Avertible catastrophes

A tragic incident occurred on October 30 in Gujrat's Morbi town where a 137-year-old suspension bridge collapsed in the Machchu River, killing around 135 people, mostly women and young children. The state machinery swung into action immediately, and did the best possible through relief and rescue operations. Such heart-rending tragedies are man-made disasters that take numerous lives in minutes and inflict colossal misery on survivors. The tragedy in Morbi is not the first of its kind as several such accidents have been occurring in the country repeatedly. Despite lessons learnt, callousness and irresponsibility continue to eclipse disaster management plans; and emergency preparedness meant for averting huge tragedies before they strike the innocent people only end up as fruitless. Safety protocols and standard operating procedures are either ignored or compromised, resulting in sudden and massive loss of human lives and livelihoods.

In recent history, Bhopal Gas tragedy stands out as a morbid example of a huge man-made disaster when massive amounts of poisonous gas leaked out of a pesticides manufacturing factory — Union Carbide — in 1984, killing more than 10,000 people and permanently damaging the health of more than six lakh survivors. In 1995, a fire broke out in Mandi Dabwali and the entire burning structure fell over the gathering of a DAV School function, killing 300 people, mainly children, and injuring a hundred. The sudden inferno at AMRI hospital in Kolkata in 2011, claiming 89 lives of patients and staff, pointed to the negligence of mandatory safety requirements. A five-story building crashed to the ground in 2010 in a crowded locality of Girish Park in west Delhi, killing 66 people and injuring 80; poor quality of construction and illegal addition of floors were found to be the causes. One can go on counting the tragic disasters. Manmade disasters have become the 'expected unexpected accidents' these days. Rescue operations normally begin hours after the accident, by when irreparable damages would already be caused. Prudence lies in preventing disasters much before they strike and claim the lives of people.

Natural disasters such as flash floods, earthquakes, cyclones, Tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, etc. are said to be acts of God, beyond human control. Man-made disasters, on the contrary, are directly triggered by acts of omission or commission by humans, and are very much preventable. Overloading of ropeways, lifts, buses, aircrafts, or old bridges are such blunders that lead to tragic accidents. Compromising with safety is an open invitation to disaster. The Bridge collapse in Morbi due to an overload factor is a glaring example. While it is sad that even educated people ignore safety protocols and fall victim to disasters, it is criminal neglect on the part of service-providing agencies and law-enforcing authorities to allow footfalls beyond permitted limits. Failure to pre-empt untoward occurrences in crowded areas and tourist places and lack of plan or preparedness for averting tragedies in time, are appalling lapses.

With decades of experience, India has come a long way in addressing disasters, both natural and man-made. The national policy of India on disaster management is one of the best in the world. The vision incorporated in the Disaster Management Act 2005 reflects a paradigm shift. Unlike the earlier 'relief centric response' approach, now it is 'protective prevention, mitigation, and preparedness-driven' approach for conserving developmental gains besides minimising losses of life, livelihoods, and property. The policy spells out six crucial elements in disaster management while binding them in a legal and institutional framework: prevention, mitigation and preparedness in the pre-disaster phase; and response, rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery in the post-disaster phase. The main thrust is to ensure an efficient mechanism for identification, assessment, and monitoring of disaster risks.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), at the apex level, lays down policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management. The Central ministries and state governments follow the guidelines and prepare their own disaster management plans. The National Executive Committee — comprising secretaries of major departments of GOI, Chief of Defence Staff, and several experts from various fields — assists the NDMA and prepares the National Plan for Disaster Management. It also monitors the compliance of guidelines issued by NDMA by states and other concerned organisations. At the state level, SDMAs are headed by respective CMs, and are responsible for preparation and execution of state plans in accordance with the guidelines of the NDMA. Finally, at the district level, the DMs or DCs implement the plans as heads of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). All Central ministries, state governments, district authorities, and other stakeholders are responsible for preparation of SOPs in accordance with the guidelines. The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has capacity development as one of its major responsibilities, along with training, research, and documentation. It is supposed to be the 'Centre of Excellence' in the field of disaster management.

However, despite a well-structured system of disaster management, serious gaps in the process impede effective execution of plans. Half-hearted implementation of SOPs, gap in communication, and lack of proper coordination cripple the execution of plans. Failure to map the sites or locations of potential disasters, absence of structured involvement of local communities and NGOs in the management, absence of proper awareness campaigns, and inadequate budgetary allocations for research and forewarning activities are other lacunae in the schema of disaster management. States have a major role to play in preventing man-made disasters since maintenance of law and order and policing are exclusive state subjects. It is important to realise that preventing a disaster is more important and much simpler than a response and recovery mission in the aftermath of a tragedy. State agencies, instead of waiting for disasters to occur, should focus in advance on likely occurrences and gear up the machinery to prevent the same. Monitoring of preparedness for prevention should be of utmost priority at the district level, which calls for farsighted personal involvement of DMs, DCs and SPs as they are the first to reach the spot to handle the crisis. Local authorities must strictly enforce rule of law in allowing mammoth rallies, public meetings, and religious congregations with zero tolerance for political interference. That said, relocating hazardous sites or industries away from crowded areas, and incorporating prevention and mitigation provisions in all sectors of development are crucial aspects in the long run for addressing not only man-made but also natural disasters.

Today, natural disasters, unlike in good old times, are largely the outcomes of climate change resulting from reckless anthropogenic activity. Flash floods in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad are a wakeup call. We need to act in time to ensure the safety and security of the people. Ecuador and Switzerland are the world leaders in reducing disaster risk as they score 4.8 in the progress index of Hyogo Framework for Action (HAF), 2005 — a forum aimed to reduce vulnerability of countries to natural catastrophes. Brazil, Japan and Cuba are next on the list with commendable work on preparedness for prevention and mitigation. India, too, perhaps needs to revisit its disaster management ecosystem, since 60 per cent of its landmass is prone to earthquakes and 40 million hectares susceptible to floods while cyclones and droughts are also frequent guests.

The writer is a former Addl. Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh. Views expressed are personal