Managing a disaster: Lessons from below

The Disaster Management Act might have laid down provisions for mitigation, prevention and preparedness in the event of a catastrophe, but the status of disaster management at the grassroots in India leaves a lot to be desired.

Gathered debris becomes useful disaster relief technology. Water conservation at Anjar, post the Bhuj earthquake. Pic: Wikipedia

According to a National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) report — 75% of India’s coastlines are prone to cyclones and tsunamis, 68% of the cultivable land is prone to drought, and 50% of its landmass to earthquakes. Needless to say, India is among the more disaster-prone countries in the world, and our approach to disasters has largely been relief-driven.

In 2005, there was a great paradigm shift. The Government of India enacted the Disaster Management Act according to the guidelines laid down by the Hyogo Framework for Action in 2005 (fig 1) which for the first time focussed on mitigation, prevention, and adequate preparedness in the event of a disaster. The formation of disaster management authorities at the Centre and in the States underscored the importance of a properly co-ordinated response following a disaster.

So, how have things been post-2005 with the implementation of the Act? How have things improved and where do the challenges lie?

How Disaster Management is organised in India
The Disaster Management Act, 2005, mandated the formation of a National Disaster Management Authority to develop plans and guidelines for disaster management (DM) and co-ordination across the country. The State Disaster Management Authority is responsible for making DM plans for every state. There is a District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)— headed by the District Collector— that is in charge of making plans within the district in accordance with the state plan. DDMA works with village panchayats, zilla parishads and other local authorities.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is also constituted for the purpose of specialist response to a threatening disaster situation or a disaster. At present, the NDRF is constituted of eight battalions, two each from the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Force.

So what ails the Act dealing with Acts of God?

Communities in remote areas have to rely on traditional wisdom, as early warning systems and other preparation methods do not reach these far flung areas. Pic: Wikipedia

No co-ordination between departments

Dr Shibu Mani, Assistant Professor at the Jamshedji Tata Institute of Disaster Management says, “The after-effects of disasters in India vary highly owing to its topography and other factors. There is a need for flexibility in disaster plans and a synergy between various departments.”

Disasters like floods involve not only different states but also different countries. For instance, the Kosi floods in Bihar (2008) were caused by broken embankments in Nepal. Studies have shown that lack of communication between governmental institutions of both countries contributed to the chaos and problems. For instance, there is no flood

warning system and flood forecasting system in Nepal.

Development and disasters

In the 1950s, embankments on flood plains were the markers of development. Built around annually flooding rivers, they prevented water from going downstream. However, the embankments now lead to devastating floods downstream. Dr Dinesh Mishra, convenor of Barh Mukti Abhiyaan in Bihar, a grassroots movement that challenges the centralised flood control policy in India says, “Pre-1950s, the floods were rarely as massive as they are now. Only the top layer of the river containing silt would spread across the land, increasing soil quality. The deposition of fertilising silt during floods benefited farmers. I would say that the people and the river shared an equal relationship. With the building of embankments, rivers became agents of destruction.”

An authority on the rivers of North Bihar, Dr. Mishra adds that floods in urban areas are a recent phenomenon ̶ embankments provide a false sense of security as they are only effective up to a point. The National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) has blamed the embankments along the Yamuna for the Delhi floods of 2010. Dunu Roy, of Hazards Centre, an NGO in Delhi says, “People living in flood plains understood the patterns of the rivers, rains and floods. The knowledge was transferred orally through generations, as were the coping mechanisms to protect themselves and their cattle. In many ways, they welcomed the floods because it spread fresh silt all over their land, enriching the soil. The floods were never strong and lasted only for a couple of days. In other words, villagers never considered it disasters.” Now, they have lost both the traditional knowledge of anticipating floods as well as the coping mechanisms. They just relocate along with their families and expect relief and rehabilitation.

Though it is acknowledged around the world that disaster risk mitigation must be integrated into development policies, this is yet to be put into practice.

