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'The disaster management plan has no meaning'

Archana Masih in Bombay

As the Gujarat government flounders in managing the aftermath of Friday's catastrophic earthquake, experienced observers in Maharashtra -- which suffered 7,982 deaths in the Latur quake -- say even states like Maharashtra have ill equipped disaster management plans.

"The disaster management plan has no meaning. It is talked about for some time and then the people concerned go back to sleep," says former Cabinet secretary B G Deshmukh. "It is merely on paper. Even Gujarat will go back to the same kind of ignorance in 6 to 8 months."

The disaster management plan is a guide for the bureaucracy to manage a calamity. And officials who have worked on the plan say it is bound to be effective only when the government machinery includes non governmental organisations, the private sector and the community at large.

"It is not mandatory for states to have a plan like this. And even if there is a plan, it needs to be updated," says V G Panvalkar, consultant to the Maharashtra Disaster Management Plan. The state government formulated a 'multi-hazard' disaster management plan as part of the Maharashtra Emergency Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme after the September 1993 Latur earthquake. The plan came into being two years after the earthquake, in 1995.

"But what is the use of having such a document if it is not translated into regional languages and circulated? It is, after all, a public document. It should be made available to every ward in the city or district," says Deshmukh who has not laid his hands on the plan, in spite of asking for it several times.

The former civil servant adds that the ideal thing to counter such an emergency is to mobilise the wardens in each ward and train select citizens in dealing with such disasters. Certain strategic spots in every area should be earmarked for the Rapid Action Force, and for establishing mobile hospitals and other emergency services.

Agreeing that there are limitations of dealing with the destruction caused because of unavoidable disasters, Panvalkar adds that having a disaster plan does help in providing some clarity in dealing with the crisis. "The magnitude of the destruction is not within our control, but proper coordination is. Both the community and the administration should be kept ready to save lives. After Latur, certain lessons have been learnt -- but only locally."

The death toll in an earthquake can only be curtailed if the standards for building construction are not flouted. Most buildings do not have fire exits -- leave alone those that are clearly marked. The concept of regular fire drills in residential buildings, schools and public premises are absent. Says Panvalkar: "I don't expect the stock of our buildings to improve overnight, but an awareness has to generated."

In the wake of natural calamities -- the more common ones in India like floods, cyclones, drought -- the state machinery has a certain set of regulations that are pressed into motion when such a disaster strikes. Under the district collector's supervision, the police, home guards, the department of health and public works department are mobilised. The fire, transport, power, telecommunication and municipal departments are instructed to be on alert. Food supplies are organised. Control rooms or emergency operating centres are set up, both at the district and state level, depending on the magnitude of the disaster.

Former Maharashtra chief secretary J B D'Souza, who participated in relief operations in Punjab during Partition, after the collapse of the Panshet and Khadakvasla dams near Pune and after a couple of explosions in Aurangabad, says that though there were no advance plans during his time, such present plans appear only on paper.

To deal with a catastrophe, D'Souza points out that a supreme commander should be designated to direct all relief measures. "He should be armed with powers to overrule all ministers, whether of the state, Centre or local bodies and report directly to the chief minister. He should also have the PM's approval," he adds.

Apart from activating communication links to all parts of the disaster area, the disinfection of drinking water and immunisation arrangement should be made to prevent the spread of an epidemic. NGO participation should be invited and areas of responsibility allocated among them. A daily briefing for the media should also be arranged.

"VIP visits should be prevented. They only serve a political end, more important, they divert personnel from essential tasks," says D'Souza.

The Complete Coverage | List of earthquake sites

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