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Framework to manage Framework to

manage
humanitarian logistics in disaster humanitarian
logistics
relief supply chain management
in India
Saurav Negi Received 4 March 2020
Revised 13 June 2020
Transport and Logistics, Faculty of Business and Economics, 30 July 2020
Modern College of Business and Science (Affiliated with University of Missouri, Accepted 17 August 2020
St. Louis, USA), Muscat, Oman, and
Gaurav Negi
University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the issues and challenges in humanitarian logistics and to
develop a framework for effectively managing the humanitarian logistics in disaster relief supply chain
operations in India.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a framework to manage humanitarian logistics
effectively in disaster management through qualitative analysis. First, the author examines the challenges
facing the humanitarian logistics and supply chain through the reviews of the literature on various disasters.
Then, the author presented a framework based on the best practices and initiatives taken worldwide in the
preparedness and response stage of the humanitarian supply chain to manage and reduce the aftermath of any
disaster in context to India.
Findings – A framework has been developed to manage humanitarian logistics in the disaster relief operation,
which would improve the humanitarian supply chain in India and help to effectively manage natural disasters
in the preparedness and response stage at the state and district levels.
Research limitations/implications – The paper mainly emphasises on the preparedness and response
stage of disaster supply chain management in Indian context.
Practical implications – None of the disaster incidents can be stopped from taking place, but the impact can
be minimised by proper preparedness and effective response during the operations of humanitarian logistics.
With this hope, the framework has been developed, which if implemented would help to plan and manage any
disaster incident in an effective manner, which ultimately would save millions of lives and cost in terms of
infrastructure, property, assets etc.
Originality/value – As natural disaster incidents are occurring frequently in Indian states, there is an urgent
need for a framework to manage the logistics operations effectively and efficiently during any disaster relief
operations. Limited literature is found on developing and presenting a framework focusing on the preparedness
and response phase of disaster supply chain management in context to India. Hence, this paper is believed to be
the first to fulfil this gap with main emphasis on the preparedness and response stage of disaster supply chain
management in Indian scenario.
Keywords Humanitarian logistics, Disaster management, Emergency management, Disaster preparedness,
Humanitarian supply chain
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
This paper identifies the issues and challenges in humanitarian logistics and developed a
framework for effectively managing the humanitarian logistics in disaster relief supply chain
operations in India. Natural disasters, including tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, mudslides and
earthquakes are collectively increasing in frequency (Asian Disaster Reduction Centre, 2016).
As per the extremely esteemed CRED (The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of International Journal of
Emergency Services
Disasters) International Disaster Database, in 2019, EM-DAT registered at least 396 natural © Emerald Publishing Limited
2047-0894
disasters killing 11,755 people, affecting 95 million others and costing almost US$130 billion DOI 10.1108/IJES-02-2020-0005
IJES (CRED, 2020). The same kind of trend was also observed during the year 2018, where 281
climate-related and geophysical events recorded with 10,733 deaths (Dubey et al., 2019b). The
most recent decade has seen a huge increment in the number of disasters affecting the world
from a figure of around 220 every year in the mid-1990s to a present yearly figure of some
350–400. The 2019 year’s number of incidents is slightly above the average of the last 10
years (343 incidents of disasters reported in EM-DAT). Asia was the most vulnerable
continent at the regional level, with 40% of all catastrophe incidents, accounting for 45% of
total deaths and 74% of disaster-affected people worldwide (CRED, 2020). According to
Ritchie and Roser (2019), around 60,000 people died from natural disasters worldwide each
year over the past decade, representing 0.1% of global deaths. Millions of disasters happen on
planet Earth every year. Around 2000 and 2015, even over 15 years, there were 800,000 lives
lost only because of earthquakes (Shavarani, 2019). As highlighted by John and Ramesh
(2016), over the most recent four decades, the world has seen more than 6,500 calamities
(counting both natural and man-made fiascos), which have influenced over five billion
individuals over the world. The CRED has stated that the total losses in all the calamities have
embarked on the figure of US$150 trillion, leaving more than 180 million individuals destitute.
Within these numbers, various current catastrophic events, for example, Tsunami in
Southeast Asia on 26 December 2004, New Orleans’s flooding in the wake of Katrina
(Hurricane) on 29 August 2005, the earthquake in Pakistan on 8 October 2005, Sichuan
earthquake on 12 May 2008, Burma’s Nargis Cyclone from 27 April 27–3 May 2008,
earthquake in Haiti on 12 January 2010, heavy flooding in Pakistan on 26 July 2010,
Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan on 11 March 2011, Hurricane Sandy in the US from
22 October–2 November 2012, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines from 3–11 November 2013,
Nepal earthquake on 25 April 2015, Hurricane Maria on 16 September 2017, in Dominica and
Puerto Rico, and Cyclone Idai on 13 March 2019, in Africa (Meyers, 2019; Pappas, 2018) have
all served to strengthen the need to see how best to convey compassionate guide in the fallout
of such occasions. All these incidents have driven more than 200,000 deaths in global
disasters – more than 0.4% of deaths in these years (Ritchie and Roser, 2019). Additionally,
the figures, extent and the effect of such natural calamities are all indicating an increasing
tendency of vulnerability (Scheuren et al., 2008) due to increased population and unclear
infrastructure for disaster response (Apte et al., 2016; Soneye, 2014). The consequences of the
disasters have expanded over the past, mainly in the less developed nations because of
increasing urbanisation, ecological deprivation and changing climatic conditions (Altay et al.,
2018; Ivanov et al., 2017; Sodhi, 2016; Fink and Redaelli, 2011). As per Ritchie and Roser (2019),
disasters most significantly impact those living in poverty: high death tolls appear to be
concentrated in low-to-middle-income countries without the infrastructure to support and
respond to the events. The pressure on humanitarian organisations is likely to increase since
forecasts estimate a five-fold increase in the effect of man-made and natural disasters in the
next 50 years (Thomas and Kopczak, 2005; Dubey et al., 2016). Also, the effective
management of emergency services has never been more crucial than in today’s high
pressure cost-conscious public sector (Murphy et al., 2020).
Rising enthusiasm for this field has been legitimised by a variety of humanitarian
challenges that humanity has faced during the last years (Dubey and Gunasekaran, 2016;
Dubey et al., 2016), instances of which incorporate devastating events and outfitted clashes
among others. Natural disaster incidents occur frequently in Indian states and urge for
effective management of humanitarian logistics operations. The effect of disasters on people
around the globe has drawn significant attention from governments, policymakers, non-
governmental organisations and academicians (Dubey et al., 2019c; Altay et al., 2018). It has
also been noticed that many states have not a properly functioning body at the state level to
cope with the disasters (Bhalla and Bagga, 2013; Spaceviewtimes, 2013). Considering all these
increasing concerns, there is a need to focus research on humanitarian logistics-related
challenges and a framework for India to manage disaster relief supply chain operations Framework to
effectively. Consequently, this paper is focusing on the following research questions: manage
RQ1. What are the challenges faced by humanitarian logistics and supply chain in humanitarian
disaster management? logistics
RQ2. What framework could be developed to manage humanitarian logistics operations
effectively in future disasters incidents and reduce the impact?
Thus, the objectives are to identify the humanitarian logistics challenges and present a
framework to manage humanitarian logistics operations effectively in future disasters
incidents and reduce the impact.

1.1 Natural disasters that havoc India in previous years

India is the second-highest populated nation worldwide, and the seventh biggest country in
terms of geography with an area of 32,87,263 sq. km (National Informatics Centre, 2020).
Because of the land characteristics, physio-geographical conditions and climatic situations, it
is one of the most catastrophic inclined nations on the planet, subject to various natural
hazards. India has seen numerous disasters that took thousands of human lives, leaving
millions of families homeless and triggering enormous damage to the peoples’ properties
(Habitat for Humanity India, 2013). An overview of natural disasters in India’s post–
independence and major catastrophes that hit the nation in the latest decade is presented
in Tables 1 and 2. Post-independence, there has been a gradual rise in the number of disaster
instances and consequently, the deaths due to such calamities have also shot up. The
maximum number of calamities can be seen in the case of floods. Since 1947, there has been
flooding in 283 rivers and oceans which have resulted in deaths of 70,343 people, according to
the International Disaster Database (Raj, 2017).
As none of the disaster incidents can be stopped from occurring, but its aftermath can be
minimised by proper planning and effective operations in humanitarian logistics. With this
expectation, the framework was developed and presented for the Indian scenario. A
qualitative approach has been used for this study gathering the data through an extensive
review of the literature about humanitarian logistics and supply chain management. The
finding shows the various challenges faced by humanitarian logistics and presented a
framework that, if implemented, would help to plan and effectively manage any disaster
incident, ultimately saving millions of lives and the wealth of the nation.
The remaining part of this paper is organised as follows: the second section comprises the
literature review. The third section discusses the methodology adopted to conduct the study.
The fourth section discusses the disaster management system in India and its structure. The
fifth section detailed the findings of the study, i.e. the challenges and the framework for

Disasters No. of events Deaths (total) Affected (total) Damage (total in million USD)

