malaria oil was sprayed in affected areas. 300 chlorine tablets were distributed as a precautionary measure to prevent water decontamination. Bharuch Municipality utilized 21 trailers and including the private ones and 3 JCBs for lifting and disposing debris and garbage. Decomposed food grains disposed. Additional manpower had been requisitioned for reinforcing efforts in sanitation work. 68 sanitation workers supervised by one Asstt. Municipal Commissioner from Vododara Municipal Corporation and 10 sanitation workers supervised by one Sanitary Inspector from Dabhoi Municipality joined the efforts in Bharuch city. Till 11th August, 307 animal carcasses had been lifted and disposed at places far away from the city. 1,02,244 Chlorine tablets had been distributed in Bharuch city. 8500 kgs of disinfectant powder had been sprayed in the waterlogged and lowlying areas to prevent water borne diseases. 93 blood samples had been checked for detecting traces of any communicable diseases such as Malaria. However, none of them came positive. Rural Areas : For maintaining sanitation Zilla Panchayat had distributed 40055 chlorine tablets 173 ORS packets in rural areas. In the district, a total of 337 patients for fever, 196 for dysentery and 172 ARI and 299 others had been diagnosed and treated
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Tele-communication : Many telephone lines were disrupted in the district. However, most of these were restored by the evening of 4th august. All telephone lines had been restored and are functioning in a normal manner. Besides that, BSNL had been asked to ensure uninterrupted linking facilities at GEB, water supply, District and Taluka Control Rooms, TDO, Mamlatdar offices, Nagarpalika office etc. However, for tackling the emergency situation, wireless sets were available with the district control room and that was extensively used for communication regarding affected areas and in rescue work. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
Public Distribution System : 7 PDS shops were affected due to seepage of water into these, spoiling the food-grains and other stocks worth Rs. 42,860 stored here. Spoiled food-grains were destroyed in the presence of Mamlatdars. After water had receded from affected areas, all the PDS shops had been made operational. As a result, no alternate arrangements was necessary in this regard. No storage godowns had been affected. A total of 798 Kiloliter kerosene was lifted and has been distributed till now. However, since large number of people have been displaced or due to damage to their houses were unable to use LPG stoves, were highly distressed. Therefore, additionally, those not having BPL ration cards were being provided with 2 liters of kerosene. Till 11/8/04, a total of 11,070 kg wheat, 4775 kg rice, 2407 kg sugar had been released for PDS shops under APL, BPL, Swarna Jayanti and Antodaya schemes. Survey work and Compensation Paid : Monetary help was being extended to all the affected families. By 11th August, Rs. 6,60,000/- was paid to 16 families on account of death of their family members. Cash-doles were provided to all the displaced persons, and 35,644 persons were paid Rs. 24,20,620/-. On account of damage to the household articles, Ghar-Bakhari Sahay had been paid to 3338 families by providing them assistance to the tune of Rs. 24,66,656/-. Thus, by 11th August, a total of Rs. 55,47,276/- was paid as compensation to the affected population. Meeting with Traders and Shopkeepers Association: A meeting of traders and Shopkeepers Association was convened to discuss the damage caused. A very rudimentary assessment of damages worth Rs.5.40 Crores i.e., 2.5 Crores for Bharuch city, 2.5 Crores for Ankleswar city and 40 Lakhs for the rural areas was prepared and submitted to the state government. A detailed assessment was made in consultation with the DDO and was submitted later on. General Measures : }
A meeting with line departments was conducted on a regular basis to review the progress in relief and restoration work.
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Meeting with Industry Association and Voluntary Organizations was held to provide maximum help to the affected population and carry out operations in a coordinated manner.
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A close watch was kept at the situation on an hourly basis and administration was alert to deal with any situation that may result from increase in water level in the Narmada River.
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With receding rainfall, 5 shelter camps in Bharuch city and 7 camps in Ankleswar city were closed. All 23,046 persons had gone back to their homes till 7th August.
}
All the line departments were instructed to carry out preliminary assessment of damage to public properties and community structures.
}
Army and SRP columns were kept in stand by position to deal with any kind of eventuality.
