e – learning on National Disaster Risk Management
Comprehensive Natural Disaster Risk Management Framework
An Assessment of National Disaster Management Framework in India A Short Case study of the Flood in Assam
An End-of-Course Project Submitted to the NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of a Certificate in Comprehensive Natural Disaster Risk Management Framework.
By
JIBAN JYOTI KALITA
[email protected] March 2016
1.Background Information India, officially the Republic of India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world.
Total Area Total Population
32, 87, 263 km2 1.252 billion .30% urban,70% rural Capital(New Delhi)
Neighbour Countries Table 1: Basic details of India
Eight
The Economy of India is the seventh largest in the world by nominal GDP and the third largest by purchasing power parity (PPP).India has the one of fastest growing service sectors in the world with annual growth rate of above 9% since 2001.
per capita
Agriculture
GDP $1,875 (2015) 13.7% Table 2 :% wise distribution of GDP
Industry 17%
Other 3.2%
Service 66.1%
India shares borders to the northwest with Pakistan, to the north with China(largest population in world) Nepal and Bhutan, and to the east with Bangladesh and Myanmar. To the west lies the Arabian Sea, to the east the Bay of Bengal and to the south the Indian Ocean. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are Indian Territory but lie off the coast of Thailand in the Bay of Bengal. Sri Lanka lies off the southeast coast, and the Maldives to southwest coast. The far north eastern states and territories are all but separated from the rest of India by Bangladesh as it extends northwards from the Bay of Bengal towards Bhutan. India is separated from the rest of Asia by mountain ranges, forest, and deserts -the Himalayan mountain range in the north, the Thar Desert in the west and the Chin Hills and Patkai ranges in the east. The Indus River runs through the northern disputed territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert.The nation has four s easons: winter(January and February), summer (March to May), a monsoon (rainy) season (June– September), and a post monsoon period (October–December).
Table 3: The main hazards in India, its occurrence and losses. Earthquake
2001
Bhuj,Gujrat
Tsunami
2004
Floods
2005
Coastline TN, Kerala, AR A&N islands & Puducherry Maharashtra
Earthquake Kosi floods
2008 2008
Kashmir North Bihar
Cyclone Krishna floods
2008 2009
Brahmaputra flood
2012
Tamilnadu Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka Assam
Phailin
2013
Flash flood
2013
Coastline of Orissa, Jharkhand Uttarakhand
Flood flood
2015 2015
Chennai Assam
13,805 deaths,6.3 million affected 10,749 deaths, 5,640 missing,2.79 Millions 1094 deaths 167 injured,54 missing 1400 deaths 527 deaths, 19,323 cattle died 204 deaths 300 deaths affect 1,916 villages,121 deaths 27 died, 10,00,000 evacuations 5,700 deaths 70,000 affected 300 deaths 42 deaths ,Affect 1.65 million people in 21districts. Flooding affected 2,100 villages
Table 4: % of area exposed to disaster DISASTER
Flood
Drought
Earthquake
Landslides
% OF AREA EXPOSED to
12
68
58.7
3
Severe forest fire 6.17
2.Flood in Assam(2012) Assam is a state in Northeast India. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra Valley and the Barak Valley along with the Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts with an area of 30,285 square miles. Floods are a recurring phenomenon in Assam, as 45% of its area is prone to floods. Apart from the heavy rainfall that occurs in the State, the Brahmaputra and its tributaries and the Barak River and their tributaries swell up during the monsoon on account of rains in the upper reaches of the catchment areas of various rivers, which include China, Myanmar and Bhutan, besides the neighbouring states of India i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland. The state witnessed massive floods in June and September 2012. Incessant rainfall during the month of June 2012 and from 15th September to 27th September 2012, which was 24 % and 47 % above
normal respectively, was one of the reasons for the enormous floods in Assam. Moreover, what was striking was that the rainfall activity was unusually extreme on four days of June 2012 viz. 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th and four days of September 2012 viz. 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd. The state of Arunachal Pradesh also witnessed very heavy rainfall during this specific period. The flood mainly occurred in three phases in Assam. April-May 2012 : First Wave of Floods Flood occurred in the district of Karimganj in the month of April 2012. Later in the month of May, a flood occurred in Lakhimpur district. However, the duration and magnitude of the first wave of floods was very less affecting a population of 4068 only and no relief camps were opened during this phase. June-August 2012 : Second Wave of Floods In the second wave of Floods, all the 27 Districts of Assam were affected. September 2012 : Third Wave of Floods :Barely had the State recovered from the devastating floods of June 2012, the State was again struck by another enormous flood in the third week of September 2012 due to heavy rainfall . Twenty districts of Assam have been flooded due to incessant rainfall in the catchment areas affecting a population of nearly 29.14 lakh population in 2594 villages of 94 Revenue Circles. Losses and damages including direct and indirect losses, reliance on external assistance The impact caused by the floods was devastating. Apart from loss of lives, the damage caused to infrastructure was enormous. Among the death that occurred in the floods 68.75% were children and woman. Table 5: Direct Losses and damages in 2012 flood in Assam (According to ASDMA report) Sl no. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Items Villages Affected Number of Revenue Circles Affected Total no. of Districts Affected Total Number of Population Affected Human Lives Lost Crop area Affected
June 2012 4540 128
September 2012 2594 94
27
20
23.91 lakhs
29.14 lakhs
112 2.55 lakh hector
37 3.28 lakh hector
Indirect loss-Nearly 812 Hectare Sericulture Plantation was affected, where about 10, 00,000 plants and 1580 rearing houses were also damaged. 5000 Km of Village internal roads, 500 Km of Irrigation Channel/Marginal Bund, 425 Drinking Water units and 50 Panchayat Ghars(house) were also damaged due to flood. The situation in the world's largest island (Majuli) is also grim, with the water level of the Brahmaputra flowing above the danger level at Majuli, and its area is decreasing continuously. Floods also caused damage to the infrastructure of three National Parks viz. DibruSaikhowa, Kaziranga and Manas National Parks and three Wildlife Sanctuaries(Pobitora, Laokhowa and Bura Wildlife).