Drought 13 1,500,320 1,391,841,000 5,441

Earthquake 29 51,915 285,656,623 5,297
Epidemic 63 20,874 421,473 –
Extreme temperature 59 17,600 – 544
Floods 283 70,343 861,462,744 58,332
Landslides/avalanche 51 5,083 3,848,421 54 Table 1.
Storm 166 56,991 106,839,232 21,416 Major natural disasters
Total 664 1,723,126 2,650,069,743 91,086 in India post-
Source(s): Raj (2017) independence
IJES Disaster category Disaster Year

Flood Kerala flood 2019

Bihar flood 2019
Kerala flood 2018
Gujrat flood 2017
Assam flood 2016
Chennai flood 2015
Kashmir flood 2014
Uttarakhand flash flood 2013
Kosi flood (Bihar) 2008
Barmer flood (Rajasthan) 2006
Earthquake Kashmir earthquake 2005
Bhuj earthquake 2001
Earthquake in Chamoli district (Uttarakhand) 1999
Koyama earthquake 1997
Earthquake in Killani (Maharashtra) 1993
Earthquake in Latur (Maharashtra) 1993
Uttarkashi earthquake 1991
Cyclone Cyclone Hudhud Vishakhapatnam 2014
Thane cyclone (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry) 2011
Cyclone Aila (West Bengal) 2009
Cyclone Laila (Andhra Pradesh) 2009
Super Cyclone (Orissa) 1999
Tsunami Indian ocean tsunami 2004
Storm Indian dust storms (North India) 2018
Table 2. Cold wave Indian cold wave 2012
Major disasters that hit Cloudburst Cloudburst (Leh) 2010
India in recent decades Source(s): Wikipedia (2019), Habitat for Humanity India (2013)

humanitarian logistics. Discussion and implications of the study are covered in the sixth
section. Finally, the conclusion of the study, limitations and future scope of the study are
presented in the seventh section.

2. Literature review
This section discusses the humanitarian logistics, its role in disaster management, the
different stages in humanitarian logistics and supply chain management and the actors
involved. Later part of the section detailed the studies related to issues and challenges in
humanitarian logistics and the studies related to the frameworks and solutions towards
existing issues in humanitarian logistics and supply chain.

2.1 Humanitarian logistics and its role in disaster management

In every humanitarian relief operation, the maximum part (about 80%) of the total effort is
covered by the logistics function (Trunick, 2005). Logistics function application in disaster
management has gained a lot of significance from both practitioners and researchers
(Gunasekaran et al., 2018), after the catastrophe-Indian ocean Tsunami in the year 2004
(Kovacs and Spens, 2007). The incident of Tsunami shown the proof that the response
effectiveness during emergency aid centres on the efficiency and speed of logistics (Pettit
et al., 2011), thus enhancing the recognition of the vital responsibility of logistics in
humanitarian aid processes (Christopher and Tatham, 2011). It has constantly been a major
element in relief operations (Trunick, 2005). According to Thomas (2003), “The speed of
humanitarian aid after a disaster depends on the ability of logisticians to procure, transport Framework to
and receive supplies at the site of a humanitarian relief effort”. manage
According to Lee and Zbinden (2003), logistics management, in any devastating incidents
or emergencies, manages the activities of sourcing or procurement, manages the supplies of
humanitarian
medicines, food items, clothes and solicited and unsolicited gifts item donated by various logistics
parties/agencies. Besides, it comprises the monitoring and controlling of goods, funds and
information besides the relief aid flow.
Precisely, the humanitarian logistics are known as the activities of “planning,
implementing and controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow of and storage of goods and
materials as well as related information, from point of origin to point of consumption to
alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people” (Thomas and Kopczak, 2005).
Briefly, according to Van Wassenhove (2006) “for humanitarians, logistics is the processes
and systems involved in mobilizing people, resources, skills, and knowledge to help
vulnerable people affected by the disaster”.
The focus of Humanitarian Logistics or disaster relief operations is to:
“. . .design the transportation of first aid material, food, equipment, and rescue personnel from
supply points to a large number of destination nodes geographically scattered over the disaster
region and the evacuation and transfer of people affected by the disaster to the health care centres
safely and very rapidly” (Barbarosoglu et al., 2002).
According to Dolinskaya et al. (2011), “The logistical coordination in the humanitarian aid
management brings together the people with expertise, experience, and capabilities in
various fields to the disaster-affected area so that their collaborative efforts help to reduce the
suffering of the affected people”.
Humanitarian logistics profoundly contrasts with conventional logistics activities as the
main objective of humanitarian logistics is to offer humanitarian aid in terms of food, water,
shelter and medical services to the affected people. It also emphasises on the response at
search and salvage, life-saving and sustaining, and reinstating self-abundance; indeed, even
these activities are obstructed by logistical issues, policies related to disaster management,
problems in logistics management of humanitarian services, and excess of fiscal resources
(Thevenaz and Resodihardjo, 2010).
As described by Daud et al. (2016), throughout the humanitarian logistics management
processes the important activities that required are as follows:
(1) Provide an adequate supply of commodities in perfect quality.
(2) Proper coordination and prioritisation among the usage of limited transportation.
(3) Appropriate staging, storage and movement of volume of goods.
(4) Effective movement of people to the safest areas.
(5) Explicit transfer from the outside of the affected area.

2.2 Stages in the humanitarian logistics and supply chain

The available literature on humanitarian logistics and supply chain corresponds to the
presence of the following four stages:
(1) Mitigation
(2) Preparation
(3) Response
(4) Reconstruction
IJES The above mentioned four stages of the humanitarian logistics form the multi-stage process
of disaster management cycle (Altay et al., 2018; Sawalha, 2018; Jahre et al., 2016; Holguin-
Veras et al., 2012). Focusing on supply chain and logistics management, the preparation,
response and reconstruction processes are primarily concerned with logisticians and
collectively constitute humanitarian logistics streams (Van Wassenhove, 2006). Thus, the
preparation and response phases of disaster management are discussed mostly than other
phases, whereas the recovery/reconstruction phase, has not been talked as much (Leiras et al.,
2014). The phases are displays in Figure 1 and a brief description of each phase is discussed
as follows:
(1) The mitigation is a key pre-disaster stage that involves the processes that are
essential to avoid or stop the natural disaster/calamities, diminish its effect, and
reduce subsequent damages and losses including the loss of life or loss of property
(Holguin-Veras et al., 2012; Weichselgartner, 2001; Waugh, 2000). This stage does not
have any logistician participation directly and implies the legal matters and processes
that lessen social susceptibility. It deals more with the issues that are related to the
government’s responsibilities.
(2) The preparation stage implies numerous operations that take place between the
mitigation process and actual disaster. It occurs before the period of disaster strikes.
This stage includes laying down the strategies or plan of actions, which leads to
allowing the execution of an effective operational response (Haddow et al., 2013;
Kumar and Havey, 2013). This stage is vital as it involves important processes such
as physical network designing, expansion of collaboration bases, and the
development of ICT systems. This includes the threat identification, organisational
capability determination in the occurrence of a disaster, describe situations for
training, important assets identification, key partner identification such as suppliers,
and so on. The preparedness phase is most vital to the humanitarian supply chain
performance (Kunz et al., 2014; Duran et al., 2011).

Figure 1.
Phases in
humanitarian logistics
supply chain
 (3) The response stage implies to several actions that are promptly executed post- Framework to
disaster. This incorporates the urgent actions that are taken to handle emergencies or manage
disaster incidents. Relief distribution is a crucial element in the response to a disaster
(Ozen and Krishnamurthy, 2018). The activities in the response stage must have the
humanitarian
aim of mobilizing the resources, marshalling disaster responders, transferring logistics
services for the distressed areas, and materials for emergency repairs to the
infrastructure (Altay et al., 2018). Effective coordination between the aid players is a
key activity in this phase.
(4) The stage of reconstruction belongs to the operations that are being carried out in the
aftermath of the calamities or incidents. This phase includes rehabilitation, which
aims to focus on the issue from an extended perspective (Altay et al., 2018).

2.3 The players/actors engaged in humanitarian logistics

The humanitarian logistics actors refer to the organisation or people that are participating
and involved in contributing to processes related to humanitarian logistics. According to
Kovacs and Spens (2007), the actors involved in humanitarian logistics may be classified as
the aid agencies, governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private sector
organisations, the military, and the donors. According to Balcik et al. (2010), the actors include
host governments, military, local and foreign relief organisations and private sector
businesses, each with specific priorities, mandates, capacities and expertise in logistics. Such
actors respond to a large-scale humanitarian event with the goal of providing food, water and
non-food items such as shelter to the communities affected (Kim et al., 2019; Banomyong et al.,
2017; Burkart et al., 2016; Oloruntoba et al., 2016). Every player has a vital responsibility and
assignment for ensuring the successful humanitarian logistics plan involving minimum cost.
Coordination between players in a supply chain for humanitarian aid determines whether a
relief operation will be successful or not. Due to the severity and complexity of the situation
combined with limited resources, actors in humanitarian supply chains need to collaborate
and trust each other to achieve common goals (Dubey et al., 2019a). Major losses may result
from a lack of coordination among actors in the humanitarian supply chain, resulting in
inadequate response in areas affected (Dubey et al., 2018; Noori et al., 2016). Table 3
summarises the role of each actor in humanitarian logistics, whereas the interactions model
between the players in humanitarian logistics is depicted in Figure 2.