By the 6th August, situation was largely brought to normal. Relief work was under progress. Water was receded from most of the areas. However, Due to overflow of Sardar Sarovar Dam, a constant watch was kept at water level in Narmada River. Honorable Chief Minister had visited the district on 7.8.2004 and distributed the relief amount to the victims. He had also taken a review of relief and restoration work being carried out in the district. Meanwhile, chief secretary had also visited District and took review of the situation. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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II - BHARUCH DISTRICT DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN : BRIEF DISCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS The previous disaster management plans of the Bharuch district were mainly disaster specific contingency plans and some administrative details only. Those plans reveal following facts: 1. Plan document was too voluminous to be easily understood by users. 2. Too much stress on relief efforts. 3. Coordination of response was not effective 4. The mitigation, prevention, and preparedness aspects are not addressed at all. It is not still finalized by GSDMA. Only draft is available presently. After completion, it will be submitted to GSDMA. The present Multi-hazard Management Plan for Bharuch District is actually a Multi-hazard Contingency Plan. The mitigation, prevention and preparedness plan of the district will be added later. This is a compact and systematic plan prepared for all the disasters for Bharuch district. Separate plans for each disaster was creating confusion. No handbook was available to disaster managers in Bharuch district before preparation of this plan. The present plan is not intended to provide comprehensive explanations and background information about a disaster, or serve as a training manual on how to respond to a disaster or conduct a disaster related task. The approach taken is that plans and SOPs should be limited to the minimum information need to respond to a specific disaster or undertake a disaster related task. Steps to address disaster specific requirements can be covered in procedures related to actions. In other words, persons who are technically competent in the tasks use this plan for handling the situation during disasters. The SOPs are intended to be used by persons who are unfamiliar with disaster management topics but are intended to be task specific and not as replacements for full plans. However, a note on district level approaches for preparing mitigation, prevention and preparedness plan of the district is included in the annexure D. In addition, specific plans for some disasters could also be attached in the annexure. The present plan document identifies the roles and responsibilities of the organizations in key identified sectors. Taskforces have been constituted for taking response measures in specific sectors. Each task force consists of a lead organization/department supported by other organizations/ departments. Action plan has been prepared for each taskforce, which covers their roles and responsibilities in different phases of disaster. It is expected that each taskforce shall develop the standard operating procedures for specific disasters, which will be included in the plan annexure at a later period. Therefore, Taskforce leaders shall ensure that the SOPs are prepared at the earliest. The Plans/SOPs prepared are 120
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tested and subsequently validated/updated through periodic drills, simulation or full scale exercises. In addition, District Collector to ensure that all the members acquires knowledge and skills to perform their assigned role through regular refresher training. The present Multi-hazard Contingency Plan is divided into three main sections and Twelve Annexes. The main sections of plan are as follows: }
Introduction, Concepts and Policies
}
Risk and Vulnerability Analysis
}
Contingency plan for Early warning, Relief and Recovery
The annexes include: }
District Multi-hazard Map
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District Infrastructure Maps
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District Profile
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District Disaster History
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Mitigation, Preparedness and Prevention Action Plan
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ICS/GS Organizational Chart
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Standard Operating Procedures and Task Force Plans
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Gujarat State Minimum Standards for relief assistance
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Standard Damage Assessment Form
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Contact Information
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Resource Catalogue/Data
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Specific disaster plans
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Gujarat State Disaster Management Act
The terms used in this plan are consistent with terms as defined and used in the Gujarat Disaster Management Act of 2003.copy of plan is attached with report. After analyzing the Bharuch district disaster mitigation. plan, one will think that why Bharuch district had so much damage despite such good plan. It was due to two reasons: Bharuch is traditionally facing flood in Narmada River. But this year flood due to heavy rainfall was entirely new experience for administration. Secondly, old Bharuch town has many old houses with low hights, which are very prone to such flood. Another limitation of this plan is too much emphasis on contingency approach than mitigation approach.
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III - TECHNICALLY DISASTER WAS NOT DECLARED EVEN THOUGH ADMINISTRATION WORKED LIKE DISASTER MANAGEMENT Under Sec. 32(1) of Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority Act, Collector of affected area have to report to State Government for declaration of area as disaster affected area (in case of one district) or the State Relief Commissioner (in case an area spread over more than one district). And under Sec. 32(2) of the same Act, the State Govt. may, by notification published in the official gazette and in anyone or more newspapers, declare such area to be disaster affected area. According to Mr. V. Thiruppugazh, Joint CEO of GSDMA, Collector of any of affected districts had not reported formally to State Government about this disaster. Therefore technically speaking, Disaster was not declared by Government. However, administration worked like disaster for handling this situation. I think that it will take some more time to integrate this Act into mainstream administration.