Photo - Impact of flood in Assam on people and animals
The Government of Assam presented a Flood Memorandum to the team seeking Rs 3986.26 crore as special assistance under NDRF and Rs 11092.12 crores as additional special package for the State. The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh visited the Flood affected areas of Assam on 1st July 2012 and announced a special package of Rs. 500 crores for the flood hit victims of Assam.
3.National Disaster Management System of INDIA There is very little that can be done to prevent the occurrence of natural hazards. Floods, droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and tsunami cannot be prevented. But humankind, being as adaptable as it is, has learned to live with all these hazards. In the past, we have taken a passive approach to hazards, justifying them as acts of God or nature about which we could do very little. But while these natural disasters cannot be prevented, their results, such as loss of life and property, can be reduced by proper planning. To plan for the natural disasters plaguing our nation, we must have a good understanding not only of the physical nature of the phenomenon and their manifestation in each geographical locality, but also of that area's combined physical, social and cultural factors. Some of these areas are more vulnerable to a particular disaster than others.
Institutional arrangements for disaster management: Layered structure has been created to plan and counter the risk hazard. Following institutional arrangement have been created for disaster management. Table 6: Institutional arrangement for disaster management
Agency/ Body Cabinet Committee on Natural Calamities National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Disaster Management Committee (District Level)
Associated agencies/ sectors Inter-ministerial high level committee IMD/ DRDO/ CWC/ Railway/ Environment and Forest, Deptt. of Health, Agriculture etc. State department and other central agencies working in the state
Remarks
Being a nodal agency, NDMA has administrative, financial and legal powers Roles and responsibility similar to NDMA with state specific provision and needs Headed by DM / DC
Specialized Committee
BMTPC, IMD, CSIR, IITs, CWC, BIS, HUDCO
Lead Institutions like Planning Commission, MoWR, DST Emergency Operation Centres (EOC)
Multi-hazard vulnerability mapping
Disaster Response Force (NDRF/ SDRF/DDRF)
- Special team of central paramilitary, state police and home guards - 2 battalion each from BSF, CISF, CRPF and ITBP constitute NDRF NIDM, NCDM, NCDC, NISA, NFSC etc.
A team of trained multidisciplinary professionals
Apex Training Institutes and specialized training facilities
Multi-hazard risk zonation up to district level (every 5 year), development of enforcement guidelines, norms regulations, warning manuals and codes for reference Conducted every 5 year
Fixed and mobile EOC at national/state level with all communication system, guide maps, decision support system Responsible for search, rescue, rehabilitation of the affected life and property
Professional training as per national capacity building plan and post recruitment training to the central/state/local staff at available training facilities of Govt./Corporate bodies
Acts and legal frameworks: For effective management and monitoring of implementation of disaster, Govt. of India enacted Disaster Management Act in 2005. The act provides a legal framework for effective appreciation of response mechanism through a vertical horizontal hierarchy. For a safe and disaster resilient India, the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM) has been approved by the central government in 2009. Following legal framework exist at national, state and local level. Legal body NDMA
Composition PM (Chairman), 1 Secretary, 5 Joint Secretary, 9 members, 10 joint advisors & Directors, 14 Asstt. Advisors, Asstt. Secretary and Asstt. Financial Advisors
Mandate Policy layout, approval of national plan, layout of guidelines for state authority and ministries, enforcement and implementation of DM plan, Governing body for
National Executive Home Secretary (Chairman) and Committee (NEC) Secretaries of agriculture, atomic energy, defence, water supply, environment and forest, finance (expenditure), health, power, rural development, science and technology, telecommunication, space, urban development, water resources, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Ex-officio member) SDMA & State Composition of SDMA similar to Executive national authority. SEC is Committee (SEC) comprised with Chief Secretary (Chairman) and 4 secretaries of state departments DDMA and DM/ DC (Chairman), 1 elected Advisory Committee representative or ZPC (Cochairperson), CEO of district authority, SP, CMO and 2 members of district level officer Civil Defence DM (Controller) and 1 officer of Committee similar level as Deputy Controller
NEC, NIDM & NDRF Act as the coordinating and monitoring body for disaster management, to prepare a National Plan, monitor the implementation of National Policy etc.
