TABLE OF CONTENTS

S.N
O

CHAPTER NO

CHAPTER -I

NAME OF THE CHAPTER

INTRODUCTION:
Executive Summary
Overview
Objectives of the project and
study
Research and Methodology
Limitations
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

Introduction
Disaster Mitigation
Awareness about Disasters

THE DISASTER
MANAEGEMENT
Importance of Disaster
Management
Role of Municipalities in
Disaster Management
Place Declared as Diaster
Area
dentifying Disaster Hazards
Prevent Disasters
1

 Prevention of Fire Disasters

CHAPTER - IV

CHAPTER V

SCHEME OF NATURAL
DISASTERS
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
CYCLE
APPROACHES

CHAPTER VI

Integrated approach
The latest perspective
Workshop and Councelling
Quality Statistics
Conclusion
Measures
to
solve
the
problems

BIBLIOGRAPHY
7

CHAPTER -VII

CHAPTER1-INTRODUCTION
1.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARRY
2

The Yokohama message emanating from the international decade for natural disaster reduction in
May 1994 underlined the need for an emphatic shift in the strategy for disaster mitigation. It was
inter-alia stressed that disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and relief are four elements
which contribute to and gain, from the implementation of the sustainable development policies.
These elements along with environmental protection and sustainable development, are closely
inter related. Therefore, nations should incorporate them in their development plans and ensure
efficient follow up measures at the community, sub-regional, regional, national and international
levels. The Yokohama Strategy also emphasized that disaster prevention, mitigation and
preparedness

are better than disaster response in achieving

the goals and objectives of

vulnerability reduction. Disaster response alone is not sufficient as it yields only temporary
results at a very high cost. Prevention and mitigation contribute to lasting improvement in safety
and are essential to integrated disaster management.
The Government of India have adopted mitigation and prevention as essential components of
their development strategy. The Tenth Five Year Plan document has a detailed chapter on
Disaster Management. The plan emphasizes the fact that development cannot be sustainable
without mitigation being built into developmental process. Each State is supposed to prepare a
plan scheme for disaster mitigation in accordance with the approach outlined in the plan. In
brief, mitigation is being institutionalized into developmental planning.
The Finance Commission makes recommendations with regard to devolution of funds between
the Central Government and State Governments as also outlays for relief and rehabilitation. The
earlier Finance Commissions were mandated to look at relief and rehabilitation. The Terms of
Reference of the Twelfth Finance Commission have been changed and the Finance Commission
has been mandated to look at the requirements for mitigation and prevention apart from its
existing mandate of looking at relief and rehabilitation. A Memorandum has been submitted to
the Twelfth Finance Commission after consultation with States. The Memorandum proposes a
Mitigation Fund.

1.2 OVERVIEW

The repertoire of Indigenous Knowledge that communities in the four study areas Kenya,
Tanzania, Swaziland and South Africa draw on to deal with natural disasters is very large. This
knowledge serves communities well within the traditional power structures. The successful
application of this knowledge is based on good prognosis, close observation and a thorough
understanding of the local environment.
These elaborate power structures ensure that communities are properly guided on the actions to
take to prevent or mitigate disasters. Signs of coming disaster are obvious to everyone and this
leads to instinctive response and preparation for coming events without necessarily being
instructed as such by elders.
People revere elders in their role of divining climatic conditions and natural disasters. The
culture and belief system of a community also influences its response to disaster. In most
communities disasters were believed to be of supernatural origin and as such the communities
affected resigned themselves to the fact that they had no power to stop them once triggered but
could only mitigate their effects.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT & STUDY
The main objectives of the project are:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)

To understand the concepts disaster mangement skills

To study about disater management.
To explain what are disatermangement skills.
To explain the importanve of disaster management skills.
To find the strategy for development of disaster management

1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Without proper methods one cannot make a project. for this purpose research design is required.
Researchdesign is blue print for collection, measurement and analysis of data. it is framework of

project that stimulates what information is to be collected from which sources and by what
procedure.
there are four types of research metrology which are as follow:
1.) DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH.
2.) EXPLORATORY RESEARCH.
3.) EXPLANATORY RESEARCH.
4.) CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH.

Descriptive research
Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the
phenomena to describe what exists with respect to variables or conditions in a situation. The
methods involved range from the survey which describes the status, the correlation study which
investigates the relationship between variables, to developmental studies which seek to
determine changes over time.
Descriptive research is also called Statistical Research. The main goal of this type of research is
to describe the data and characteristics about what is being studied. The idea behind this type of
research is to study frequencies, averages, and other statistical calculations. Although this
research is highly accurate, it does not gather the causes behind a situation. Descriptive research
is mainly done when a researcher wants to gain a better understanding of a topic for example, a
frozen ready meals company learns that there is a growing demand for fresh ready meals but
does not know much about the area of fresh food and so has to carry out research in order to gain
a better understanding. It is quantitative and uses surveys and panels and also the use of
probability sampling.
Descriptive research is the exploration of the existing certain phenomena. The details of the facts
wont be known. The existing phenomena facts are not known to the persons.

THE PRESENT RESEARCH IS OF DESCRIPTIVE IN NATURE.

This project is of descriptive in nature because it is used to obtain information concerning the
current status of the phenomena to describe what exists with respect to variables or conditions
in a situation. The methods involved range from the survey which describes the status, the
correlation study which investigates the relationship between variables, to developmental studies
which seek to determine changes over time. The main goal of this type of research is to describe
the data and characteristics about what is being studied. It is mainly done when a researcher
wants to gain a better understanding of a topic.

DATA COLLECTION

DATA COLLECTION: It refers to collection of information .for a research to suceedrawfacts

must be collected in a form which helps in effective production of result and meeting the
objective of study.
Primary Data
Data observed

or

collected

directly

from

first-hand experience.

Primary data is the data which is collected by the researcher directly from his own observations
and experiences. For example, if the researcher conducts a survey for the collected of data then it
is known as primary data.

Primary Data Sources

Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is
closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied.
Primary data collection is necessary when a researcher cannot find the data needed in secondary
sources. Market researchers are interested in primary data about demographic/socioeconomic
characteristics, attitudes/opinions/interests, awareness/knowledge, intentions, motivation, and
behavior. Three basic means of obtaining primary data are observation, surveys, and
experiments. The choice will be influenced by the nature of the problem and by the availability
of time and money.
Examples include surveys, interviews, observations, and ethnographic research. A good
researcher knows how to use both primary and secondary sources in her writing and to integrate
them in a cohesive fashion.