Role of NGOs Bharuch District is known for working of many NGOs. During this Disaster, many NGOs come forward to help the Govt. Voluntary Organisations adopted specific Talukas for supplementing the relief efforts of the District Administration. They have agreed to provide household assistance kits to the affected populations in their adopted areas. Following is the list: S. No.
Name of Area/City
Name of the Industries/ Voluntary Organization
1.
Bharuch (Rural)
GPEC, NTPC
2.
Bharuch (City)
GNFC, Videocon, IPCL, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Rotary Club and Lions Club
3.
Ankleswar (Rural)
Ankleswar Industrial Association
4.
Ankleswar (City)
Rotary and Lions Club, IPCL
5.
Hansot
Panvoi Sugar Factory, Jhagadia Industrial Association
6.
Vagra
Birla Copper, WELSPUN
Source of useful information : NGOs played very positive and co-operative role during this disaster. They had distributed thousands of food packets in various shelter camps. They were good feedback mechanism for District Administration. They were source of useful information. Apart from this, they have good information dissemination mechanism comprised of informal communication systems. After floods, probability for breaking out of epidemic like cholera is very much. Voluntary organisations, especially related to health like Sea-Rural can play very 122
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good role in such situation. I observed that during this disaster, this capability of NGOs was not exploited fully. Accelerating the relief and rescue : These NGOs were contacting either Collector or SDMs of Both the Prant for co-operation. After that, these NGOs were allotted to particular Taluka. Detailed program of their help in term of relief and rescue work would be chocked out after discussion between Liaison Officer of that Taluka and NGOs' representative. Communication was very speedy and clear with NGOs by District Administration. Some problems were there initially like shortage of food packets at some camp and excess at some other camps. However, District Administration rectified it immediately. The Constraints - NGOs have better hand in relief work, especially distribution of household kits and food packets because rules and regulation did not bind them. However, they have some limitation also. They have limited reach and resources. Their personnel are not trained for such operations. Majority of problem arises in coordinating the efforts of NGOs are due to fundamental difference between objectives of various Civil Society organizations. Another disturbing point about working of some NGOs during disaster is their sectarian outlook and vested interest in relief and rescue work. Even at the height of Disaster, they were targeting their help at some sections of society only. Some NGOs, with political motives, were objectively trying to show that they were better than the Govt. Help from various voluntary organisations were coordinated very well by District Administration.
Role of Media Media is an important fourth pillar of society. During Disaster, the role of media becomes very crucial. I am enclosing various Newspaper reports from Local and English Newspapers. Bharuch District has 4 Local Newspapers and 51 periodicals and 5 Local News channels - C.T. Channel, Satya channel, Narmada Channel, Ma Channel and Channel-IN. Some local Newspapers and these News Channels have good influence over society. Barring some exception, media played positive role during this disaster. Generally, they had reported facts during this disaster. Some good media people had also worked as efficient feedback mechanism during this situation for administration. They were telling that which area was requiring more help from Administration. Collector had organized many press conferences during this disaster to give information to media about damage and actions taken. They were also supportive in disseminating the warnings issued by District Administration among local people. In Bharuch, Narmada River is an important part of lives of people. The illiterate man on roadside also can understand the meaning of Golden Bridge level for Bharuch. In absence of authentic information, rumors are natural outcomes. Therefore, District Administration was disseminating authentic information through media. And I think, very good co-ordination was maintained between administration and media in this regard during the disaster in Bharuch District. Under GSDMA Act, duties of community group and private sector enterprises, factories, voluntary organisations and citizens are specified. However, duties for media are not specified Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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under the Act. I think that role of media during disaster should be regulated positively so that misuse of resources and infromation during disaster can be prevented. Such things were not happened in Bharuch this year. However, such trends were observed during communal riots in Gujarat. Role of media is very important in rehabilitation work and capacity building for disaster preparedness also. Media in Bharuch also played good role during this flood regarding creating public awareness for cleanliness. Speedy actions taken by Administration along with this public awareness prevented an epidemic after this flood like situation. Now let me list down problems and limitations of media observed by me during this disaster. Media wants sensational stories. Disaster is a good situation for media for such stories. Therefore, apart from data, media also add some logical fantasies for good salable stories. This is somewhat disturbing for Disaster managers. However, good media manager is one, who accepts this position of media and then applies them in best possible way for efficient disaster management. Another problem during such disaster with media is frequent telephone calls for confirmation of reports to the District Officials. This is irritating for officials. Good media manager should not loose his temper in answering the same question repeatedly. The best way to handle such telephone calls is reply very clearly, shortly and in somewhat friendly tone. I think that my Collector had handled such calls very well. Frequent field visits by important District Officials were not possible during such disaster. Therefore, some media people highlighted it negatively for particular purpose. Party politics also play an important role in this. Some opposition dominated media painted the picture as black. Good media manager should accept these as occupational hazards. There was no difference in reporting style of local media and national media during this disaster as it was observed during communal riots. Another very good thing regarding media management during this disaster was press conferences held by Collector regularly. In absence of Collector, only R.D.C. was addressing to press. To conclude regarding role of media and media management, good co-ordination was maintained by District Administration during this disaster. Barring few exceptions, media has also supported the District Administration.