Constituted as per provisions of DMA, 2005 or State DMA promulgated earlier
Constituted at Panchayat & Municipalities level
The role of public sector, private sector, NGOs: When studying the field of disaster management and how it has evolved over the years, it is virtually i mpossible to.analyze it without also researching the role of the private sector. Charities such as the Re d Cross or the Salvation Army have a long history in disaster relief, often working hand-in-hand with the government to provide disaster management and recovery services and during the 2012 flood in Assam its role is significant. The Important role of private and corporate sector in watershed management, channel and drainage improvement, construction of reservoirs, anti-erosion works The private sector has been the main source of supplies to all agencies involved in DM both at the Centre and at the State level e.g. hardware like vehicles, fire engines, equipment for Forces like National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), boats, tents, food supplies, medicines, pre-fab shelters, communication equipment, earth moving machinery, aircraft, helicopters etc. NGOs and community organisations are at the forefront of strengthening disaster resilence in India. support or advice and the dedicated work of these agenciesand organisations is critical to helping co mmunities to cope with and recover from a disaster.
The role of various organisations during flood in Assam is appreciable. As per estimate over 3, 70,265 people were evacuated all over the State using boats from the Army, NDRF, ASDMA and private boats. A massive relief operation was undertaken in all the districts immediately. Relief Camps were opened and Gratuitous Relief (GR) distributed for immediate relief. In September 2012, 1069 Relief Camps and 176 Shelters were set up with over 5.43 lakh people. A total amount of Rs 165.90 crore was given to the districts and subdivisions for providing GR to the flood victims. Around 3,15,000 bleaching powder packets were distributed, 10,28,001 Halogen tablets were distributed, 1594 Spot source installed, 4526 Spot source repaired, 43,691 spot source disinfected, 862 toilets constructed at Relief camps and 682 ponds were disinfected.( As per report of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), (2013)). Awareness generation on do’s and don’ts during flood has to be taken up for the better safety of people. Many NGOs (e.g. SPADE) are involved to help people. Various public sector organisations provide financial help to affected people and for redevelopment of flood affected area.
PHOTO-Relief supplied during flood in Assam (2012)
4.Strengths and Weaknesses of the National Disaster Management System Effective Warning systems: The Flood warning systems in India have evolved over the years. However, the weakness lies in the speedy reach of the information. The people are yet to be sensitized about the need to heed to warnings. Moreover, the warnings about the flood reached very late at times and most of the times never reached. Efficient communications during the disasters: The national disaster management system would have to ensure that communications lines are restored at the earliest. And while that is being waited for minimum alternate forms of communications ought to be made available to the relief workers. Satellite phones and Ham Radio are definite advantages but their expensive costs are a major reason for poor patronage. Coordination and effective flow of information- There is no clear delegation of responsibility in either the Administrative machinery or at community level. The chain of command is mostly in shambles during the disasters as seen during the flood in 2012. But things have improved and the way the Assam officials responded to the flood efforts is really commendable. However, post disaster planning is being deliberated under different heads by a variety of departments and there is minimal coordination among them. Need for Traditional Touch: The people need a traditional approach in their recovery and rehab measures and it is imperative that the policy makers make decisions that are in consonance with the traditional values and local in approach. This would mean wider coverage of the thought process and help in the removal of the impediments.
Symbolism Rather than Relief : It has been a recurrent experience that rather than making a serious effort at planning and management for tackling frequent disasters, our government adopts symbolic gestures like helicopter survey of disaster affected areas. The politics of relief works in a manner that tall claims are made by the Government other than the affected state to help the affected districts and by sending huge financial help but these claims prove hollow once the calamity recedes.so there is a need to stop symbolism. Media: The media humanitarian partnerships like the Alert Net (1997) of the Reuters have set examples of the effective ways in which the media can help in spreading the message and the awareness about the disasters across the globe, the national disaster management system is incomplete without a competent media that aids the decision making authorities and also helps in building up corpus funds to help in relief measures. The weakness of the media is sensationalism that they tend to seek in the miseries of human life. Therefore, it can also be deliberated if the media too needs training in DM which would also ensure that disaster woes are not relegated to the back pages very soon.
5.Recommendations for Improvement
Mass awareness on disaster management issues required. Clarity on roles and responsibilities for all agencies concerned with emergency response. Better co-ordination needed amongst different hospitals for sharing of resources. First aid training has not been given to the community. Hospital preparedness is mostly inadequate and creation of surge capacity is not known to even medical fraternity. There is also shortage of ambulances. Most ambulances are used as load carriers and are not equipped with lifesaving emergency equipment.
Mapping of resources for effective decision making.
Need for institutional strengthening at local level (municipality) for disaster management. Deforestation: Human intervention and depredation in the watersheds also aggra vate flood. So we need to prevent Deforestation.
Taking short term measures such as construction of embankments, channel improvement, protection of towns and realigning of villages, etc.
In the long term phase further works which included creation of storage reservoir (Dam). Dredging of the Brahmaputra River. Media is also an important clog in the wheel of development and the training in disaster management to media managers would help in spreading the message.