Conducting primary research is a useful skill to acquire as it cangreatly supplement research in

secondary sources, such as journals, magazines, or books. Primary research is an excellent skill
to learn as it can be useful in a variety of settings including business, personal, and academics.
"Primary sources provide the 'raw data' that you use first to test the working hypothesis and then
as evidence to support your claim. In history, for example, primary sources include documents
from the period or person you are studying, objects, maps, even clothing; in literature or

philosophy, your main primary source is usually the text you are studying, and your data are the
words on the page. In such fields you can rarely write a research paper without using primary
Secondary Data
Published data and the data collected in the past or other parties is called secondary data
Secondary data is data that has already been collected and collated by somebody for some reason
other than the current study. It can be used to get a new perspective on the current study, to
supplement or compare the work or to use parts of it, as another study may prove costly and time
consuming e.g. the census.
"Secondary sources are research reports that use primary data to solve research problems, written
for scholarly and professional audiences. Researchers read them to keep up with their field and
use what they read to frame problems of their own by disputing other researchers' conclusions or
questioning their methods. You can use their data to support your argument, but only if you
cannot find those data in a primary source."
A secondary source is a report on the findings of the primary source. While not as authoritative
as the primary source, the secondary source often provides a broad background and readily
improves one's learning curve. Most textbooks are secondary sources; they report and summarize
the primary sources."
"Secondary data is neither better nor worse than primary data; it is simply different. The source
of the data is not as important as its quality and its relevance for your particular purpose. The
major advantages of using secondary data are economic: using secondary data is less costly and
time-consuming than collecting primary data. Its disadvantages relate not only to the availability
of sufficient secondary data but also to the quality of the data that is available. Never use any
data before you have evaluated its appropriateness for the intended purpose."
Secondary data analysis saves time that would otherwise be spent collecting data and,
particularly in the case of quantitative data, provides larger and higher-quality databases than
would be unfeasible for any individual researcher to collect on their own. In addition to that,
analysts of social and economic change consider secondary data essential, since it is impossible
to conduct a new survey that can adequately capture past change and/or developments.
The present study is based on secondary data.
1.5 LIMITATIONS
8

The following may be the precived limitation of the proposed study:

Secondry data is used for this project because of due to time constraint it was not possible

to collect primary data using interviews or questionnaires.

Researches done only on disatermangement.
Limited time was provided to complete the study.
Cost involved in collecting the data was high

CHAPTER2
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 INTRODUCTION
Disastermanagement is a process or strategy that is implemented when any type of catastrophic
event takes place. Sometimes referred to as disaster recoverymanagement, the process may be
initiated when anything threatens to disrupt normal operations or puts the lives of human beings
9

at risk. Governments on all levels as well as many businesses create some sort of disaster plan
that make it possible to overcome the catastrophe and return to normal function as quickly as
possible.
The Government of India have issued guidelines that where there is a shelf of projects, projects
addressing mitigation will be given a priority. It has also been mandated that each project in a
hazard prone area will have disaster prevention/mitigation as a term of reference and the project
document has to reflect as to how the project addresses that term of reference.
Measures for flood mitigation were taken from 1950 onwards. As against the total of 40 million
hectares prone to floods, area of about 15 million hectares have been protected by construction of
embankments. A number of dams and barrages have been constructed. The State Governments
have been assisted to take up mitigation programmes like construction of raised platforms etc.
Floods continue to be a menace however mainly because of the huge quantum of silt being
carried by the rivers emanating from the Himalayas . This silt has raised the bed level in many
rivers to above the level of the countryside. Embankments have also given rise to problems of
drainage with heavy rainfall leading to water logging in areas outside the embankment. To
evolve both short-term and long-term strategy for flood management/erosion control,
Government of India have recently constituted a Central Task Force under the Chairmenship of
Chairman, Central Water Commission. The Task Force will examine causes of the problem of
recurring floods and erosion in States and region prone to flood and erosion; and suggest shortterm and long-term measures. The Task Force will submit its report by December 2004.
Due to erratic behaviour of monsoons, both low and medium rain fall regions, which constitute
about 68% of the total area, are vulnerable to periodical droughts. Our experience has been that
almost every third year is a drought year. However, in some of the States, there may be
successive drought years enhancing the vulnerability of the population in these areas. Local
communities have devised indigenous safety mechanisms and drought oriented farming methods
in many parts of the country. From the experience of managing the past droughts particularly the
severe drought of 1987, a number of programmes have been launched by the Government to
mitigate the impact of drought in the long run. These programmes include Drought Prone Area
Programme (DPAP), Desert Development Programme (DDP), National Watershed Development
10

Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA), Watershed Development Programme for Shifting
Cultivation (WDPSC), Integrated Water Development Project (IWDP), Integrated Afforestation
and Eco-development Project Scheme (IAEPS).
2.2 Disaster Mitigations
Flood preparedness and response
In order to respond effectively to floods, Ministry of Home Affairs have initiated National
Disaster Risk Management Programme in all the flood-prone States. Assistance is being
provided to the States to draw up disaster management plans at the State, District, Block/Taluka
and Village levels. Awareness generation campaigns to sensitize all the stakeholders on the need
for flood preparedness and mitigation measures. Elected representatives and officials are being
trained in flood disaster management under the programme. Bihar Orissa, West Bengal, Assam
and Uttar Pradesh are among the 17 multi-hazard prone States where this programme is being
implemented with UNDP. USAID and European Commission.
Earthquake Risk Mitigation
A comprehensive programme has been taken up for earthquake risk mitigation. Although, the
BIS has laid down the standards for construction in the seismic zones, these were not being
followed. The building construction in urban and suburban areas is regulated by the Town and
Country Planning Acts and Building Regulations. In many cases, the Building regulations do not
incorporate the BIS codes. Even where they do, the lack of knowledge regarding seismically
safe construction among the architects and engineers as well as lack of awareness regarding their
vulnerability among the population led to most of the construction in the urban/sub-urban areas
being without reference to BIS standards. In the rural areas, the bulk of the housing is nonengineered construction. The mode of construction in the rural areas has also changed from mud
and thatch to brick and concrete construction thereby increasing the vulnerability.

The

increasing population has led to settlements in vulnerable areas close to the river bed areas which
are prone to liquefaction. The Government have moved to address these issues.

11

National Core Group for Earthquake Risk Mitigation

A National Core Group for Earthquake Risk Mitigation has been constituted consisting of
experts in earthquake engineering and administrators. The Core Group has been assigned with
the responsibility of drawing up a strategy and plan of action for mitigating the impact of
earthquakes; providing advice and guidance to the States on various aspects of earthquake
mitigation; developing/organizing the preparation of handbooks/pamphlets/type designs for
earthquake resistant construction; working out systems for assisting the States in the seismically
vulnerable zones to adopt/integrate appropriate Bureau of Indian Standards codes in their
building byelaws; evolving systems for training

of municipal engineers as also practicing

architects and engineers in the private sector in the salient features

Standards codes

of Bureau of Indian

and the amended byelaws; evolving a system

of certification of

architects/engineers for testing their knowledge of earthquake resistant construction; evolving

systems for training of masons and carry out intensive awareness generation campaigns.
Review of building bye-laws and their adoption
Most casualties during earthquakes are caused by the collapse of structures. Therefore structural
mitigation measures are the key to make a significant impact towards earthquake safety in our
country. In view of this the States in earthquake prone zones have been requested to review, and
if necessary, amend their building bye-laws to incorporate the BIS seismic codes for construction
in the concerned zones. Many States have initiated necessary action in this regard. An Expert
Committee appointed by the Core Group on Earthquake Risk Mitigation has already submitted
its report covering appropriate amendments to the existing Town & Country Planning Acts, Land
Use Zoning Regulation, Development Control Regulations & Building Bylaws, which could be
used by the State Governments & the local bodies there-under to upgrade the existing legal
instruments. The Model Building Bylaws also cover the aspect of ensuring technical
implementation of the safety aspects in all new constructions & upgrading the strength of
existing structurally vulnerable constructions. To facilitate the review of

existing building

byelaws and adoption of the proposed amendments by the State Governments & UT
12

administrations, discussion workshops at regional level in the country are being organized. It is
expected that all planning authorities and local bodies will soon have development control
regulations and building byelaws which would include multi-hazard safety provisions.
Development and Revision of Codes
There are Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) codes which are relevant for multi-hazard resistant
design and construction. These codes have to be regularly updated. An action plan has been
drawn

up

for

revision

of

existing

codes,

development

of

new

codes

and

documents/commentaries, and making these codes and documents available all over the country
including on-line access to these codes. An Apex committee consisting of representatives of
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, BIS and MHA