Rehabilitation & Mitigation Measures The Politics of damage assessment : Rehabilitation along with long-term mitigation measures is surely an important area for administration. After three to four days of flash flood, damage assessment was started by Administration. This became real politically hot issue. Everybody wants over estimates of damage to claim more compensation. Providing alternative means for re-settlement : Compensation for housing damage and agriculture is major component to rehabilitation. Compensation to Industries in some form may be included in this. Elaborate planning has been made at district level to provide for 124
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alternative means for providing permanent houses to the affected persons. Efforts have also been made to re-establish the educational institutes by education department. Over and above all this, the District administration has decided to prepare a Disaster Mitigation Plan for effectively tackling such natural calamities in Bharuch. The need for long term mitigation measures : Under long-term mitigation measures, Bharuch District Panchayat has allotted grant for drainage cleaning in current year's Budget. One local leader of BJP was arrested because of unauthorized cleaning of drainage. BSNL had lodged F.I.R. against him. To avoid such situation, long term mitigation measures are must.
Critical Evaluation of Disaster Management This is my first exposure to handling of any disaster at field level. Till then, I had very good theoretical training of disaster management in Academy. Therefore, I will analyze the reality with what I had learned in Academy. Lack of funds in reality : The first thing I observed about difference in practice and theory is lack of funds in reality. During my Academy training, I was fascinated and impressed by Disaster management module, in wh ich Incident Commander has unlimited resources in terms of trained manpower, machinery and money. However, during this disaster, Bharuch District Administration had faced many problems only because of lack of resources. Small boats to evacuate people were not available in time. In old Bharuch town, staff for sanitation was not adequate. Help from Baroda Municipal Corporation was taken for team of sanitation workers. In spite of these shortages, District Health Administration had stopped outbreak of epidemic. Good inter-district co-ordination can help a lot to overcome this problem. For example, a boat was sent from Bharuch to Valsad. Though the administration had acted like disaster during heavy rainfall, disaster was not declared technically under GSDMA Act. This means that it will take some more time to mainstream disaster management in administration of Gujarat. Practical implication of ICS : Another observation is regarding application of incident command system in practical administration. During normal time, Collector has limited effective control over line departments like Road & Buildings, Gujarat Electricity Board, urban local bodies, etc. in Gujarat. Therefore, whenever any disaster occurs, Incident Commander (Collector) finds it little more difficult to exercise direct control over these line departments. However, GSDMA Act has given wide power to Collector to meet such situations. Finally Collector works as a leader of team. Failures of routine administration : I think that the disaster happened in Bharuch was accumulation of failures of routine administration. Such a wide spread damage had happened in Bharuch, because natural water drainage was blocked. This year, administration has started some planning to avoid such disaster in future. District Panchayat had already taken some steps. The Politics of VIP visits : Another observation is VIP visits, especially ministers, were proving more of a disturbances than helpful to disaster managers. It costs precious time of administration to arrange for these visits. Political supporters of VIPs were also using these visits for their vested interests in terms of damage assessment and compensation. Govt. should frame some guidelines for these visits and their protocol should be kept minimal during disasters. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Passive roles of Panchayati Raj : Another limitation of administration observed by me during this disaster was, passive roles of Panchayati Raj Institutions. Grass-root level PRls like Village Panchayats were not involved fully during this disaster off course, at the stage of preparation of VDMP. However, during this disaster, village level disaster plans were not operated fully. I think that continuous training and awareness campaign is pre-requisite for operationalise Village Level Disaster Management Plan. During this disaster, villages and town dwellers responded in unsystematic manner. They were largely waiting for help to come from administration. In Bharuch, drills during normal time had helped much more than disaster time's actions of administration. Lack of coordination between district collector and state mechanism : I was not directly involved, but as an observer, I felt that there is some problem in co-ordination at state level. Instead of one-point control, District Administration was giving