Lack of accountability

Collapsed buildings, the aftermath of the Bhuj Earthquake in 2001

An RTI application filed in 2008 by Shailesh Gandhi in Maharashtra revealed that money donated to ‘The Chief Minister’s Relief Fund’ was used to buy computers, fax machines, develop carrom clubs and cricket associations among various other things. Government departments, NGOs and sporting associations were all party to this misuse of funds. Similarly, another RTI filed by an ActionAid volunteer in 2010 showed that two Gram Panchayats of Mathurapur-II block of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal did not get the promised compensation even after 1.5 years.

There is a general lack of accountability of relief, especially post disaster. “Atleast the government’s accountability can be checked. The NGO sector is not accountable to anybody but their funders”, says Prasanna Saligram of Sochara, noting that the co-ordination of relief is highly irregular during disasters. While the government usually universalizes distribution of relief, it often results in the marginalisation of vulnerable communities. “Systems in India are heavily people-centric. If there is a good collector at the helm, good work is done but the moment s/he is transferred, the work stops”, he says.

Disempowered Grassroot Institutions
Chapter V of the Act lays down the function of the local authority, which includes zilla parishads, panchayat raj institutions, municipalities among many others. Amar Jyoti, senior manager, ActionAid says, “Despite the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Panchayati Raj institutions have the least bit of power in the whole process of relief and rehabilitation. Panchayat members, though closest to the areas affected, are only part of implementation of decisions taken centrally.” He adds that this hampers community-centric disaster management. Traditional knowledge found among communities is also more likely to be harnessed by the panchayats, than the district administration.

Vulnerabilities

Indian Air Force soldiers act as saviors by sending flood relief

Mental health is one of the most neglected areas post-disaster. Prasanna Saligram, project manager, SOCHARA says, “When the Tsunami hit Tamil Nadu, we had sent groups of doctors to counsel the people who were traumatised after losing their loved ones, home, property etc. Post-disaster, this is one of the most neglected areas, unlike tangible requirements like relief materials.” Dr UnniKrishnan of Plan concurs, “Meeting the emotional needs (through psychosocial care and support) is as important as meeting material needs. Some of these needs are often invisible.”
National Disaster management Policy outlines the need to address vulnerable sections of the society especially after a disaster. The policy envisages communities taking a lead in disaster preparedness alkong with identifying and helping the most vulnerable. However, the situation at the ground level is very different. Till date, several states and districts do not have a proper disaster management plan for their respective areas.
India continues to be among the most disaster prone areas in the world. Preparedness planning goes a long way in improving the speed, quality and appropriateness of humanitarian response to disasters. “Failing to plan is planning to fail. Resources invested in disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction saves more lives and is better value for money”, according to Dr UnniKrishnan, a disaster management expert with Plan International.

The implementation of the HYOGO Framework is a step in the right direction. Ensuring multi-stakeholder participation, better communication mechanisms, decentralisation of power among others will go a long way in plaguing the gaps that one finds in managing disasters in the country.

Early Warning Systems (EWS)
While the loss of life caused by the tsunami was very high in coastal towns and cities, indigenous people living in coastal areas suffered little or no loss of life. This is because they knew the big water was coming, and headed uphill to safety. The loss of such traditional knowledge means technological early warning systems are urgently required, especially as development takes root in more areas. While windspeed causes some damage during cyclones, more damage is inflicted by the absence of mangroves which could mitigate the effects of the cyclone.

The HYOGO Framework for Action 2005-2015 was adopted in January of 2005 at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Japan. The focus is disaster mitigation and prevention to reduce not only loss of lives but also social, economic and environmental losses suffered by communities with an ultimate aim to increasing the resilience of vulnerable communities.

Functions of the local authority (as laid down by the Disaster management Act, 2005)
(a) Ensure that its officers and employees are trained for disaster management;
(b) Ensure that resources relating to disaster management are so maintained as to be readily
available for use in the event of any threatening disaster situation or disaster;
(c) Ensure all construction projects under it or within its jurisdiction conform to the standards and
specifications laid down for prevention of disasters and mitigation by the National Authority,
State Authority and the District Authority;
(d) Carry out relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the affected area in accordance
with the State Plan and the District Plan.

Source:- http://socialprotectioncommunity.in/2012/03/29/managing-a-disaster-lessons-from-below-2/