has been constituted to review the mechanism

and process of development of codes relevant to earthquake risk mitigation and establish a
protocol for revision by BIS.
Hazard Safety Cells in States
The States have been advised to constitute Hazard Safety Cells (HSC)headed by the Chief
Engineer (Designs), State Public Works Department with necessary engineering staff so as to
establish mechanism for proper implementation of the building codes in all future Govt.
constructions, and to ensures the safety of buildings and structures from various hazards. The
HSC will also be responsible for carrying out appropriate design review of all Government
buildings to be constructed in the State, act as an advisory cell to the State Government on the
different aspects of building safety against hazards and act as a consultant to the State
Government for retrofitting of the lifeline buildings. Rajasthan, West Bengal and Chhatisgarh
have already constituted these cells and other States are in the process.
National Programme for Capacity Building of Engineers andArchitects in Earthquake
Risk Mitigation
Two National Programmes for CapacityBuildingin Earthquake Risk Mitigation for Engineers
and Architects respectively, have been approved to assist the State Govts in building capacities
for earthquake mitigation. These two programmes are being implemented for training of 10,000
13

engineers and 10,000 architects in the States in seismically safe building designs and related
techno-legal requirements. Assistance is being provided to the State/UTs to build the capacities
of more than 125 StateEngineeringCollegesand 110 ArchitectureCollegesto be able to provide
advisory services to the State Govts to put in place appropriate techno-legal regime, assessment
of building and infrastructures and their retrofitting. These institutions will function as State
Resource Institutions. Twenty-one National level Engineering and Architecture Institutions have
been designated as National Resource Institutes to train the faculty members of selected State
Engineering and Architecture colleges. 450 engineering faculty members and 250 architecture
faculty members of these State Resource Institutions will be trained during the current year.
Training of rural masons
A programme to assist the States/UTs in training and certification of 50000 masons has been
formulated in conultation with Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) and the
Ministry of Rural Development. The training module for masons to include multi-hazard
resistant construction has also been prepared by an expert committee, and revised curriculum
will be introduced in the vocational training programme of Ministry of Human Resource
Development.
Earthquake Engineering in Undergraduate Engineering/Architecture Curricular
The role of engineers and architects is crucial in reducing earthquake risks by ensuring that the
construction adhere to the norms of seismically safety. In view of this, the elements of
earthquake engineering is being integrated into the undergraduate engineering and architecture
courses.

The

model course curricula for adoption by various technical institutions and

universities have been developed and circulated to the Universities and Technical Institutions for
adoption in the under graduate curricula. Ministry of Home Affairs is working with All India
Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and Council of Architecture (COA) for introduction of
revised curricula for engineering and architecture course from 2005-2006.
Hospital Preparedness and Emergency Health Management in Medical Education

14

Hospital preparedness is crucial to any disaster response system. Each hospital should have an
emergency preparedness plan to deal with mass casualty incidents and the hospital
administration/ doctor trained for this emergency. The curriculum for medical doctors does not
include Hospital Preparedness for emergencies. Therefore capacity building through in-service
training of the current heath managers and medical personnel in Hospital Preparedness for
emergencies or mass causality incident management is essential. At the same time, the future
health managers must acquire these skills systematically through the inclusion of health
emergency management in the undergraduate and post graduate medical curricula. In
consultation with Medical Council of India(MCI), two committees have been constituted for
preparation of curriculum for introduction of emergency health management in MBBS
curriculum, and preparation of in-service training of Hospital Managers and Professionals.
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Karnataka have been identified as the lead national
resource institution for the purpose.
Retrofitting of Lifeline buildings
While these mitigation measures will take care of the new constructions, the problem of
unsafe existing buildings stock would still remain. It will not be possible to address the entire
existing building stock, therefore the life line buildings like hospitals, schools or buildings where
people congregate like cinema halls, multi-storied apartments are being focussed on. The States
have been advised to have these buildings assessed and where necessary retrofitted.

The

Ministries of Civil Aviation, Railways, Telecommunication, Power and Health and Family
Welfare have been advised to take up necessary action for detailed evaluation and retrofitting of
lifeline buildings located in seismically vulnerable zones so as to ensure that they comply with
BIS norms, Action plan have been drawn up by these Ministries for detailed vulnerability
analysis and retrofitting/ strengthening of buildings and structures.

The Ministry of Finance

have been requested to advise the financial institutions to give loans for retrofitting on easy
terms. Accordingly the Ministry of Finance had advised Reserve Bank of Indiato issue suitable
instructions to all the Banks and Financial Institutions to see that BIS codes/bye laws are
scrupulously followed while financing/refinancing construction activities in seismically
vulnerable zones.

15

National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project

An Earthquake Mitigation Project has been drawn up, with an estimated cost of Rs.1132 crore.
The project has been given in-principle clearance by the Planning Commission.

The

programmeincludes detailed evaluation and retrofitting of lifeline buildings such as hospitals,

schools, water and power supply units, telecommunication buildings, airports/airport control
towers, railway stations, bus stands and important administrative buildings in the States in
seismic zones IV and V.
resistant

The programme also includes training of masons in earthquake

constructions. Besides, assistance will be provided under this project to the State

Governments to put in place

appropriate

techno legal regime. Startup activities for

implementation of this project have already been initiated.

Acceleration Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Programme

An accelerated

urbanearthquake vulnerability reduction programmehas been taken up in 38

cities in seismic zones III, IV & V with population of half a million and above. 474
Orientation programmes have been organized for senior officers and representatives of the local
planning and development bodies to sensitize them on earthquake preparedness and mitigation
measures. The training programme for engineers and architects are being organized to impart
knowledge about seismically safe construction and implementation of BIS norms. So far 1088
engineers and 825 architects have been trained. For enhanced school safety, education
programmes have been organized in schools, colleges and other educational institutions. This
programme will be further extended to 166 earthquake prone districts in seismic zones IV & V.
Awareness generation programmes, community and neighbourhood organizations have been
started in these cities. These cities are also being assisted to review and amend their building
bye-laws to incorporate multi hazard safety provisions. City Disaster Management Plans are
being developed under the project. Nine Cities have prepared city Disaster Management Plans.
Mainstreaming Mitigation in Rural Development Schemes

16

Rural housing and community assets for vulnerable sections of the population are created at a
fairly large scale by the Ministry of Rural Development under the Indira AwasYojna(IAY) and
SampooranGrameenRojgarYojna(SGRY). About 250 thousand small but compact housing
units are constructed every year,

besides community assets such as

community centres,

recreation centres, anganwadicentres etc. Technology support is provided by about two

hundred rural housing centres spread over the entire country. The Ministry of Home Affairs is
working with the Ministry of Rural Development for changing the guidelines so that the houses
constructed under IAY or school buildings/community buildings constructed under SGRY are
earthquake/cyclone/flood resistant; as also that the schemes addressing mitigation are given
priority under SGRY. Ministry of Rural Development are carrying out an exercise for this
purpose. This initiative is expected to go a long way in popularization of seismically safe
construction at village/block level .
National Cyclone Mitigation Project
A project for Cyclone Mitigation(estimated cost Rs. 1050 crore) has been drawn up in
consultation with the cyclone prone States. This project envisages construction of cyclone
shelters, coastal shelter belt plantation in areas which are prone to storm surges, strengthening of
warning systems, training and education etc. This project has also been given in-principle
clearance by the Planning Commission and is being taken up with World Bank assistance.
Landslide Hazard Mitigation
A National Core Group has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Border
Management and comprising of Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Secretary,
Road Transport & Highways, and the Heads of Geological Survey of India and National Remote
Sensing Agency for drawing up a strategy and plan of action for mitigating the impact of
landslides, provide advise and guidance to the State Governments on various aspects of landslide
mitigation, monitor the activities relating to landslide mitigation including landslide hazard
zonation and to evolve early warning systems and protocols for landslides/landslide risk
reduction. The Government have designated Geological Survey of India (GSI) as the nodal
agency responsible for coordinating/ undertaking geological studies, landslides hazard zonation,
17