same information to various departments. Even many secretaries and ministers were also calling Collector like normal time and asking for information. Lack of documentation : Another limitation observed is lack of writing regularly the communication received from Talukas in District Collectorate and District Panchayat. The system is very well established in Police Department. Once, Collector told the call (Deputy Mamlatdar) to record every communication received. Lack of regular recording creates problem, which had long-term impacts. Therefore, recording of every communication should be made compulsory and violation of that should be penalized in Collector office and District Panchayat. Radio an effective communication mode : Radio is very effective communication tool. District Administration had used Radio very rarely during this disaster. One reason for that may be urban area was more affected. However in urban areas also, radio can be very effective communication mode. Making ‘Hungama’; the communication gap : Now let me also narrate one incidence showing impact of communication gap. A message was sent from collector office to Bharuch Municipalities that there is chance of increase in water level of Narmada River. Therefore, Administration should be kept in ready to act position. However, Municipality did entirely different thing. With the help of autorickshaw, Bharuch Municipality announced in Entire City that water level would cross danger level, so everybody should move to a safe place. It created Big 'Hungama' in city. Many calls were coming to Emergency Operations Center . for confirmation of this news. This type of miscommunication must be avoided to avoid more difficulties. Conclussion : To conclude this report, heavy rainfall situation was well handled in Bharuch District. There were some problems like lack of resources etc. District Administration tackled the situation in coordinated approach. Limitations observed by me are my humble attempts to analyze it constructively. I learned many new things about disaster management. However, the most important thing I learned is managing the disaster in really is very difficult task for any administrator. Hard work and devotions of disaster managers saves many lives during such disasters. 126
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TUNI - THE MIDSUMMER CYCLONE AND FLOODS Samir Sharma, IAS (A.P.)
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TUNI - THE MIDSUMMER CYCLONE AND FLOODS The day was squally. There was a strong wind and heavy rain. The district authorities felt relieved on learning that the cyclone had crossed the coast at Diviseema in Krishna district, in the early hours of May 10. At the same time, there was a nagging feeling that the double-eyed cyclone may have caused a lot of damage to property in Krishna district. After going around Kakinada town with the Transport Commissioner, the Joint Collector came back at 11.30 AM and found a message from Tuni, that the Tandava river had overflowed, and Tuni town was under 8 ft of water. This unexpected news was given from Annavaram by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), Peddapuram who could not reach Tuni town due to a breach in the National Highway between Tuni and Annavaram. Immediately Collector held a meeting and requested the S.P., and the Joint Collector to go to Tuni with 10 to 15 rescue boats, as no boats were available in Tuni. The Joint Collector procured ten country boats loaded them in lorries and started towards Tuni at 5:00 P.M. in the car of S.P. followed by two spare Jeeps. On the way to Samalkot the convoy encountered 2 to 3 ft of water flowing on the road. Due to heavy rains, fields had been inundated and the Samalkot canal was flowing in the reverse direction, acting like a drain. There were few direct connections between the fields and the Samalkot canal so the water was just overflowing on to the road from the fields and going into the Samalkot canal. On crossing the over bridge at Samalkot, the group encountered 4 ft of water in the town making it impossible to go by car. The group members got down and the Joint Collector drove a jeep and moved towards Tuni. Enquiries from the skeletal vehicular traffic coming from the opposite direction revealed that one could reach Tuni via Rajanagaram and not through the shorter Jaggampeta route. On the way, at a number of places water was flowing on the road and at two places the farmers had breached the road to facilitate the flow of water into the drains. The breaches initially small became wider as fast flowing water eroded the breaches. Just before entering Rangampeta town a banyan tree had fallen on the road. The Joint Collector with his personal staff and the gunman of the S.P created a small opening for the jeep and the lorries to pass. Lorry drivers on the other side told the group that another Banyan tree had fallen beyond Rangampeta and it was not possible to reach Rajanagaram via Rangampeta. The group, for half an hour, deliberated the next course of action. The Circle Inspector of Kakinada preferred to return to Kakinada while the Joint Collector suggested to move ahead to Tuni to deliver the boats. It was decided to move ahead to Tuni.