2.4 Studies related to challenges in humanitarian logistics and supply chain

The disaster management field has become increasingly prominent, and within that area, the
arena of information about humanitarian supply chain and logistics management has gained
a lot of interest from various stakeholders such as researchers, policymakers and
practitioners (Kovacs and Spens, 2010). Seeing the significant increase in the amount of
work in this particular area, Behl and Dutta (2019a) and Jabbour et al. (2019) conducted a
research on the chosen contemporary literature related to logistics and supply chain in the
humanitarian area wherein the authors found various research gaps and proposed a research
agenda for further research. It was concluded that most of the studies are theoretical where
the authors have discussed several issues associated with the kinds of disaster, a form of
humanitarian organisations, disaster relief phases and localisation of disaster. The focus of
all these studies was primarily on logistics management. Shafiq and Soratana (2019) also
reviewed the past literature and identified future scope for advancement in the logistics and
supply chain management of humanitarian organisations. The authors examined the area of
humanitarian organisations’ logistics concerning efficiency and effectiveness. Dubey et al.
(2019b) also discussed the logistics and supply chain in disaster relief operations and
highlighted the literature based on the past, present and future.
IJES Player Role/responsibility
Government The humanitarian logistics activators that
are having the authority to approve the task
and mobilise the assets
The military A vital player in the process as the soldiers
deliver primary aid to the affected people and
support the entire operations. The main roles
of the military to relief supply chains include
security and protection, distribution, and
engineering. Apart from these, primary aid
provided by the military also includes the
installation of camps and hospitals, repairing
routes and paths, and telecommunication
services
The police Establish rescue safe routes. Shifting of all
vehicles to the parking yards; Traffic
Control. Assist in controlling and fighting
disaster, salvage operations etc.
Aid agencies The medical aid agencies provide
humanitarian aid, i.e. emergency relief efforts
in response to natural disasters
The logistics Effectively manage the physical distribution
service providers of products along the humanitarian supply
chain in relief operations
The financial The role of financial sector, prominently
sectors banks and insurance companies in the event
of disaster and their fit in the humanitarian
supply chain is significant in terms of
providing funds during response and
rehabilitation process
Donors The individuals who completely give
monetary intends to support help tasks
NGOs (local and To offer the aid to a humanitarian process
international) centred on its responsibility; donors and
collectors/providers
Donors offer financial support in terms of
cash to boost humanitarian activities.
Collectors are the ones who collect the funds
from the suppliers, employees and customers
to help the activities. Whereas the provider is
an organisation/agency that offers free goods
Table 3. and services
The summary of actors
in humanitarian
logistics
Source
Quarshie and Leuschner (2020), Zhang
et al. (2020), Behl and Dutta (2019a),
Dubey et al. (2019a, c), Kourula et al.
(2019), Banomyong et al. (2017), Bealt
et al. (2016), Burkart et al. (2016),
Ganguly and Rai (2016), Oloruntoba
et al. (2016), Altay and Pal (2014), Leiras
et al. (2014), Chia (2007), Kovacs and
Spens (2007)
Quarshie and Leuschner (2020), Behl
and Dutta (2019a), Dubey et al. (2019a),
Banomyong et al. (2017), Bealt et al.
(2016), Burkart et al. (2016), Ganguly and
Rai (2016), Oloruntoba et al. (2016),
Heaslip and Barber (2014), Barber
(2013), McLachlin and Larson (2011),
Pettit and Beresford (2009), Kovacs and
Spens (2007)
Dubey et al. (2019a)
Behl and Dutta (2019a), Dubey et al.
(2019a), Bealt et al. (2016), Ganguly and
Rai (2016), Kovacs and Spens (2007)
Behl and Dutta (2019a), Dubey et al.
(2019a), Kim et al. (2019), Bealt et al.
(2016), Kovacs and Spens (2007)
Zhang et al. (2020), Behl and Dutta
(2019a), Bealt et al. (2016)
Behl and Dutta (2020), Quarshie and
Leuschner (2020), Behl and Dutta
(2019a), Bealt et al. (2016), Altay and Pal
(2014), Cozzolino et al. (2012), McLachlin
and Larson (2011), Balcik et al. (2010),
Pettit and Beresford (2009), Kovacs and
Spens (2007)
Behl and Dutta (2020), Quarshie and
Leuschner (2020), Zhang et al. (2020),
Behl and Dutta (2019a), Dubey et al.
(2019a), Dubey et al. (2019c),
Banomyong et al. (2017), Bealt et al.
(2016), Burkart et al. (2016), Ganguly and
Rai (2016), Oloruntoba et al. (2016),
Rodriguez et al. (2016), Altay and Pal
(2014), McLachlin and Larson (2011),
Pettit and Beresford (2009), Chia (2007),
Kovacs and Spens (2007)
(continued )
Player Role/responsibility Source
Framework to
manage
Red cross A humanitarian organisation that provides Dubey et al. (2019a) humanitarian
emergency assistance, disaster relief and
disaster preparedness education across the logistics
globe
OCHA United Nations Office of Coordination for Dubey et al. (2019a), Jahre and Jensen
Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) (2010)
coordinates the global emergency response
to save lives and protect people in
humanitarian crises. Its aim is to strengthen
the international response to complex
emergencies and natural disasters Table 3.

Figure 2.
The humanitarian
logistics model

There are numerous issues and challenges regarding humanitarian logistics which are
addressed by various researchers. John and Ramesh (2016) carried out a study in the Indian
context and identified the barriers of humanitarian logistics and their effect on the working of
the humanitarian supply chain through interpretive structural modelling techniques.
Pathirage et al. (2012) also conducted a study on identifying the challenges in humanitarian
supply chain and found several factors such as managerial/operational, environmental, legal,
technological, social and economic factors having a direct effect in the disaster management
cycle, whereas the political and institutional factors were having an indirect influence. Some
of the key challenges that were highlighted were lack of training and awareness-raising
programmes, limited finance for economic planning procedures, lack of detection and
warning systems, the necessity for updating disaster associated laws on a regular interval,
the need for effective education, poor planning, lack of communication, lack of leadership and
deprived institutional planning.
Joshi (2010) highlighted the need for adequate storage facilities, the inadequacy of supply
chain management software and communication equipment, the challenge of getting
IJES government clearance, and communication as the challenges faced by world vision, India in
humanitarian logistics. Enormous distance, Density of huge population, lack of reliable
information/communication flow, and coordination were found as the major challenges faced
by Medicines San Frontiers (SAF) in India when an emergency occurs (Gandini, 2010). With
the help of a case study of Kosi flood, Singh (2010) discusses the major concern of
humanitarian logisticians which includes the absence of reorganisation of logisticians, and
lack of adequate support. Ganguly and Rai (2016) addressed disaster challenges and issues in
Uttarakhand, India and noted concerns such as warehousing and mobility of resources. At
the other hand, the driver along with the dissemination of technology was found to be
collaboration between government, aid agencies, foreign and local NGOs, local
administration and the armed forces. Kim et al. (2019) also addressed the issue of logistics
service provider’s selection for effective disaster preparation. Kovacs and Spens (2009)
identified humanitarian logistic challenges regarding the types of humanitarian
organisations, disasters and disaster relief stages. Based on that, the authors constructed a
conceptual model that created a base to examine these challenges. The most emphasised
challenge that was identified was the logistics coordination. The study shows that the
challenges could be effectively managed if they could be aligned to the stakeholder’s
environment. Galindo and Batta (2013), Altay and Green (2006) also discussed the issues in
disaster operations management and suggests future research directions. Oloruntoba (2005)
highlighted the early warning system’s failure in the case of Tsunami and the difficulties in
managing and responding to this type of natural disaster. Key strategies to effectively
manage the disaster and response were also suggested by the authors. Major identified
challenges involve information and media management, coordination in logistics activities,
damage and need assessment and issues related to safety and security of donations.
Rajeshwar (2010) presents the help age India’s experiences and experiment in the
engagement of three major disasters (The Indian tsunami, the Kashmir earthquake and the
Supaul floods of Bihar) that struck India in the past five years to bring out the challenges
faced. Sandwell (2011) identified the humanitarian aid logistics issues to give an insight
regarding the bottlenecks faced by humanitarian organisations and discovered operational
issues as the major concern impacting the logistics operation of humanitarian organisations.
Parida (2010) discusses the structure of the governmental response system in India and
the challenges in managing humanitarian logistics. The study examines the role played by
the government in response to various disasters in the last decade and discusses thoroughly
the disaster preparedness policy of the Indian government. Also, the author attempts to
explore the possibilities of an alternative approach to address the issues. The current
preparedness initiatives are less than adequate and such preparedness needs high priority
especially in emerging economies such as India (Kabra et al., 2017).
John and Ramesh (2012) attempt to identify some loopholes based on analysing the
current scenario to handle any disaster event and suggested a few measures to conquer the
gaps. The study used an SAP-LAP model to describe the managerial issues in humanitarian
supply chain management. Several problems that necessitate consideration were supply
source identification, central authority significance, coordination between the players,
disaster management supply chain awareness, supply chain professional’s role, resource
scarcity and need for financial flow in a supply chain. Baldini et al. (2012) also describe the key
characteristics and issues faced in humanitarian logistics.