monitoring landslides/avalanches, studying the factors responsible and suggesting precautionary

and preventive measure. The States/UTs have been requested to share the list of habitation close
to landslide prone areas in order to supplement GSIs on going assessment of such areas based on
the Survey of Indias Toposheet and their existing data base on landslide for the purpose of
landslide hazard zonation being carried out by them. A national strategy for mitigating landslide
hazard in the country is being drawn up in consultation with all the agencies concerned.
Disaster Risk Management Programme
A Disaster Risk Management Programme has been taken up in 169 districts in 17 multi-hazard
prone States with the assistance from UNDP, USAID and European Union. Under this project,
the States are being assisted to draw up State, district and Block level disaster management
plans;

village disaster management plans are being developed in conjunction with the

Panchayati Raj Institutions and disaster management teams consisting of village volunteers are
being trained in various preparedness and response functions such as search and rescue, first aid,
relief coordination, shelter management etc.

Equipment needs for district and State Emergency

Operation Centres have been identified by the State nodal agencies and equipment is being
provided to equip these EOCs. Orientation training of masons, engineers and architects in
disaster resistant technologies have been initiated in these districts and construction of model
demonstration buildings will be started soon.
Under this programme Disaster Management Plans have been prepared for 8643 villages, 1046
Gram Panchayat, 188 blocks and 82 districts. More than 29000 elected representatives of
Panchayati Raj Institutions have already been trained, besides imparting training to members of
voluntary organizations. About 18000 Government functionaries have been trained in disaster
mitigation and preparedness at different levels. 865 engineers and 425 architects have been
trained under this programme in vulnerability assessment and retrofitting of lifeline buildings.
600 master trainers and 1200 teachers have already been trained in different districts in disaster
preparedness and mitigation. Disaster Management Committees consisting of elected
representatives, civil society members, Civil Defence volunteers and Government functionaries
have been constituted at all levels including village/urban local body/ward levels. Disaster
Management Teams have been constituted in villages and are being imparted training in basic
18

functions of first aid, rescue, evacuation and related issues. The thrust of the programme is to
build up capabilities of the community since the community is invariably the first responder.
During the recent past, it has been experienced that the capacity building of the community has
been very helpful even in normal situations when isolated instances of drowning, burns etc. take
place. With the creation of awareness generation on disaster mitigation, the community will be
able to function as a well-knit unit in case of any emergency. Mock drills are carried out from
time to time under the close supervision of Disaster Management Committees. The Disaster
Management Committees and Disaster Management Teams have been established by
notifications issued by the State Governments which will ensure that the entire system is
institutionalized and does not disintegrate after the conclusion of the programme. The key points
being stressed under this programme are the need to ensure sustainability of the programme,
development of training modules; manuals and codes, focused attention to awareness generation
campaigns; institutionalization of disaster management committees and disaster management
teams, disaster management plans and mock-drills and establishment of techno-legal regimes.

2.3 Awareness about Disasters

Awareness generation
Recognizing that awareness about vulnerabilities is a sine qua non for inducing a mindset of
disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, the Government has initiated a nation-wide
awareness generation campaign as part of its overall disaster risk management strategy. In order
to devise an effective and holistic campaign, a steering committee for mass media campaign has
been constituted at the national level with due representation of experts from diverse streams of
communication. The Committee has formulated a campaign strategy aimed at changing peoples
perception of natural hazards and has consulted the agencies and experts associated with
advertising and media to instill a culture of safety against natural hazards.
Apart from the use of print and electronic media, it is proposed to utilize places with high public
visibility viz. hospitals, schools, railway stations and bus terminals, airports and post offices,

19

commercial complexes and municipality offices etc. to make people aware of their vulnerabilities
and promote creation of a safe living environment.
A novel method being tried is the use of government stationery viz. postal letters, bank
stationery, railway tickets, airline boarding cards and tickets etc. for disseminating the message
of disaster risk reduction. Slogans and messages for this purpose have already been developed
and have been communicated to concerned Ministries/agencies for printing and dissemination.
The mass media campaign will help build the knowledge, attitude and skills of the people in
vulnerability reduction and sustainable disaster risk management measures.

Disaster Awareness in School Curriculum

Disaster management as a subject in Social Sciences has been introduced in the school
curriculum for Class VIII &IX. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) which has
introduced the curriculum runs a very large number of schools throughout the country and the
course curriculum is invariably followed by the State Boards of Secondary Education. Teachers
are being trained to teach disaster management Syllabus for Class X is being finalized and will
be introduced in the course curriculum soon. The State Governments have been advised to take
similar steps vis--vis their school boards.

Several Provincial Governments have already

introduced the same curriculum in Class VII. Ministry is working with the Council of Board of
School Education (COBSE) to facilitate inclusion of disaster management in public education in
all 39 School Boards in the country.
Information, Education and Communication
In order to assist the State Governments in capacity building and awareness generation activities
and to learn from past experiences including sharing of best practices, the Ministry of Home
Affairs has compiled/prepared a set of resource materials developed by various
organisations/institutions to be replicated and disseminated by State Governments based on their
vulnerabilities after translating it into the local languages. The voluminous material which runs
in about 10000 pages has been divided into 4 broad sections in 7 volumes. These sections cover
20

planning to cope with disasters; education and training; construction toolkit; and information,
education and communication toolkit including multi-media resources on disaster mitigation and
preparedness. The Planning section contains material for analyzing a communitys risk,
development of Preparedness. Mitigation and disaster management plans, coordinating available
resources and implementing measures for risk reduction. The model bye-laws, DM Policy, Act
and model health sector plan have also been included. Education and Training includes material
for capacity building and upgradation of skills of policy makers, administrators, trainers,
engineers etc. in planning for and mitigating against natural disasters. Basic and detailed training
modules in disaster preparedness have been incorporated along with training methodologies for
trainers, for community preparedness and manuals for training at district, block, panchayat and
village levels. For creating a disaster-resistant building environment, the Construction Toolkit
addresses the issue of seismic resistant construction and retrofitting of existing buildings. BIS
Codes, manuals and guidelines for RCC, Masonry and other construction methodologies as also
for repair and retrofitting of masonry and low-rise buildings have been included.
IEC material seeks to generate awareness to induce mitigation and preparedness measures for
risk reduction. Material and strategies used by various States and international organizations,
including tips on different hazards, have been incorporated along with multi-media CDs on
disasters. The material has been disseminated to all the State Governments/UT Administrations
with the request to have the relevant material, based on the vulnerability of each district, culled
out, translated into local languages and disseminate it widely down to the village level.
Special Focus to Northeastern States
A special focus is being given to North-EasternStatesand the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The
North-Eastern Council has been made the nodal agency for the NE States. The NEC has been
provided with a resource person/advisor in disaster management. A detailed presentation on the
vulnerabilities of the NE region and the need for comprehensive disaster management plan has
been made in the Governing Body of NE Council. An action plan has been drawn up by NEC
and a declaration namely Shillong Declaration has been adopted by States in the NE region for
integrating disaster management with development planning.