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Before Rajanagaram, another big Banyan tree had fallen and blocked the road. There was no possibility of the jeep or the lorries to cross the blockade. Again the group deliberated and the views of the Joint Collector prevailed and the group crossed the blockage on foot, took a taxi coming from the opposite direction and reached Rajanagaram. In Rajanagaram, the group tried to contact the sub-divisional officer of Peddapuram and Rajahmundry, but could not establish contact with any officer. After waiting for 15 to 20 minutes the Joint Collector suggested that the group should go to Rajahmundry and bring the E.E. (R&B), manual labour and earth moving equipment to open the blockade and make the road operational. The group reached Rajahmundry at 1:00 A.M. With the help of R.D.O, Rajahmundry and the town C.I., manual labourers were mobilized and the group started for Rajanagaram accompanied by the E.E. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
(R&B). The banyan tree on chopping was releasing a lot of white fluid making it difficult to cut the tree. The woodcutters wanted kerosene to cut the tree and a person was sent back to Rajanagaram to get kerosene. To remove the big tree from the road it had to be first cut at 8 to 10 points and then shifted to the sides to clear the way for traffic to move. The group started for Tuni at 6:30 A.M. on May 11, after having tea at Rajanagaram. On the way at a number of places water was over flowing on the road and it became very difficult to move fast on the road. Before entering Prathipadu, the group saw people running on the National Highway carrying fish in both their hands. The group thought a fish tank had breached, but on reaching the bridge the group saw an overturned lorry. The lorry carrying fish from Kaikalur to Kolkata had overturned while crossing 3 ft of water flowing on top of the bridge. About half a km ahead the group had to cross in 3 to 4 ft of fast flowing water. To reduce the force of water, two trucks crossed the road point side by side. Then a few buses crossed and the Joint Collector suggested to cross the bridge in a bus. After a little hesitation, the S.P. agreed to cross in a bus. The group boarded a bus and reached the other side. After reaching the other side, the group saw a bus slowly carried away by the current into the side fields .The group with the help of by-standers rescued the passengers and brought them to a high piece of land. The Mandal Revenue Officer (M.R.O) Prathipadu was stuck on the other side while returning from Annavaram. The group took the jeep of the MRO Prathipadu and reached Annavaram at 1.00 P.M., after clearing a traffic jam caused by an uprooted tree. At Annavaram, the local Dy. S.P. informed the group that water was now receding in Tuni town. The group after collecting saws, axes, ropes etc. went to the Pampa reservoir to remove a large tree, which had fallen on the road. It took twenty men, two hours to clear the road. A little ahead of the Pampa reservoir the group got stuck in 3' to 4 ft slush on the road. The group tried to cross the slush by putting stone chips, plant material, beneath the tyres of vehicles. But the tyres would not grip the road. It took half an hour to clear the tyre lines with the help of local people. The group finally reached Tuni at 4:30 P.M on May 11. Tuni looked like a war ravaged town. The Police Station and Taluq Office were under water and the roads were working like drains. The R.D.O., M.R.O. and other Officers were working from the Telephone Exchange located on a piece of high ground. Just then the Minister for Civil Supplies arrived. He wanted to go round the town with the group. There was no possibility of vehicles moving in Tuni due to narrow roads full of slush. The group with pants rolled up, accompanied the Minister around the town. A very strong stench was emanating from the carcasses lying all around the town. The sewerage of the town was being discharged on the roads, mixing with water and overflowing on the roads. The group while moving from locality to locality saw flood effected people huddling around their collapsed houses. The people narrated their troubles and expressed dissatisfaction with the relief operations. Rice given to ward councillors for distribution to the flood victims had not been distributed equitably. The group moved around for two hours and after delivering the rescue boats and holding discussions with the Minister and local officers started back for Kakinada at 7:30 P.M. On the way back, the group took a circuitous route and got stuck at 11.30 PM at Thimmapuram two kms from Kakinada. The group reached Kakinada in a tractor cum trailer at 1.00 A.M. next morning. Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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Next day, Collector held a meeting with the S.P. and Joint Collector to discuss the flood situation in Tuni and plan the arrangements to be made for the visit of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Sri Rajiv Gandhi. It was accepted that the relief arrangements at Tuni were unsatisfactory. The Collector requested the Joint Collector to go to Tuni next morning, to personally supervise the relief operations. On May 13, the Joint Collector formed an action group consisting of the following officers to go to Tuni, }
District Supply Officer
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Superintendent, GPO's Office
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Assistant Director (AH), SC Society