2.5 Studies related to solutions towards existing issues in humanitarian logistics and
supply chain
This section discusses the studies that are aimed to overcome and solve the exiting issues and
challenges faced by humanitarian logistics and supply chain. Also, the frameworks
developed by various authors for advancing the humanitarian supply chain are discussed in Framework to
this sub section. manage
Jahre (2017) conducted a study aimed at linking humanitarian logistics and supply chain
risk management to provide an insight into strategies for risk mitigation that humanitarian
humanitarian
organisations use or might use to improve their logistics preparedness. The author found that logistics
a number of the strategies suggested are used by humanitarian actors, particularly those
related to strategic stocks, postponement and collaboration. Natarajarathinam et al. (2009)
described the current practise and research trends in managing supply chains in crisis.
Nibanupudi (2010) provides a detailed account of the process and tools for developing
organisation plans of Oxfam and its supporting partners for robust supply management
systems in disaster incidents.
Cozzolino et al. (2012) identified the explicit phases of the humanitarian logistic
activities where the lean principles and agility needs to be adopted. L’Hermitte et al. (2016)
explored the underlying agility strategic mechanisms in the context of humanitarian
logistics. The authors empirically examine a bundle of four strategic elements (i.e. Being-
learning oriented, collaborative, action-focused and purposeful) and identified a promising
relationship among agility and these abilities in humanitarian logistics operations. Altay
et al. (2018) and Dubey (2019) tested a model to investigate the effect of agility and
resilience on the performance of the humanitarian supply chain. The findings suggested
that supply chain agility and resilient supply chain are two significant active competencies
of the supply chain. Agility in the supply chain is a significant feature of the pre-disaster
performance, whereas resilience in the supply chain is a significant feature of post-disaster
performance in the humanitarian supply chain (Dubey, 2019). Perry (2007) presented a full
retrospection case analysis for a model locating disaster response activity within the
perspective of a locally nation led and comprehensive planning for a natural disaster. In
the context of disaster management planning, natural disaster response operation needs to
be examined holistically and the integration of regionally led activities is a critical element
in the disaster management process (Perry, 2007). Baker and Deham (2019) pointed out
that the advancement of disaster research needs to look at more progressive perspectives
on human response to the disaster, and what this means for community and society
formation itself.
Pettit and Beresford (2009) conceptually discuss the critical success factor related to the
humanitarian relief sector by undertaking a detailed literature review on the success
factors of logistics and supply chain management in the commercial sector. Beamon and
Balcik (2008) developed performance metrics and based on that created a framework,
which could be applied for measuring the performance system in humanitarian relief
operations. The ‘Development tool indicator’ established by IFRC (The International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) was discussed by Schulz and Heigh
(2009). This tool was developed by IFRC to guide and supervise continuous improvement
in their logistics performance. The authors found stakeholders’ integration,
approachability and easiness as the success factor of the tool. Banomyong and
Sopadang (2010) provides a framework to develop the logistic response model in case of
any emergency and found that the usage of simulation modelling could help in increasing
the validity and reliability of the developed model. Kovacs and Spens (2007) developed a
framework differentiating among the logistical processes, stages and players in the
disaster aid operations. Highlighting the key differences between business logistics and
humanitarian logistics, the authors discover and describe the distinctive features of
logistics in humanitarian operations whilst realizing the necessity for humanitarian
logistics to be learnt from commercial logistics. L’Hermitte and Nair (2020) developed a
blockchain-enabled framework for sharing logistics resources in emergency operations.
Authors argued that utilizing commercial logistical services such as emergency supplies,
IJES transportation capability and storage space can increase the mobilisation and delivery of
emergency relief items and enhance the efficiency of emergency response. Vaillancourt
(2016) developed a theoretical framework to better understand incentives and obstacles to
the consolidation of materials in humanitarian logistics. The author identified specific
sources of delays and impediments to cooperation present in the disaster response and
development activities.
Sheppard et al. (2013) assessed how the local peoples/residents mainly at the village or
municipality level could maximise their capability for preparing and responding to the
logistical challenges faced during a natural disaster effectively and efficiently. A model was
also developed by the authors that incorporate the possible contribution by the local
population to manage demand and supply-side aspects, which eventually lead to speedier
and more efficient and accurate logistics response systems. Oloruntoba (2005) also found that
there must be an inclusion of local people as much as possible to manage and respond to any
disaster. John and Ramesh (2016) found that experienced and well-trained logisticians play a
significant role in the effective management of several activities in humanitarian supply
chain management. Pardasani (2006) reports the significance of local public participation and
multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration in revitalisation endeavours and found
that people from several fields or disciplines are involved collectively to contribute towards
societal reconstruction when societies are affected by any catastrophic events. Thus,
communal engagement and multidisciplinary alliances are crucial to nurturing sustainable
shifts in underdeveloped communities.
Baldini et al. (2012) discusses the prospective role of information technology (IT)
concerning the RFID system (Radio Frequency Identification Device) in improving the
security management of humanitarian supply chain. The humanitarian logistics information
system not only improves logistics activities in each phase but also improves the continuity of
humanitarian operations by sharing information throughout the transition of different
disaster management cycle phases (Tyagi and Kaushal, 2010). Ashhar et al. (2010) discusses
the internet-based geographical information system that could be used as an effective tool for
various stages of the disaster management life cycle. Also, the application of drones as a relief
delivery vehicle was previously studied in several studies for disaster relief (Comes et al.,
2018; Tatham et al., 2017a, b), rescue operations (Xiang et al., 2016) and delivery (Shavarani
et al., 2017). Subsequently, the use of IT in managing the humanitarian supply chain is
potentially one of the most influential measures possible to give a better solution to the people
affected (Delmonteil and Rancourt, 2017). To increase the survival rate, modern technologies
should be used to deliver relief among survivors instantly following a disaster (Eguchi, 2013).
Despite India being a well-known as an IT hub, the use of IT inherent within commercial
supply chains have not been observed in humanitarian supply chain and remains a major
concern (Kabra et al., 2017).
The most critical post-disaster relief tasks are appropriate allotment of relief crews and
resources, location of relief centres, and transportation route development (Chang et al., 2014).
Shavarani (2019) conducted a study for both relief centres and drone recharge stations to find
where the number of drones needed and the best locations for the relief centres through multi-
level facility location-allocation problem for post-disaster humanitarian relief distribution.
Ukkusuri (2010) models the prepositioning of supplies during disaster incidents concerning
the facility location problem, which accounts for vehicle routing and probable
transportation’s network interruptions. A combination of the highly consistent path and
integer programming model was used to identify the best supply location. Also, location
intelligence (i.e. big data analytics powered by artificial intelligence) may reveal better
opportunities in the era of massive data (Dubey et al., 2019b). Zhang et al. (2020), Dubey et al.
(2019c, 2018) and Wang et al. (2016) conducted the studies to examine how, as organisational
capability, big data and predictive analytics can improve both visibility and coordination in
the humanitarian supply chains and the findings suggest that it has a significant impact on Framework to
visibility and coordination. manage
Tripathi (2010) projected a model of efficient relief supply putting special emphasis on the
logistical operations including the details about assessment, resource mobilisation,
humanitarian
procurement, transportation, warehousing, information management and control. The logistics
author used a comprehensive approach that examines various aspects of humanitarian
logistics operation in challenging terrain such as Leh, India. John and Ramesh (2016) also
highlighted the significance of a reliable source of supply for information which is highly
needed to forecast the disaster events.
Aghajani and Torabi (2019) tried to improve the process of relief procurement as one of
the most significant elements of humanitarian logistics. To do so, a novel two-round
decision model was developed to study the dynamic nature of the process of relief
procurement by allowing updating of demand. The model also accounts for the priority of
the supply of items during the response phase. This study shows the ability of the
proposed approach to the post-disaster procurement model which considers the relief
logistics dynamic environment. Tatham and Pettit (2010) addressed the context of supply
network management in which the authors contended that the basic principle of academic
research is consistently important to the field of humanitarian logistics and must bring
significant improvement in the efficient and effective preparation and the response of
relief logistics.
Chandes and Pache (2010) found that a mutual act approach has a beneficial impact on
humanitarian supply chain operations if a “hub” is used to offer reliability and responsibility.
Technical approachability mainly in operation management such as transportation
optimisation, and regional depots/warehouses location is vital to manage humanitarian
related logistics in a better way. Also, the same approach needs to be used in the joint
strategy, particularly in the pre-positioning of the supply and in the harmonisation of relief
attempts. Maharjan and Hanaoka (2019) discovered the importance of establishing
temporary logistics hubs (TLHs) when resources (mobile storage units used as TLHs) are
limited and presented the development and implementation of a methodology determining
the order of formation of TLHs to facilitate post-disaster decision-making.
Regnier et al. (2008) examine the matter of livelihood recovery post-disaster incidents with
the example of micro-entrepreneurship endeavours post-tsunami that helped in creating
employment opportunities and revenues amongst the affected peoples. Jensen (2012) presents
an insight into the role of the humanitarian cluster leads by applying the lessons learnt from
the 4PL (fourth-party logistic service providers). Abidi et al. (2015) discussed the importance
of 4PL in a humanitarian logistics and supply chain and presents a framework for the concept
of fourth-party humanitarian logistics.
According to Meite (2010), the success of any disaster management largely depends on
some of the important factors such as sound strategic planning, effective command and
control, mobilisation of resources, ability to organise the effort in a logical and timely manner,
the ability of the logistics to match with the activities during relief operations, and effectively
dealing with the psychological factors during crises.
As humanitarian-related organisations are trained to offer aid in the hectic and difficult
scenarios, it is evident that the effective supply chain will be very vital to mobilise the
peoples to safest areas, delivering the food and medical supplies from across the nation.
Besides, the demand for the goods during these periods is highly unpredictable, as most of
the natural disaster are volatile. Hence, it is apparent that managing humanitarian logistics
is very challenging and needs the flexibility to be functioned under serious restraints.
Therefore, the phases of planning, preparedness and response are very crucial to tackle the
issues and manage natural disaster relief logistics operations during any crisis in an
effective way.
IJES 3. Methodology
This paper mainly emphasizes on presenting a framework for effective humanitarian
logistics in context to India. It has also highlighted the role of humanitarian logistics and the
associated challenges during the response to disaster management.
The steps given by Jabbour et al. (2019) have been followed by the researcher for reviewing
the available literature or the existing body of knowledge:
First: Identification of the key articles available on the matter in educational databases
and seeing the primary keywords of the topic using “humanitarian logistics and
supply chain”.
Second: The articles that are discovered in the first stage are screened to eliminate the
articles that are out of the subject area purview. More than 300 papers are accessed after
the search and based on the screening, around 180 papers found suitable that are under the
purview of the study and meet the requirements. Mainly the studies ranging from the year
2000–2020 are considered for this study, as most of the work is done within this period
(specifically after 2011) that particularly focuses on logistics and supply chain aspects of
humanitarian operations (Behl and Dutta, 2019a).
Third: Forming and applying a categorisation system to detect central structures of the
topic or subject studied (humanitarian logistics, humanitarian logistics and supply chain
challenges, disaster relief operations, humanitarian logistics framework, etc.).
The main papers on humanitarian logistics were defined for the first phase, containing
the keywords of “humanitarian logistics and supply chain”, “disaster management”, “relief
operations” and “emergency services” in the academic databases including Scopus and
Web of Science in particular. The two databases were further emphasised as they both
collect data from fourteen of the world’s largest publishers on abstracts and citations from
academic journals, books and conference proceedings (Jabbour et al., 2019). Thereafter,
different keyword combinations were used to increase search scope and reach such as
“disaster relief operations”, “logistics in emergency services”, “humanitarian supply chain
management” and “challenges in humanitarian logistics and supply chain”. Following this
first step, screening was carried out to identify all articles outside the scope of the identified
topics.
Secondary literature was collected from various research papers, articles and case studies
published in peer-reviewed journals; reports; conference proceedings; white papers and
presentations from industry.
A framework has been developed and presented based on the best practise and initiatives
taken worldwide to reduce the aftermath of any disaster, which if implemented would
increase the effective and efficient preparation and responding capacity. Finally, the author
has also suggested some measures, particularly for the preparedness and response stage of
the disaster supply chain.
The author referred to the international journals related to logistics, supply chain,
operations management and humanitarian logistics published by well-recognised
publishers such as Emerald, Elsevier, Springer, Wiley and Taylor and Francis. The
author culled out the key challenges facing humanitarian logistics during the disasters
and presents a framework to manage humanitarian logistics in a better and effective
manner.
The authors have referred to various international journals. Some of them are Journal of
Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, International Journal of Physical
Distribution and Logistics Management, Annals of Operations Research, International Journal
of Production Economics, International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications, Supply
Chain Management: An International Journal, International Journal of Emergency Services,
European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Public Sector
Management, Disaster Prevention and Management, International Journal of Disaster
Resilience in the Built Environment, International Journal of Logistics Management, Framework to
Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, International Journal of Supply Chain manage
Management, Disasters, Journal of Advances in Management Research and International
Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
humanitarian
logistics
4. Disaster management in India
This section discusses the disaster management system in India and its institutional
structure.
The beginnings of an institutional structure for disaster management can be traced to the
British period following the series of disasters such as famines of 1900, 1905, 1907 and 1943
and the Bihar-Nepal earthquake of 1937 (Ministry of Home Affairs GoI, 2011).
Joint Secretary (DM) in MHA is the head of Disaster Management in India, who is
supported by three Directors, Section Officers, Under Secretaries, Technical Officer, Senior
Economic Investigator consultants, and further assisting staff. Secretary (Border
Management), Home Minister, Home Secretary and Minister of State in charge comes
under the first tier of the structure.
The Disaster Management institutional structure in India is depicted in Figure 3. The
NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) has been instituted at the central level,
SDMA (State Disaster Management Authority) at the state level, and DDMA (District
Disaster Management Authority) at the district level.
In India’s policy framework and the budget allocation, disaster management dominates a
vital place as the poor and underprivileged public is the one that is worst affected by any
natural calamities and disasters. The humanitarian organisation also recognises the actuality
that the cost of the preparedness and mitigation related functions are much higher than the
recovery and restoration activities (Ministry of Home Affairs GoI, 2011).