21

140 officials and non-officials

have been trained in disaster management to act as resource persons for the NE region. State and
district level sensitization and training programmes are being carried out.
The various prevention and mitigation measures outlined above are aimed at building up the
capabilities of the communities, voluntary organisations and Government functionaries at all
levels. Particular stress is being laid on ensuring that these measures are institutionalized
considering the vast population and the geographical area of the country. This is a major task
being undertaken by the Government to put in place mitigation measures for vulnerability
reduction. This is just a beginning. The ultimate goal is to make prevention and mitigation a part
of normal day-to-day life. The above mentioned initiatives will be put in place and information
disseminated over a period of five to eight years. We have a firm conviction that with these
measures in place, we could say with confidence that disasters like Orissa cyclone and Bhuj
earthquake will not be allowed to recur in this country; at least not at the cost, which the country
has paid in these two disasters in terms of human lives, livestock, loss of property and means of
livelihood.

Chapter-3
The Disaster Management
DEFINITION OF DISASTER
Disaster is a crisis situation that far exceeds the capabilities.

22

- Quarentelly, 1985.
Disaster is defined as a crisis situation causing wide spread damage which far exceeds
our ability to recover. Thus, by definition, there cannot be a perfect ideal system that prevents
damage, because then it would not be a disaster. It has to suffocate our ability to recover. Only
then it can be called as disaster.
Disasters are not totally discrete events. Their possibility of occurrence, time, place and
severity of the strike can be reasonably and in some cases accurately predicted by technological
and scientific advances. It has been established there is a definite pattern in their occurrences and
hence we can to some extent reduce the impact of damage though we cannot reduce the extent of
damage itself. This demands the study of disaster management in methodical and orderly
approach.
Disaster management
A disaster can be caused by humans or nature. Disasters are events that are sometimes
unpredictable. It is important for any government to manage disasters. Government provides
legislation, allocates resources and does rational planning and sustainable development. Disaster
management and planning is a key part of government work.
This guide includes the following:
1. The importance of disaster management plans
2. The role of municipalities in disaster management
3. What does it mean when a place is declared a disaster area?
4. Identifying potential disaster hazards in your area
5. Preventing disasters in your households and communities: What to do
6. How can we prevent fire disasters?

23

3.1 The importance of putting disaster management plans in place

Disasters are events that have a huge impact on humans and/or the environment. Disasters
require government intervention. They are not always unpredictable. Floods take place in valleys
and flood plains, droughts in areas with unstable and low rainfall, and oil spills happen in
shipping lanes. This predictability provides opportunities to plan for, prevent and to lessen the
impact of disasters.
Disasters arise from both natural and human causes, and the responses needed could stretch
community and government capacity to the limit. For example, during 2000 we saw a series of
disasters in South Africa: huge floods devastated the Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga and
neighbouring countries; massive fires and an oil spill threatened Cape Town; and separate floods
hit rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. In 2004 Cape Town experienced
a drought disaster attributed to global warming. From April 2004 to January 2005, the province
experiences 376 disasters, mostly fire and flood.
Disasters are inevitable although we do not always know when and where they will happen. But
their worst effects can be partially or completely prevented by preparation, early warning, and
swift, decisive responses.
Disaster management aims to reduce the occurrence of disasters and to reduce the impact of
those that cannot be prevented. The government White paper and Act on Disaster Management
define the roles of Local Authorities as well as Provincial and National government in disaster
management.
3.2 The role of municipalities in disaster management
Every municipality must have a disaster management plan as part of its Integrated Development
Plans according to the Municipal Systems Act.
Structure and Mechanism: This plan must set up the structure and mechanisms for dealing with
disasters and it must anticipate future disasters. Plans must be developed to deal with disasters
that occur regularly - for example flooding of informal settlements and roads.
24

Protection Services Department: In each municipality, the Protection Services department is

responsible for Disaster Management. The department usually deals with traffic policing, fire
brigades, law enforcement, and sometimes ambulances on an agency basis for provincial
government, The role of Disaster Management is to coordinate the response to disasters and
emergencies, ensuring that resources are applied effectively, whatever it may be. Fire services,
ambulance services, emergency medical services, engineers and traffic services can all become
involved in Disaster Management.
Capacity: When a disaster exceeds the capacity of a local authority, the district, province or
national can become involved, coordinating and facilitating the response and efforts of various
local authorities. Other parties such as the SANDF as well as volunteer organizations such as the
Red Cross, St John's and the National Sea Rescue Institute can also be drawn in if needed.
Disaster Management Activities: Disaster Management Activities include the co-ordination of
disaster response agencies, the compilation and exercising of contingency plans, and Disaster
Management education and training.
Funding: Following the finalisation of the Act, the national government will announce on a
funding mechanism for provinces and municipalities to finance their comprehensive disaster
management plans.
3.3 What does it mean when a place is declared a disaster area?
The disaster management policy and legislation makes provision for government to declare
disaster areas, and allow for resources to be allocated for immediate relief, as well as
reconstruction. This includes things like food, blankets and medical supplies as relief and
building materials for reconstruction. The local and provincial government have to prepare the
submission to the national Department of Provincial and Local Government for this to be done
speedily.
The Disaster Management Act focuses on speeding up response and cutting red tape to ensure
that disasters are dealt with efficiently and effectively - by giving clear guidelines for the
classification of disasters and the declaration of states of disaster.
25

3.4Identifying potential disaster hazards in your area

These can include all or some of the following:

Mass-event situations (concerts, sport, other social gatherings - for

example the 2001 Ellis park disaster during the Pirates-Chiefs game)

Storms and storm damage;

Flooding;

Fires: Domestic, mountain and veld;

Oils spills, at sea, on land;

Transport accidents;

Hazardous material spills (spilling of chemicals, etc from factories,

trucks);

3.5 Preventing disasters in your households and communities:

What to do
"In South Africa, it is not necessarily the 'classic', comparatively rare events - which receive
massive media coverage - that we should be focusing on, but rather on building alert, informed,
self-reliant and resilient communities who have the capacity to withstand, cope and recover from
these relatively less spectacular events which affect them on a regular basis"
Pat Reid, former president of Disaster Management of Southern Africa. (SAPA. 3 January 2004)
Role of organisations and community workers

26

Here are some of the things development workers can advise communities to prepare and deal
with disasters:

Know the emergency numbers. Remember that all municipalities have

emergency centers - get these details!

Report incidents - don't take it for granted that someone else has already
reported it;

Do not build houses in unsafe areas - for example close to a river-bed

(even if it has been dry for years) or on dolomite invested areas;

Keep a bucket of sand next to your door so that any small fires can be put
out quickly - sand works on paraffin and electric fires, water does not.

Gain knowledge of basic first aid, fire training and CPR;

Remember that swimming pools, dams and rivers are a danger to children;

Always follow the rules when: swimming in rivers, dams, pools and the
ocean; camping and making fires;

3.6 How can we prevent fire disasters?

A very important way of preventing fire disasters is to have a good disaster plan in place. The
emphasis should be on public education, prevention and containment.
One of the common disasters in poor areas and informal settlements are fires. These fires are
often caused by accidents with paraffin or candles. The Paraffin industry is involved in the
27

"Ufudo" campaign. Because of the building practices in informal settlements, and the building
materials used in these settlements, everyday tools such as a primus stove, paraffin lamp or
candle can become extremely dangerous if used incorrectly. The "Ufudo" kits provide tools to
make primus stoves, paraffin lamps and candles more stable and less prone to fall over.
The Paraffin Safety Association also promotes safe storage and use of paraffin through safe
bottles and dispensers - any registered dealer can get access to this.
People in informal settlements should be educated about leaving enough space between houses
to prevent the spread of fires and to allow emergency vehicles into the area. Fire fighting
volunteers can also be trained.