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Statistical Officer, SC Society
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Assistant Excise Superintendent
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District Manager (Civil Supplies)
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Superintendent, SC Society
The action group assembled at 9:00 A.M., at Collectorate on May 13 and started for Tuni in one mini van and one jeep. The Joint Collector, to guide the convoy sat in the front of the van. This time the action group were carrying axes, saws, planks, ropes and other rescue materials. The action group took the Samalkot, Rajanagaram, Prathipadu, and Tuni route. On the way more water was flowing on the road and the breaches had increased in number and width. The action group crossed the breaches with the help of planks. The journey took two hours and the action group reached Tuni at 11:00 AM cutting and removing a number of fallen trees on the way. The situation in Tuni had further deteriorated and water was receding very slowly. The action group started flood relief and rehabilitation work. The Joint Collector held a meeting with the Officers, local MLA and the Municipal Councillors. It was decided to distribute cooked food through NASA, an NGO and dry rations directly to the flood effected, by the officers. Ten Quintals of rice was given to NASA to distribute cooked food to the evacuated people housed in ten camps, established in elevated areas of the town. Tuni town was divided into six zones. Each zone consisted of four wards. In each zone, a zonal Officer was appointed with an assistant to distribute rice in the town. The Zonal Officers were authorized to issue release orders and expected to complete rice distribution by 3:00 P.M every day. The Councillors were to maintain a list of people who were given rice. The zonal Officers were to comeback everyday at 4 P.M. and report on the following activities,
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}
The removal of dead bodies both human and animal
}
The condition of electric supply and water supply
}
Condition of Sanitation
}
The progress of vaccination to prevent the outbreak of epidemics
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Availability of drinking water
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A message was sent to the R.D.O., Rajahmundry to send bleaching powder, lime, phenol and one drinking water tanker or two lorries with syntax tanks. The RDO, Rajahmundry was also requested to send two generators and 4 water pumps to pump out water from low-lying areas. The municipal workers were not reporting for duty, since they had also lost their houses and belongings. A meeting was held with the Municipal Commissioner in the evening and the Municipal Commissioner was given Rs.1.25 lakhs and two quintals of rice to begin municipal activities. The Joint Collector personally held a meeting with the sweepers and requested them to resume work and assured the sweepers that they would get raw rice, cooked food and some liquor to remove the putrefying dead bodies. All the Zonal officers reported that the sanitary condition was bad in the town and water supply system had been disrupted. The Joint Collector went round with the Municipal Commissioner to see the sanitary conditions in the town. The people who met the Joint Collector in different areas of the city requested to supply kerosene, cooking oil, gas cylinders, palmyrah leaves and Bamboo / Casurina poles. The Joint Collector on return, requested the D.F.O. to open Bamboo and Casurina depots to be used for reconstruction of collapsed houses. The Health Superintendent placed more pumps to quickly drain out the water from low lying areas of the town. Kerosene tankers and lorries carrying gas cylinders on the national highway were diverted to Tuni. Cooking oil allotted to other towns was also diverted to Tuni. The railway track on the Tandava river had been washed away by the flash floods. The General Manager, Railways came to inspect the restoration work of the rail track. On his request rice was issued to railway employees. Similarly rice was given to all central and state Government employees in Tuni. The Joint Collector rang up Kakinada and Rajahmundry to ensure that the requisitioned material would arrive by next day. All the Zonal officers returned by 11.00 PM after completing the distribution of rice. The Joint Collector held a review meeting with the zonal officers and went to bed at 12:00 P.M in the telephone exchange. The Zonal Officers went to the temple town of Annavaram to rest. In the early hours of May 14, the Joint Collector again went around the town to inspect sanitation and the progress of vaccination. The main aim was to prevent outbreak of epidemics. Fortunately private Bore wells were working and had not been contaminated. On the way, the Joint Collector distributed chlorine tablets to the councillors and the housewives to mix with drinking water. The Zonal officers arrived in Tuni from Annavaram at 9:00 A.M., On the suggestion of the Zonal Officers it was decided to distribute 5 KGs. of rice. This would be help to avoid daily distribution of rice and leave the Zonal Officers free to do other relief work. The number of lorries were increased, to complete the distribution of rice before dusk. A message came in the evening from Collectorate that the Chief Minister accompanied by Rajiv Gandhi would visit Tuni on May 15. The RDO Peddapuram arrived with 6000 milk packets, generators, phenol, and bleaching powder, chlorine and water pumps on May 14. The distribution of milk was done personally by the Joint Collector with the help of R.D.O., Peddapuram. The experience in the words of the Joint Collector, "First of all, we tried to distribute to all the people in the main market just in Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