4.1 The NDMA

The Government of India (GOI), acknowledging the significance of Disaster Management as a
national priority, formed a High-Powered Committee in August 1999 and a National
Committee after the Gujarat earthquake, to make recommendations on the preparedness
plans for disaster management and suggesting effective mechanisms for mitigation. In 2005
(23 December), the GOI endorsed the Disaster Management Act, which envisioned the
formation of NDMA (headed by the Prime Minister), and SDMAs (headed by respective Chief
Ministers) to organise and execute an integrated and holistic method to the Disaster
Management system in India (NDMA, 2019).
The NDMA is an agency of the Ministry of Home affairs responsible to deal with the entire
spectrum of preparedness and disaster management in the country. Its main motive is to
harmonise the response to man-made or natural disasters and to enhance the capacity in
crisis and disaster response (NDMA, 2019). It also formulates and enforces natural disaster
policies at federal and provisional levels and collaborated closely with various government
ministries, military forces and UN-based organisations to jointly coordinate efforts to conduct
its disaster management, search and rescue and wide range of humanitarian operations in the
country and abroad. It prepares national plans and policies and coordinates with the SDMA
to prevent and threatening any disaster situation.

5. Findings
This section details the findings of the study, which comprises the humanitarian logistics and
disaster supply chain management challenges, and the framework for managing
humanitarian logistics in case of any disaster.
IJES

Figure 3.
National disaster
structure in India

5.1 Challenges in humanitarian logistics/disaster supply chain

The author identified the key issues in humanitarian logistics and supply chain management
through a literature review, which are discussed and summarised comprehensively in this
sub-section. Challenges recognise the areas that are lacking and need further improvement in
the humanitarian logistics context to deal with future disasters successfully.
Some of the important challenges faced in humanitarian logistics and disaster supply
chain are lack of flow of information, lack of planning for humanitarian logistics, non-
availability of relief supplies of the right quantity, etc. It was also found that the existing
system of response in the Government sector also suffers from weakness such as lack of
planning and adequate preparedness for maintaining supply chain of relief documentarian,
poor information management systems, duplication of efforts of government and non-
government sector, lack of focused efforts on maintaining relief logistics supply and also Framework to
lack of training of the officials. Also, there are no clear-cut guidelines or planning on manage
forecasting the estimates of relief supplies and relief logistics; as a result, there are no laid
down protocol maintenance of minimum reserves in warehouse or relief hubs in many
humanitarian
nations across the globe. Baldini et al. (2012) identified several challenges in the supply logistics
chain during disasters such as the size of the relief chain, coordination, degradation of
critical infrastructure, timing, security and demand. Oloruntoba (2005) also identified some
of the main challenges of successfully responding to the disaster situation. The identified
challenges are the scale of devastation, logistics and coordination, donations, damage and
needs assessments, security and political issues, social issues, relief based on needs or loss,
and lack of information.
Humanitarian agencies must get the correct support to the accurate location at the right
cost and at the correct time. To achieve this there are various complexities and challenges.
Gustavsson (2002) identified challenges of reconstruction, speed of delivery, movement of
people from conflict zones, and the influx of humanitarian staff. Fritz (2005) demonstrated the
significance of logistics in operations related to humanitarian aid and highlighted some
common challenges through the survey of logisticians working in the field from the major
global organisations that are contributing to the aid efforts of Tsunami. The challenges were
shortage of logistics experts, largely manual supply chain processes, inadequate assessments
and planning, limited collaboration and coordination, preparedness, assessment and appeal,
financial resources mobilisation, human resources mobilisation, organisational setup,
transportation execution, sourcing and procurement, track and trace, stock asset
management, communication, monitoring/evaluating/reporting and collaboration.
Also, it is important to note that in the management of humanitarian logistics, lack of
coordination among various stakeholders both in governments as well as non- government
sectors remains a critical component. The summary of the identified challenges which are
impacting humanitarian logistics is classified in Table 4.