28

Chapter-4
Scheme of Natural Disaster
4.1 BRIEF NOTE ON OPERATION OF SCHEME OF NATURAL DISASTER
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
1. Name of the Scheme:
2. Type of Scheme:

Natural Disaster Management Program.

Central Sector

3. Year of inception: 1992-93

Approved by Department Sanctioning Committee in December. 1993
4. Pattern of assistance : 100 per cent by Government of India.
5. Objective:
- To focus on disaster preparedness with emphasis on mitigation measures.
- To increase level of awareness of community about disasters, prepare them
adequately to face the crisis situation
6. Activities
i.

Human Resources Development,

ii.

Research and Consultancy Services.

29

iii.

Documentation of major events,

iv.

Operation of Faculty on NDM in State level training States.

v.

Operation of National Centre of Disaster Management.

vi.

Public education and community awareness program

7. Eight Plan Outlay & Expenditure

1. Plan Outlay: Rs. 900.00 lakh
2. Progress of expenditure: (Rs. in lakh)

Year

Allocation

Expenditure

Percentage

1992-93

20.00

17.00

85%

1993-94

110.00

23.00

20.91%

1994-95

110.00

48.00

43.64%

1995-96

200.00

120.00

60%

1996-97

200.00

123.00

61.5%

8. Ninth Plan Outlay & Expenditure

1. Plan Outlay: Rs 20.00 core (allocated by the DAC)
2. Progress of Expenditure: (Rs. in lakh)

Year

Allocation

Expenditure
30

Percentage

1997-98

220.00

191.00

86.82%

1998-99

210.00

189.00

90%

1999-00

325.00

316.08

97%

2000-2001

500.00

69.95

13.390%

9. Achievements

Setting up of a National Centre for Disaster Management in the Indian Institute of Public

Administration in 1995.
Setting up of separate Disaster Management Faculties in State Administrative Training
Institutes in 18 out of 25 States. These Sates are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu& Kashmir. Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Mizoram Orissa, Punjab. Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West

Bengal.
Documentation of major events like UP. and Maharashtra earthquakes, research studies
On land slides in Kerala, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh, Research study on Drought in

Rajasthan.
Preparation of source book for use of trainees of the LalBahadurShastri National

Academy of Administration,
Organised/sponsored about 100 training Programs/workshops on various aspects of

Natural Disaster Management

Public education and community awareness campaign through newspapers, postal
stationery, audio-visual media and observation of World Disaster Reduction Day
annually.

10. Increase in activities

31

The occurrences of major natural disasters like Maharashtra earthquake of 1993 and cyclone of
Andhra Pradesh in 1996 and Orissa in 1999 have been instrumental in generating a lot of concern
among the various agencies of Government. non-governmentalorganisations and the public at
large about the adverse impact of natural disasters. This has increased the tempo of activities
under the Plan Scheme as many institutions /organisations States are showing interest in the field
of disaster reduction activities. Keeping in view the magnitude and frequencies of natural
disasters visiting various parts of the country annually; there is need to provide substantial
budget provision in the Annual Plan to commensurate with the requirements of a vast country
like ours in order to embark upon such activities in a big way in the context of fast developing
scientific and technological advancements in the world.
11. Thrust Areas
- Public education and community participation campaign,
- Information Technology,
- building up data base,
- involvement of NGOs, strengthening of State faculties on NDM,
- regional cooperation on sharing of experience,
- expertise and technology in various fields of natural disaster
- preparedness and mitigation.

4.2 STATUS POSITION ON EFC MEMO ON NATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT

IN FORMATION SYSTEM SUBMITTED BY NRSA.
Name of the Proposal :

32

Natural Disaster Management Information Support Services through Space Technology (NDM)
ISS.
Proposal received from :

NRSA, Hyderabad

Activities covered :

Drought monitoring

Drought early warning

Drought damage assessment

Flood monitoring and inundation

Cyclone impact, mapping dam-age assessment

R & D support to operation a services

Data base creation and data integration services

Amount proposed for 9th Five Year Plan :Rs 2.05 crore
Present status :
Draft EFC Memo was sent to Planning Commission for their comments/views. Based on these
observations necessary action is being taken to finalise the EEC Memo. Thereafter it will be
circulated to all concerned Ministries before convening the meeting of EFC.
Preventive medicine has played a very important role in reducing the mortality and morbidity in
any population with regard to several important diseases such as plague, syphilis, cholera during
several different times in the history of man. But, one grey area that has often taken us by
surprise is the occurrence of disasters. The most recent example is Tsunami. The literature

33

relating to disaster management is meager and there are several hollows that need to be explored.
We shall now review the importance of Preventive medicine in terms of disaster management.

34

CHAPTER-5
DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE
DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE
Disaster management cycle includes the following stages/ phases
1. Disaster phase
2. Response phase
3. Recovery/ Rehabilitation phase
4. Risk Reduction/ Mitigation phase
5. Preparedness phase
Disaster phase The phase during which the event of the disaster takes place. This phase is
characterized by profound damage to the human society. This damage / loss may be that of
human life, loss of property, loss of environment, loss of health or anything else. In this phase,
the population is taken by profound shock.
Response phase This is the period that immediately follows the occurrence of the disaster. In a
way, all individuals respond to the disaster, but in their own ways. The ambulances and medical
personnel arrive, remove the injured for transportation to medical camps or hospitals and provide
first aid and life support. The public also take part in relief work. One can even find injured
victims help other injured ones. Almost everyone is willing to help. The needs of the population
during this phase are immediate medical help, food roti, clothing kapda and shelter
clothing.
Recovery phase When the immediate needs of the population are met, when all medical help
has arrived and people have settled from the hustle bustle of the event, they begin to enter the
next phase, the recovery phase which is the most significant, in terms of long term outcome. It is
35

during this time that the victims actually realize the impact of disaster. It is now that they
perceive the meaning of the loss that they have suffered. They are often housed in a camp or in
some place which is often not their house, along with other victims. During this time, they need
intensive mental support so as to facilitate recovery. When the victims have recovered from the
trauma both physically and mentally, they realize the need to return back to normal routine. That
is, to pre-disaster life. During this phase, they need resources and facilities so as to enable them
to return back to their own homes, pursue their occupation, so that they can sustain their life on
their own, as the help from the government and other non governmental organizations is bound
to taper in due course. Thus, they are provided with a whole new environment, adequate enough
to pursue a normal or at least near normal life. This is called Rehabilitation.
Risk reduction phase During this phase, the population has returned to predisaster standards of
living. But, they recognize the need for certain measures which may be needed to reduce the
extent or impact of damage during the next similar disaster. For example, after an earthquake
which caused a lot of damages to improperly built houses, the population begins to rebuild
stronger houses and buildings that give away less easily to earthquakes. Or, in the case of
tsunami, to avoid housings very close to the shore and the development of a green belt- a thick
stretch of trees adjacent to the coast line in order to reduce the impact of the tsunami waves on
the land. This process of making the impact less severe is called Mitigation.
Preparedness phase This phase involves the development of awareness among the
population on the general aspects of disaster and on how to behave in the face of a future
disaster. This includes education on warning signs of disasters, methods of safe and successful
evacuation and first aid measures. It is worth to note that the time period for each phase may
depend on the type and severity of the disaster.
5.1 TYPES OF DISASTER
Disasters are mainly of 2 types,
1.) Natural disasters. Example earthquakes, floods, landslides, etc.
2.) Man made disasters. Example war, bomb blasts, chemical leaks, etc.
36

The phases of all disasters, be it natural or man made, are the same. The disasters often differ in
quantity of damage caused or in quality of the type of medical consequences. For example
earthquakes cause a lot of physical injury and fractures, floods cause drowning deaths and
infections, chemical leaks cause toxic manifestations, etc.