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front of the telephone exchange. It was seen that the dozen or so constables were helpless and could do little, to maintain order. Then we took the milk van into the telephone exchange and allowed only 50 persons at a time to enter the telephone exchange to collect milk packets and exit from the rear gate of the telephone exchange. After completing the distribution of the milk in the main market, from the telephone exchange we went from ward to ward to distribute milk. We decided to give milk only to children and lactating mothers. We would first of all make them sit down in a row approximately 50 yards from the milk van. Then we would bring the milk cases one by one and only after completing the distribution of milk to one group allow the children and women to stand and leave. This we could do with ten Constables and one SubInspector. The distribution of milk was completed in 7 hours and we returned back to the telephone exchange at 6:00 P.M." A preliminary meeting was held with all the Officers to prepare for the Chief Minister's visit. It was decided to do a rehearsal in the morning. Late evening the Municipal Commissioner and the Zonal Officers came back tired, dull but in high spirits. A review meeting was held with the Zonal officer at the Municipal Corporation at 8.00 PM. Next morning on May15, at 6:30 A.M. the Joint Collector went to the helipad to supervise the arrangements for the reception of the Chief Minister. Zonal Officers were allocated different segments along the route of the Chief Minister. Seven people were selected to receive ex-gratia from the Chief Minister. Before lunch, the Joint Collector personally went along the route and supervised sanitation, vaccination and restoration of water supply. News came that the Chief Minister had started in a helicopter from Kakinada at 12:30 P.M. and returned back due to a technical problem in one of the helicopters .The Chief Minister again started at 2:00 P.M., from Kakinada, in the second helicopter and reached Tuni at 2:30 P.M, with Shri Rajiv Gandhi. The Joint Collector received them at the helipad and after distributing the ex-gratia, the Chief Minister got into an open jeep, and to move in the town to meet the flood affected people. The Chief Minister and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi would stop wherever a crowd collected often deviating from the route. They saw the NASA meal centre and the most badly effected Sitarampuram area. To reach Sitarampuram colony the Chief Minister and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi walked nearly half kilometre, in slush and water. The police had a tough time containing the crowds. After inspecting the Tuni flood effected areas the Chief Minister and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi left for Visakhapatnam. at 4:30 P.M. The Chief Minister and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi were satisfied with the response of the administration to the crisis in Tuni. Before going, they congratulated the group of officers. As soon as they left, a wrap up session was held in the Mandal Office and an action plan prepared for the next one week. Local Officers were entrusted specific tasks to be completed in a time bound period. After the wrap up meeting, the action group returned to Kakinada. On May 16, the Joint Collector was told that the Prime Minister may visit Tuni on May 18. The Joint Collector was again sent to Tuni on May 17.
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In the early hours of May 17, the same action group led by, the Joint Collector started for Tuni again. This time the group had four trainee Deputy Tahsildars, to do enumeration and experience Readings and Case Studies on Disaster Management (Volume : I)
the pressures associated with fair enumeration. The action group was again divided into 6 groups to supervise six zones. It was decided to immediately start enumeration of damaged houses and distribute money for damaged houses through bearer cheques. The cheque would contain the signatures of the MRO and the beneficiary. After checking the signature of the beneficiary, the Banker would pay the amount directly to the beneficiary. It was also decided to give clothes and steel utensils through the super bazaar and the coop. marketing society. The rehabilitation kit for a family consisted of a Dothi, Sarie, Blanket and 6 pieces of utensils weighing 750 grams. By 11:30 A.M., the groups went into the field, to start enumeration and completed the enumeration by 10:00 P.M. The enumeration of the sixth ward which remained incomplete due to the shortage of torchlights and hurricane lanterns was completed on May 18. The enumeration showed 6000 houses damaged and the M.R.O., prepared 6000 cheques. After the distribution of cheques, clothes and utensils were disbursed through different outlets of the marketing society. The Prime Minister was expected to come at 4:00 P.M. on May 18. At 2:00 P.M., a message was received that the Prime Minister's visit was cancelled. The Joint Collector returned back to Head Quarters after a last wrap -up session at Tuni.
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