5.2 A framework for the functions at state and district level in India for preparedness and
response phase of humanitarian logistics
A Framework has been developed considering the different disaster-prone states in India.
From an extensive review and its analysis, a strong picture of substantial pitfalls in the
preparedness phase (especially at the state and district level) of the disaster has been
determined, but that can be alleviated through the proposed framework implementation. The
proposed methodology has drawn heavily on the conceptual model developed by Sheppard
et al. (2013) after-effects of the Typhoon Ondoy in the Republic of the Philippines that is also
annoying continually by numerous natural disasters involving cyclones, bush fires and
flooding.
The proposed framework (Figure 4) has been designed to consider the requirements of the
SDMA which is the vital functioning body in the preparedness and response during the
disaster in India. Although no one is to be blamed for the calamities by nature, the amount of
destruction caused could have been reduced to some extent if the concerned authorities would
have formulated some plans beforehand. Even Uttarakhand state was not having a body for
disaster management during the major disaster Uttarakhand flash floods in June 2013, in
which thousands of people lost their lives (Bhalla and Bagga, 2013; Spaceviewtimes, 2013). As
Himalayan states are one of the most vulnerable and high prone states because of frequent
cloudbursts and landslides, planning for humanitarian logistics by disaster management
committee is highly required. The proposed framework is designed to deliver an enhanced
approach to the functions which can be performed at the state and district level in the logistics
and other preparedness and response stage of the emergency supply chain.
IJES Challenges Aspect
Logistics experts Lack of trained and experienced
shortage logisticians in the humanitarian relief
field, thus impacting humanitarian
organisations
Largely manual Lack of accessibility to the software
supply chain related to tracing and tracking.
processes Inadequate supply chain system in place
Inadequate Improper planning and assessment as
assessments and many of the logistical challenges cannot
planning be forecasted, hence impacting the
planning operations
Limited collaboration Collaboration primarily on an ad hoc,
and coordination “immediate needs” basis. Organisations
struggle to balance their internal
operations requirements with the desire to
work with others
Preparedness Lack of adequate actual plan hindering
the organisation’s capability in following
the actual process and to go ahead
towards further phases of assessment,
application and mobilisation of resources
Assessment and Inaccurate valuation for locations,
appeal beneficiaries nos. and other programmes
because of the inadequate information
from the actual ground
Lack of information due to the untrained
and inadequate local staff; and the
devastation of infrastructure that limiting
access to impacted areas
Financial resources Non- availability of financial resources
mobilisation whenever needed
Human resources Quality, level of training and huge staff at
mobilisation local, regional, national and global levels
The frequent and difficult logistical
challenge in major crises is staff
mobilisation. How to move the large no. of
workers involved in relief operations,
Table 4.
confirming their safety and providing
Challenges in
humanitarian logistics/ them shelter within the available cost is
disaster supply chain also a challenge
management
Reference(s)
Kim et al. (2019), John and Ramesh
(2016), Kovacs et al. (2012), Overstreet
et al. (2011), Sandwell (2011), Singh
(2010), Oloruntoba and Gray (2009),
Pettit and Beresford (2009), Van
Wassenhove (2006), Fritz (2005),
Thomas and Kopczak (2005)
Joshi (2010), Fritz (2005)
Dubey et al. (2019b), Kim et al. (2019),
Tayal and Singh (2019), Gunasekaran
et al. (2018), Pathirage et al. (2012),
Sandwell (2011), Overstreet et al. (2011),
Fritz (2005), Stephenson (2005), Seaman
(1999)
L’Hermitte and Nair (2020), Altay et al.
(2019), Behl and Dutta (2019a, b),
Dubey et al. (2019a, b), Sabri et al. (2019),
Dubey et al. (2018), Kim et al. (2019),
Singh et al. (2018), John and Ramesh
(2016), Baldini et al. (2012), Sandwell
(2011), Balcik et al. (2010), Pettit and
Beresford (2009), Kovacs and Spens
(2009), Oloruntoba (2005), Fritz (2005)
L’Hermitte and Nair (2020), Dubey et al.
(2019b), Tayal and Singh (2019), Kim
et al. (2019), Gunasekaran et al. (2018),
Pathirage et al. (2012), Fritz (2005)
Behl and Dutta (2020), Tayal and Singh
(2019), Styles (2018), Pathirage et al.
(2012), Benini et al. (2009), Altay (2008),
Fritz (2005)
Behl and Dutta (2020), Behl and Dutta
(2019b), Dubey et al. (2019b), John and
Ramesh (2016), Pathirage et al. (2012),
Stephenson and Schnitzer (2006),
Moore et al. (2003), Hilhorst (2002),
Seaman (1999)
Pathirage et al. (2012), Beresford and
Pettit (2007), Fritz (2005), Gustavsson
(2002)
(continued )
Challenges Aspect
Site locations Challenge of inter-agency coordination
hub at several locations in the aid effort
operations
Procurement Pre-established procurement processes
Procurement delays
Donation identification, prioritisation of
goods either to store or to transport to the
affected areas
Transportation Destruction of transportation
execution infrastructures (roads and airfields) and
delays in the customs process are some of
the major issues impacting transportation
implementation. Also, congestion issues
and pressure of restricted transportation
on the limited operational roads and at the
airports
Track and trace Lack of tracking and tracing system.
Usage of either manual process or a
normal excel spreadsheet to keep the
track
Stock asset Use of Existing regional logistics set-ups.
management Pre-positioning the stock
Monitoring / Less or minimal reporting system by the
evaluating / reporting humanitarian logisticians involved in
relief operations
Information and Challenges about manage public
communication information are highly intimidating, for
instance, little information, too much
information, or sometimes incorrect
information may be transmitted that can
create chaos
Lack of cellular network system handling
capacity for the volume of usage
Size of the Relief Chain A large number of commodities to be
transported and transmitted, as large no.
of people in vast geographical areas could
be affected due to the crisis
Degradation of critical Vital infrastructure related to the power
infrastructure supply, transportation, and
communication may be damaged or
degraded that harms the needed good’s
delivery and ultimately affect “the last
mile delivery”. The communication’s
infrastructure degradation may also harm
the coordination and cooperation level
between the players involved in crisis
management
Reference(s)
Framework to
manage
Dubey et al. (2019b), Tayal and Singh humanitarian
(2019), Kim et al. (2019), Dubey et al.
(2018), Ganguly and Rai (2016), logistics
Pathirage et al. (2012), Singh (2010),
Fritz (2005)
Aghajani and Torabi (2019), John and
Ramesh (2016), Baldini et al. (2012),
Bagchi et al. (2011), Balcik et al. (2010),
Fritz (2005)
Dubey et al. (2019b), Sabouhi et al.
(2019), Kim et al. (2019), Baharmand
et al. (2017), John and Ramesh (2016),
Baldini et al. (2012), Berkoune et al.
(2011), Ben-Tal et al. (2011), Fritz (2005)
Behl and Dutta (2019b), Joshi (2010),
Fritz (2005)
Kim et al. (2019), Tayal and Singh
(2019), Baharmand et al. (2017), Fritz
(2005)
Fritz (2005)
Behl and Dutta (2020), L’Hermitte and
Nair (2020), Behl and Dutta (2019b),
Dubey et al. (2019b), Kim et al. (2019),
Sabouhi et al. (2019), Baharmand et al.
(2017), John and Ramesh (2016), Burtch
et al. (2015), Altay and Labonte (2014),
Pathirage et al. (2012), Balcik et al.
(2010), Joshi (2010), Maon et al. (2009),
Whybark (2007), Oloruntoba (2005),
Fritz (2005)
Sabouhi et al. (2019), Tayal and Singh
(2019), Baldini et al. (2012), Kovacs and
Spens (2009)
John and Ramesh (2016), Baldini et al.
(2012), Sandwell (2011), Chandes and
Pache (2010), Altay et al. (2009), Van
Wassenhove (2006), Barbasoglu et al.
(2002)
(continued ) Table 4.
IJES Challenges Aspect
Timing factor Constraints related to the time factor is
quite severe in disaster management.
Items that are perishable such as
medicines or food must be delivered on
time, otherwise, it might increase the level
of risk in terms of epidemics and
casualties. The usage of rotten food or
unreliable medicines can put the life of
survivors in danger
Security factor Looters and thieves might take a benefit
of the tensed environment to theft the
goods and disturb the supply chain
There is always the possibility of loss
during disaster management due to theft
at all the phases of the humanitarian
supply chain
Demand Relief chains represent the links between
the supply and the demand. The demand
cannot be easily predicted, and it is
continuously fluctuating based on the
incoming reports from the field
Scale of devastation Adaptiveness to the economic, social and
cultural environments by the aid agencies
in the aid and reconstructions operations
is very challenging because of the varying
needs in numerous affected countries
coupled with the mentioned factors
Needs and damage As needs within the place, region and
assessments between the nations vary, it is important
to have accurate needs and damage
assessments considering the timeframe as
well as the type of risk faced by the region
and the people
Donations Assurance in terms of fulfilment of funds
pledges by the donor and its release to the
needed supporting agencies may be a
challenge
Political and security The security and safety of the aid workers
issues may be at risk due to the political factor in
the affected area, which encourages the
unfavourable condition to quickly
distribute the relief items
Social factor Socio-cultural bottlenecks such as
religious or language differences among
the humanitarian agencies and the donors
on the one side and victims and the local
authorities on the other side
Table 4.
Reference(s)
Sabouhi et al. (2019), Tayal and Singh
(2019), Kim et al. (2019), Baharmand
et al. (2017), Baldini et al. (2012), Balcik
and Beamon (2008), Oloruntoba and
Gray (2006), Murray (2005)
Baldini et al. (2012), Constable (2008),
Pettit and Beresford (2006), Cassidy
(2003)
Dubey et al. (2019b), Tayal and Singh
(2019), Gunasekaran et al. (2018), John
and Ramesh (2016), Chakravarty
(2014), Baldini et al. (2012), Overstreet
et al. (2011), Kovacs and Tatham (2009),
Van Wassenhove (2006), Beamon and
Benita (2004)
Behl and Dutta (2019b), John and
Ramesh (2016), Van Wassenhove
(2006), Oloruntoba and Gray (2006),
Oloruntoba (2005)
Kim et al. (2019), Baldini et al. (2012),
Oloruntoba (2005), Darcy (2005),
Granot (1995)
Behl and Dutta (2020), Behl and Dutta
(2019b), Overstreet et al. (2011),
Sandwell (2011), Oloruntoba and Gray
(2009), Oloruntoba (2005), Willits-King
(2004), Eldridge (1989)
Behl and Dutta (2020), Kabra et al.
(2017), Overstreet et al. (2011), Sandwell
(2011), Oloruntoba (2005)
Behl and Dutta (2019b), Maon et al.
(2009), Oloruntoba (2005), Holland
(1989)
(continued )
Challenges Aspect Reference(s)
Framework to
manage
Relief based on needs International responding organisations Behl and Dutta (2020), Dubey et al. humanitarian
or loss and donors must decide either to provide (2019b), John and Ramesh (2016),
relief aid based on the need or based on Kovacs and Tatham (2009), Oloruntoba logistics
loss. This decision is generally taken by (2005)
the relief organisations as per their policy
Reconstruction During post-disaster, a huge Gustavsson (2002)
challenges reconstruction programme is needed to
make the suitable housing facilities
available to rebuild the infrastructure
Management and Urgent uplift of emergency supplies, Sabouhi et al. (2019), Tayal and Singh
Speed of delivery materials and needed goods (2019), Kim et al. (2019), Ganguly and
Rai (2016), John and Ramesh (2016),
Balcik et al. (2010), Ben-Tal et al. (2011),
Van Wassenhove (2006), Gustavsson
(2002), Russell (2005)
People’s transfer from During any conflicts, the maximum Gustavsson (2002)
conflict zones amount of public must be transferred
from the affected areas to the safest areas
such as army camps, tracing centres and
short-term transit centres in a quick
manner Table 4.