5.2 VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS

Almost everyone in the population is affected by a disaster. No one is untouched
by it. Those who suffer damage are called victims. The victims may die or live. Those who
manage to live are called survivors. These survivors can be classified as,

Primary survivor One who is exposed to the disaster first-hand and then survives.

They are called survivor victims.

Secondary survivor One who grieves the loss of primary victims. Example, a mother

who lost her child, or a man who lost his friend.

Third level survivor The rescue and relief personnel. These people are also affected
due to the disaster as they are at the site of disaster and undergo almost the same mental

trauma as the other victims.

Fourth level survivor Reporters, Government personnel, traders, etc.
Fifth level survivor People who read about or see the event in media reports.

5.3 THE SECOND DISASTER

The actual disaster results in a lot of damage to the population in terms of loss of life
and property. This direct result can be dubbed as the first disaster. The impact of the first
disaster sends another wave of damage triggered by chain of events relating to the first disaster
by means of cause-and-effect, resulting in indirect damage to people remote from the original
disaster. This can be called the second disaster. For example, tsunami had caused loss in terms
of life, damage to houses, etc. This is the first disaster. This leads to disruption in the trade of
fishing industries, which suffers massive financial losses. The losses suffered by these industries

37

results in lower wages and salaries to those involved in the fishing business. These people cannot
repay their loans, resulting in losses to money lenders, and so on. Such events can also result in
higher incidences of heart attacks, strokes, suicides and homicides. This is called second
disaster and can be in greater magnitude than the first disaster. Proper rehabilitation and care
of the victims of first disaster can break the chain of events leading to the second disaster.
5.4 PECULIARITIES OF TSUNAMI
There are few ways in which tsunami differs from other disasters,

Time duration of the attack was very small. The entire attack took place in a matter of a

few minutes.
Extent of damage was very large, grossly disproportionate to the duration of attack.
Extensive damage took place in a matter of few minutes, which took the people by
surprise and awe. Everything seemed to be normal.. all of a sudden water flows in..

Boom! Everything seems different. There was no time for people to adapt to the disaster.
The victims are either alive and healthy or simply dead. There was very less physical

injury and hence there was nogreat need for medical facilities, unlike other disasters.
There have been no precedents of this type. People have not even heard of this type of a

disaster.
There were nooutbreaks of any infections, which are common in floods. This point is of
note because in floods, it is freshwater a good culture medium for organisms. And,
when water stagnates, organisms flourish even more. But, in tsunami, it was seawater
which is hypertonic saline which is unfavorable for microorganisms. Moreover, there was
no stagnation as the water receded back completely.

5.5 PSYCHO SOCIAL ASPECTS OF DISASTER

Often, minimal importance is given to the mental trauma
suffered by the victims of a disaster. They are overshadowed by the excessive importance to
physical and financial needs of the victims which are considered by the relief personnel to be
more than sufficient to alleviate the suffering of the victims. Unlike physical and material
damage, the damage to the psyche (mind) cannot be obviously seen, until and unless, it is looked

38

for. And, to look for, the relief personnel need to be aware of the possible effects on the mind,
which can be permanent and disabling.
The psycho social needs are generally seen as something too secondary to attract the
attentions of relief agencies, relief workers & governmental organizations
- Jaswan 2000
There is a phenomenal increase in the incidence of psychiatric disorders in the
affected population. The common problems include
1. Acute stress disorder
2. Post traumatic stress disorder
3. Anxiety disorders
4. Depression
5. Alcohol and drug abuse
6. Aggravation of previous disorders if any.

5.6 POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

The most important of the above is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which if
occurs is a permanent damage. There is definitive damage to the hippocampus of the brain, and
hence is important to identify the people vulnerable and provide adequate psychiatric
intervention.
There are several abnormal behaviors and complaints that have been seen in disaster victims
such as
1. excessive crying
39

2. irritation
3. restlessness
4. fatigue
5. sleeplessness
6. flashbacks
7. panic attacks
8. mood swings
9. guilt
10. anger
The list is long and indefinite. But one thing is to be borne in mind - all these are not
abnormal reactions. They are just normal reaction to an abnormal event. But these reactions
must resolve in due course, failure of which is the diagnosis referred to as PTSD. This should be
prevented as it is disabling disorder with very less promising outcomes.
5.7 DISASTER SYNDROME
This is an observed disorder that can be identified in disaster victims. As a matter
of fact, about 75% of the population of the population is affected, immediately following the
disaster (Duffy, 1998). By the 10th week, there is a significant drop, and by the end of the first
year, it drops to about 30 40% of the disaster affected population. It is also observed, that there
is a 17% higher occurrence of long-term sequelae in the disaster affected population, as
compared to other control populations (Roubonis, 1991).
The observation by Duffy of the widespread occurrence of symptoms
following a disaster (75%) implicates that they are a normal reaction to an abnormal event (by
the concept of Normality by majority). The ensuing drop in the prevalence of symptoms in the
40

following year shows that they are resolving on the own. The rest who suffer continual
symptoms may be the victims of a failure of resolution of the normal reaction. Though there is a
view that these psycho social issues should not be medicalised (WHO, 1992), the logical
deduction from the observations of Duffy and Roubonis implicates that facilitation of the
resolution can bring about lower psychiatric morbidity in the disaster affected population.
5.8 MEANING OF LOSS
It has been oft repeated mistake to assess severity of a disaster by means of
calculating the loss in terms of numbers, quantity figures or units such as number of deaths,
number wounded, number of houses damaged, surface area of affected land, etc. But, this is not
the actual measure. The meaning of the loss rather the loss itself is a much more significant
measure. In other words, the impact of the disaster rather the disaster itself is more important.
For example, the loss of a neighbor may mean a great loss to one person but a minimal loss to
another. Similarly, loss of animal life may mean nothing for one victim but may mean a lot for an
animal lover. The loss of a house may mean less for someone who is thankful for having
survived, but more for someone who has a sentimental attachment to his house. Thus, the actual
damage being less, the impact may be disproportionately severe. Though the entire population
experiences the same disaster, each one perceives it in a different and unique way. The
governmental relief agencies need to see the damage alone, but we, health care personnel cannot
afford to do that. We much see what the loss means to the victim; only then, can we assess the
impact the disaster has had on that person.

41

CHAPTER-6
APPROACHES
6.1 INTEGRATED APPROACH
There is need for a change in the approach towards disaster management. There is
now no orientation among health care providers. This is because the health care providers are
actually oblivious of the actual needs of the victims. The need of the hour is integration.
Integration of what?Integration of medical help and resource provision. And integration of
mental health services with other medical services.
A lot of victims suffer from mental agony and pain that needs grief counseling, so that
the recovery happens. Else, it results in permanent psychiatric sequelae. But, the victims
themselves are not ready to seek psychiatric help as they feel that they dont need it. This is
because food, clothing and shelter are the most essential needs which need to be satisfied
urgently. The next most significant need is that of financial support. Without these, psychiatric
help will not sought by the victims. So it is essential that medical personnel and mental health
care providers dont go empty handed. In other terms, financial and basic need support should

42

reach them as soon as possible so as to be able to make the victims ready for counseling. Thus,
mental health care will not be accepted if financial needs are not met.
Yet, the importance of mental health services should not be underestimated. Without a
healthy mind and sound mental health, the relief measures will not serve its end in improving the
general quality of life of the disaster affected individuals. Thus, financial help does not serveits
end without mental health care provision. Now it should be clear what an integrated approach
means. Integration of financial support with mental health care, in the right temporal sequence
the right thing at the right time.