The framework presented that operational decision-making and control are transferred from
the management’s central strategic levels, i.e. NDMA to a physical and conceptual location
closer to where the operations are carried out- i.e. the state or district level or local community.
The functions for mitigation and reconstruction phases are not included in the study as it is
more strategic and largely taken care of at the central strategic level and would be the scope
for further research.
The subsequent structure is depicted in Figure 4 involving the outline of the activities
connected to each organisational level at the preparedness and response stage of the disaster
management supply chain. The study is more focused on the Indian states, as the major
pitfalls founds are lack of preparedness, beforehand plans and response to disaster
management.

6. Discussion
Many earlier studies such as those by L’Hermitte and Nair (2020), Altay et al. (2019), Behl and
Dutta (2019a, b), Dubey et al. (2019a, b), Kim et al. (2019), Tayal and Singh (2019), Sabri et al.
(2019), Sabouhi et al. (2019), Dubey et al. (2018), Gunasekaran et al. (2018), Singh et al. (2018),
Baharmand et al. (2017), John and Ramesh (2016), Burtch et al. (2018), Altay and Labonte
(2014), Baldini et al. (2012), Kovacs et al. (2012), Benini et al. (2009), Altay (2008), Balcik and
Beamon (2008), and Van Wassenhove (2006) have confirmed that various factors like efficient
information sharing, mutual trust, coordination and collaboration, technology intervention
(ICT, IoT), big data analytics, training and education, management of crowd funding, proper
planning and assessment, forecasting and locational assessment decisions for effective
logistics are the key for successful humanitarian logistics in disaster relief supply chain.
Therefore, it is very crucial to include all these elements in a framework at different levels as
an important part of humanitarian relief supply chain to manage the emergencies in an
effective and better manner. The framework in this study is developed considering all these
factors for better humanitarian supply chain in India.
IJES

Figure 4.
A framework to
enhance preparedness
and response in
humanitarian logistics
and supply chain