6.2 THE LATEST PERSPECTIVE

When, there is major disaster such as the tsunami, where the affected population is
huge, to the tune of several lakhs, it is very difficult to get enough health care personnel to work
there, especially for a long time. All non governmental organizations and international aid will
offer help for a few weeks or few months to alleviate the immediate crisis, but they cannot afford
to stay for a long time. But long term continuing health care is essential for improved long term
outcomes. Moreover, when mental health care is considered, it is very important that the
counselors and psychiatrists speak the native language. This is true to some extent even when
medical help in general is considered. Thus it is easier, more cost effective and yielding to train
volunteers from the population who are willing to work for the aggrieved to identify those in
need for specialist consultation by consultants who are often in lack. For example, the affected
population in Sri Lanka after tsunami runs in lakhs but there are only 27 psychiatrists or so.
Though the Tamil speaking population was affected at large, only 3 out of the 27 were Tamil
speaking, out of which only one was actively practicing in the affected areas. These few
consultants are overwhelmed by the number of cases, the majority of which dont need specialist
help and can be handled by trained counselors and primary health care workers. And, it is nearly
impossible for consultants to visit the affected site. So, a new plan has been proposed a way to
handle this POST TRAUMA COUNSELLING. It involves training of volunteers to become
43

counselors who meet every victim, collect the identity details and talk to them. These counselors
are taught to identify normal grief reactions from abnormal reactions. The normally aggrieved
victims are counseled
and the abnormally aggrieved are referred to the consultants. The advantages of this method,
1. The case load for the consultants is reduced, making it more comfortable to spend
more time on each case and work up completely.
2. The method is cost effective. It is unfeasible to pay consultants to see so many cases
3. The method is time saving. We always have fewer consultants than counselors. Few
consultants take more time to scan the population than many counselors doing the
same job.
4. The victims feel easier to talk to counselors who are often from affected lot rather than
to a specialist.
5. It is easier for counselors to keep track of the victims who may drop off. The
counselors can visit the victims at their doorsteps and ensure continued surveillance of
the victims.
There is an age old aphorism God cannot be everywhere so, he created mothers. Similarly,
psychiatrists cannot be everywhere, so, we create counselors.

6.3WORKSHOP ON POST TRAUMA MANAGENMENT & COUNSELING

Under

this plan, a non governmental organization called the Chartered Management Institute(CMI),
with their central office in UK and a branch in Sri Lanka, in collaboration with The Management
Club(TMC), an association of leading corporate personnel in Sri Lanka, requested the Indian
44

Association of Private Psychiatry (IAPP) which under the instance of Dr. M. Thirunavukarasu,
its national level advisor, sent a six member delegation of mental health care personnel to the
affected areas to train volunteers to become counselors so as to identify those in need of
psychiatric intervention. The program was recognized and welcomed by the WHO representative
to Sri Lanka Mr. Kun Tan. It was two day program in three places Colombo, Galle and
Batticaloa. The total number of participants was about 200.
The first day included the following seminars,
1. Introduction to Mind and Mental Health
2. Impact of Tsunami
3. What is Disaster?
4. Psycho- social aspects of Disaster
5. What is counseling?
6. Basics of Counseling
7. Management of children affected by the disaster.
8. Summary

The second day consisted of,

1. A recap of previous day topics
2. Interview techniques
3. Difficult to handle victims
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4. Role play of simulated counseling situations by participants

5. Introduction of questionnaires to record responses by victims
6. Interactive session
In addition to the interactive session participants were encouraged to ask doubts and share their
experiences after each topic. Paper, pens, student files and feed back forms were given. The
response from the Sri Lankan public was superb and surpassed expectations. The feedback
showed the overwhelming response of the Sri Lankan public for these measures. The mental
health services now are taking place actively with the aid of trained counselors, in Sri Lanka. The
questionnaires provided to them are expected to give us ample material for further study.

6.4 QUALITY STATISTICS

Disaster management articles by quality and importance

46

Importance

Quality

Top High Mid Low NA ???

Total

FA

20

GA

14

28

Start

11

14

21

57

43

29

36

142

20

46

29

50

151

23

66

131

138

361

Stub

10

24

107

47

188

List

30

NA

91

212

Assessed

20

Unassessed

Total

20

92

325
1

212

326

259 1

263

265 303

1,216

1,162 1,164

265 1,465 2,380

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Conclusion
Natural disasters happen almost all over the world all of a sudden causing heavy loss of human
life, destruction of infrastructure and properties. Usually natural disasters can not be stopped.
However, the magnitude of disasters can be reduced if preventive measures be taken in due time
for which pragmatic government policies and public awareness are of utmost importance. This is
especially true if the government, community and the people work together to this end. The

48

effects of natural disasters have shown the necessity to intensify international cooperation for
natural disaster mitigation.
Above and over, international and regional cooperation in this field is very necessary.
Establishment of the institutions like : Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC) at Kobe, Japan
and Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) at Bangkok, Thailand could help greatly to
redress the situation by means of collecting and disseminating information and conducting
trainings and organizing meetings. This kind of gatherings at international, regional and subregional basis will promote international cooperation, mutual understanding and help among the
countries by exchanging ideas and sharing experiences between the fellow participants. Such
meeting will also help to learn from each others experiences. This Second ADRC International
Meeting could contribute significantly in reducing natural disasters as it aims to share disasterrelated information and to exchange views and opinions among disaster reduction experts from
Member countries so as to promote further cooperation for disaster reduction in Asia based on
the First ADRC International Meeting held at Kobe in February, 1999. Outcome of this kind of
gathering will be very much useful for the participant and his/her country and institution.

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Measures to Solve the Problems

Despite of the various problems, appropriate policy measures could help to solve the problems.
As public awareness is one of the vital problem in managing the disaster in Nepal, it is felt
necessary to work at increasing the literacy rate. Moreover, disaster management course should
be included in the school and university curriculum. It is also necessary to train school teachers,
selected students, women leaders, health workers and social workers to educate others in
measures to prevent or mitigate the natural disasters. Such types of programmes may convince
people to believe that natural disasters are not an act of God. To attain all this, there is the need
of the strong political determination, pragmatic policy formulation and quick decision making.
Moreover, active people's participation is also very necessary. On the other hand it will be better
to include disaster management component in the development plans and programs of concerned
agencies for the effective implementation of disaster mitigation programs.
It is also needed very much to improve road infrastructure, transportation and communication
facilities to carry out rescue and relief works effectively and efficiently. In order to prevent
inappropriate construction of buildings, the building code should be strictly implemented.
To prevent duplication of relief works and the lack of cooperation, it is needed to establish
mutual understanding and frequent dialogue between the focal persons. It is felt necessary to
amend the Natural Disaster Relief Act, 1982 and formulate the Natural Disaster Relief
Regulations whereby the role, functions, duties and responsibilities of all the disaster
management related agencies could be specified so that no agency could ignore or shift their
responsibilities.

50

Bibliography

Alexander, D., 2002, Natural Disasters, London: Routledge, ISBN 1-85728-094-6

Alexander, D., 2002, Principles of Emergency planning and Management, Harpended:

Terra publishing, ISBN 1-903544-10-6

Wisner, B., P. Blaikie, T. Cannon, and I. Davis, 2004, At Risk - Natural hazards, people's
vulnerability and disasters, Wiltshire: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-25216-4

WEBSITES
http://www.unep.org/ik/Pages.asp?id=Natural%20Disaster%20Management%20Overview
http://www.col.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Disaster_Management_version_1.0.pdf

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