In the framework, at the preparedness and response stage, the various functions are proposed
for NDMA, SDMA and DDMA. 24 h operation centre could be established at all levels to face
the challenges during the disaster and necessary actions can be taken, so the degree of
destruction can be reduced, and more lives can be saved. Disaster’s Management Centre of
Excellence could be established to develop the expertise and essential skills in both logistics
management and disaster management, which can be positioned with the National Disaster
Operations Centre. The national and international experts in logistics and disaster
management would support the centre, design and deliver high-level education
programmes. Like the national structure, State Training Centre can be established and Framework to
positioned with disaster operations centre at the state level to deliver and provide the courses manage
to the local government units, any other private sectors, and NGOs. Such collaborative based
programmes would include courses in humanitarian logistics, relief operations and disaster
humanitarian
management. Velotti and Murphy (2020) also highlighted the significance of collaborative logistics
based learning programmes with a case of Italy. In Italy, collaborative experiences can be
found in committed academics and involved scholarships, and innovative collaboration
experiences among academy and community members. According to Trainor et al. (2018,
p. 166), engaged scholarship or engaged academics is a scholar committed to high academic
standards and “actively works to create useful knowledge and [. . .] connects with real
disaster and emergency management communities and organisations”. “Train the trainer”
concept can be used to organise training for district disaster management teams by the
audience who would be the appropriate individuals, doing the primary operational role at the
state level. Similarly, as at the national and state level, it is recommended that district training
centres be co-located with the district disaster operation centre. Trainers from the state level
would provide training to the district level where the content would have more focus on core
operational logistics to respond to the disaster in their location. Crucial components of the
entire logistics process such as inventory management, warehousing operations,
transportation and distribution, routing problems during disasters, procurement of relief
goods (Aghajani and Torabi, 2019), assessment of the beneficiary needs, and management of
evacuation centres can be included in the same.
For improving the logistical support for preparedness programmes of disaster, national
warehouses could be developed for pre-packaged units of relief goods. It is proposed that
national warehouses be built in strategic locations taking care into account the accessibility
to an airport (domestic and international) within a reasonable flying time, seaports and a good
highway. Such a location is intended to deliver contingency to make sure that the supply can
be continually provided to the disaster-affected area without any interruption. Several
studies (Shavarani, 2019; Shavarani et al., 2017; Chang et al., 2014; Pathirage et al, 2012;
Ukkusuri, 2010; Balcik and Beamon, 2008) in the past also extremely emphasize the
importance of locational assessment for the supplies of crucial items to minimise the delivery
time during the emergency situations. Disaster relief goods including bulk supplies of
standard items (like shelter materials, tarpaulins, blankets and tents) together with sealed
food items that have long shelf-life such as high energy biscuits, and non-food items such as
non-perishable medical and hygiene supplies could be stored in the warehouses. Buffer stock
to replenish the state warehouses would provide by the national warehouses aiding to ensure
the ready accessibility to core stocks and would save the cost and last risky minute of
procuring and transporting into the country. State and district warehouses are also proposed
to be established at a safe distance and strategic locations close to the temptation and
vulnerable area. It can be used to bulk supplies of non-food items to the district warehouses.
The actual number of warehouses and exact locations needs further research considering all
types of disasters (e.g. floods, earthquakes, land sliding and cloudburst), as well as the link of
the road, air and sea to the warehouses. District warehouses would make replenishment of
relief goods from state/national warehouse as required. Direct donations to district
warehouses would be encouraged rather than providing to individual agencies. Behl and
Dutta (2020) also encouraged that the donations and charities should be directly moved to the
actual users rather than the agencies.
An emergency response structure could be created to carry out the early post-disaster
response. As the shortage of trained personnel in the aftermath of the disaster has been found
a major issue in several disaster management cases. The team of highly trained personnel
could be created for a quick response in post-disaster. District emergency response teams
could be established comprising trained volunteers with good knowledge and expertise.
IJES The team should be provided full training in preparedness and response to several
emergencies, including floods, earthquakes, cloudbursts and land sliding with the main
emphasis on the humanitarian logistics linked components. Also, the disaster relief
operations in the past have often relied on pre-trained but co-opted volunteers (Velotti and
Murphy, 2020). The Cajun Navy is an example of spontaneous volunteers in the USA acting
as responders. The Cajun Navy is a group of individuals with boats who provide people with
rescue services in case of flooding. As with the Cajun Navy, other groups, or spontaneous
volunteers in the aftermath of a disaster also provide emergency services and relief. For
example, the “mud army” helped in the clean-up operations in Australia following the 2011
Queensland floods (Rafter, 2013). These all examples show the importance of the local
community and trained individuals at the local level in managing and handling the disaster
relief operations. The team should also be equipped with protective clothing and types of
equipment and with phones which can provide operational information at the headquarters
and which can facilitate emergency call outs and can be co-located with operation centres.
This would improve the communication system in humanitarian logistics and will also help
to coordinate logistics better and more effectively.
The provision of logistics information centres is a basic requirement and proposed for
both response and preparedness stages of disaster management at the national, state and
district levels. It could expedite the exchange of information in an integrated manner, for
instance tracking accessibility of the relief goods in the pipeline, shared needs assessment,
and damage reports. A common humanitarian logistics picture can be developed and
implemented by designing and use of such a system. Such was first endeavoured by the US
forces in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake (Naor et al., 2018; Vohr, 2011).
Today, supply chains are strongly backed by advanced networking technologies such as
tags, sensors, tracks and perhaps other intelligent devices, which collect data in real-time
(Fosso Wamba et al., 2018; Gunasekaran et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2016). This provides end-to-
end supply and demand visibility (Srinivasan and Swink, 2018; Gunasekaran et al., 2017).
Usage of big data and predictive analytics at different phases, as an organisational capability,
may play a vital role in enhancing the visibility and coordination among the various actors in
the humanitarian supply chain. Dubey et al. (2018) also found that big data and predictive
analytics has a substantial impact on transparency and coordination in the disaster relief
supply chain. Therefore, the usage of big data, IoT such as drones and Facebook are very
effective in disaster relief and for communication during and post-disaster phases. The drones
can be used to cover all the demand for relief in a post-disaster period and can be considered
for relief distribution because of its speed and ability for autonomous operation (Shavarani,
2019), whereas Facebook can be used to communicate or share information related to disaster
warning, appeal for rescue, passing information regarding rescue missions with their contact
details, request for financial aids, coordinating aid distribution and also for requesting
support for the clean-up process in the post-disaster phase (Jayasekara, 2019). Deploying
these technologies would enable the smooth functioning of disaster relief operations.
Doppler radar system could be established for the early warning and forecasting of the
floods, heavy rain, etc. so the emergency team could minimise the damage and be prepared to
respond to the disaster. India’s Meteorological Department (IMD) is very critical for
inspection and monitoring. In just a few cases of disaster management, cases of failure from
such a department had also been observed as the pitfall. Many lives can be saved if the early
warning system is working well and forwards the correct information in advance
(Spaceviewtimes, 2013). Moreover, to be effective, the early warning systems, continuous
and collaborative efforts are needed, rather than a one-time action. For example, on-the-
ground high-tech warning systems will not be useful until the authorities, key stakeholders
and communities are trained to act on the information obtained from these facilities
(Jafar, 2018).
 As it is very difficult to ascertain the exact number of people affected by the disaster, the Framework to
Tourist Registration process could be started with the state tourism board or with the Police manage
headquarters at the state or district level, so the database of the tourists can be developed and
the humanitarian logistics operations can be done accordingly during the disaster. It would also
humanitarian
enable to assess the number of people at the disaster place and be easy to give the exact figure of logistics
victims. The role of big data can also be enhanced for this process of collecting large data.
All-weather aircraft could be used for search and rescue operations during a disaster.
During a disaster, the weather climate and conditions are not well and not safe for many
aircraft and quick response is needed aftermath of the disaster.
Close liaison and coordination with the district government, the state government and the
bordering armed forces such as ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police), BRO (Border Road
Organisations) must be maintained, as they play a vital role in rescue and relief operations
and save the lives of thousands of people in the aftermath of every disaster.
Coordination between NDMA, SDFMA and DDMA is very necessary and crucial to
connect and contact with others for the development and implementation of plans. It is
evident from a few cases that the committees do not meet for a long time. In India, few states
have a properly functioning body at the state level to cope with disaster. Also, few states have
set up an SDRF (Spaceviewtimes, 2013). Coordination is highly required especially, in the
Himalayan states because of the frequent land sliding and cloudbursts. Moreover, the setup
of an SDRF is highly essential in these states. Dubey et al. (2019a), Akhtar et al. (2012),
Dolinskaya et al. (2011), Balcik et al. (2010), and Jahre and Jensen (2010) also highlighted that
one of the most critical factors in the achievement of the disaster relief operations is
coordination between humanitarian actors.
Furthermore, distinct stakeholders need to come together to map risks, vulnerabilities and
resources; participate in continuous preparedness actions, such as drills and capacity
building; create and update emergency plans; monitor local resource availability, and act on
warning system indications. While the government is working towards strengthening
disaster preparedness and response systems and mechanisms, civil society has a major role
to play in disaster preparedness at the community level (Jafar, 2018). Allen (2006) also
advocated community-based disaster preparedness to lessen vulnerability. The government
is gradually realizing at all levels that it cannot provide all services and policies on its own
and that it often needs the support of the whole community to be successful. This way of
planning and distributing public assets reflects a paradigm shift in emergency services, and
the broader public sector. For instance, emergency preparedness in the US is now seen as a
mutual responsibility across federal, state, and local government levels and within the
community (Velotti and Murphy, 2020). Examples of this transition are seen in the promotion
of the “Whole Community” approach by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA, 2011) and the newly published “Building Cultures of Preparedness” (FEMA, 2019).
There are strategies for disaster mitigation on paper, but execution remains a major
challenge. Despite the government’s emphasis on a paradigm shift to a preparedness
approach, most parts of the nation continue to follow a disaster management relief-centred
approach, rather than a proactive path of prevention, mitigation and preparation. There is a
need to emphasize on disaster preparedness and prevention nationwide, regardless of
whether a disaster has struck any state or not. India needs to adopt a collaborative approach,
recognizing the roles of government, corporations, academia, civil societies and communities,
and working together to achieve disaster resilience.

6.1 Implications of the study

This study offers guidance to the actors and decision makers involved in the disaster relief
supply chain. Overcoming the issues and challenges and implementing the framework would
IJES strengthen the capability of all the actors involved including the state and local government
as well as local populations to better prepare for and respond to catastrophic incidents in the
future and provide a significantly enhanced logistical response. The proposed framework
offers a great vision of how such a new paradigm could be executed at the state and district
level of India. It is intended to put the preparedness and response skills collectively through
strategic and operational coordination at the executive and district level, respectively. This
study may also provide policymakers and decision-makers, such as disaster management
authorities, and government at various levels/regions an insight while preparing the policies
and making any decisions on disaster preparedness and management, so they can plan and
conduct their pre- and post-disaster operations accordingly. As disaster incidents are
occurring frequently, there is an urgent need for implementing the framework to manage the
disaster effectively and efficiently. As none of the disaster incidents can be stopped from
taking place, but the impact can be minimised by appropriate planning and effective
operations in humanitarian logistics. With this hope, the framework is presented, which if
implemented would help to plan and manage any disaster incident in an effective manner,
which ultimately will save millions of lives. Moreover, this framework would not only be
beneficial for India, but also for other developing nations that are highly exposed to various
catastrophic events.

7. Conclusion
Preparedness and response stage at the state and district level are very important in
dealing with the major disasters. The stage of mitigation and preparedness is very crucial
and the expenditures on these stages are much higher than the recovery and
reconstruction stages. It has been observed that lack of coordination and collaboration
among the humanitarian actors, lack of information sharing, lack of logistics expertise,
lack of forecasting, assessment and planning, poor location decisions, improper need
assessments, and ineffective resource utilisation and mobilisation during emergency are
some of the major issues that hinder the effective management of disaster relief operations
and the humanitarian supply chain. It is also evident from the worldwide practise that
effective early warning systems, better forecasting, proper planning and need
assessment, efficient information sharing, mutual trust, coordination and collaboration
among the humanitarian actors at different levels, well running disaster operation
centres, advanced technology intervention such as ICT, IoT usage for better relief
operations, big data analytics for management of donations, funding, visitors, etc.
training and education on handling disasters incidents, crowd funding and its
management, locational assessment decisions for effective logistics, team formation
and inclusion of local populations are the key for a successful framework of humanitarian
logistics in disaster relief supply chain. Considering all these key elements, a framework is
developed to strengthen the humanitarian supply chain and effectively manage natural
disasters at the level of preparedness and response at the state and district level in India. It
is also noted that the inclusion of local populations may play a major role in disaster relief
operations. Greater involvement of local populations in the preparedness and response to
catastrophic events would lead to better effectiveness and efficiency in the humanitarian
supply chain. The early warning system and its development must be taken seriously as it
is one of the most crucial factors to manage any disaster event. Pre-positioning of the
warehouses, long term supplier relationship, and professional training to tackle the
situation establishing the humanitarian supply chain environment must be planned
strategically. Decentralizing operational decision-making nearer to the disaster-prone site
areas would facilitate more effective and rapid response in humanitarian logistics
operations during any disaster.
7.1 Limitations and future scope of the study Framework to
The present study has some limitations. The paper is limited to a nation and the activities, manage
rules and regulations may vary region wise and country wise. Also, the framework is based
on the conceptual understanding and the secondary sources, which is further limited to the
humanitarian
preparedness and response stage. Consequently, many opportunities are there for further logistics
research. The framework can be further empirically tested with different modelling
techniques with a specific region or a state. The functions for mitigation and reconstruction
phases are not included in the framework as it is more strategic and largely taken care of at a
central strategic level and would be the scope for further research.

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Further reading
Beamon, B.M. and Kotleba, S.A. (2006), “Inventory management support systems for emergency
humanitarian relief operations in South Sudan”, International Journal of Logistics Management,
Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 187-212.

Corresponding author
Saurav Negi can be contacted at: sauravnegi.uim@gmail.com

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