Disaster Management in Delhi: Awareness and Preparedness

Regarding Disasters [Earthquake]among Residents of Delhi

Introduction
Disaster Management Act 2005 defines “disaster” as
“Disaster means a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any
area, arising from natural or manmade causes, or by accident or negligence
which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and
destruction of property, or damage to, or degradation of the environment and is
of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the
community of the affected area.”
Disaster management is a critical aspect of urban governance, especially in
densely populated and vulnerable areas like Delhi, India's capital and one of the
world's most populous cities. Delhi faces a range of potential disasters, including
natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and heatwaves, as well as human-
made disasters like industrial accidents and civil unrest. The burden of natural
disasters falls most heavily upon developing nations where over 95% of disaster-
related deaths occur (IFRC, 2001). Urban areas are especially prone to disasters
affecting millions of people yearly through loss of life, serious injury, loss of
assets, and livelihoods.
Delhi is located in zone IV which has relatively high seismicity where the general
occurrence of earthquakes is of 5-6 magnitude, a few of magnitude 6-7, and
occasionally of 7-8 magnitude. Delhi thus lies among the high-risk areas.

Geological Setting of Delhi

Delhi, the capital of India is bounded by the Indo-Gangetic alluvial plains in the
North and East, by the Thar desert in the West, and by the Aravalli hill ranges in
the South. The terrain of Delhi is flat in general except for a low NNE-SSW
trending ridge which is considered an extension of the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan.
A computer image of the surface topography of Delhi is presented in the figure
below.
Seismicity around Delhi appears to be associated with a major geological
structure, which is known as the Delhi-Hardwar Ridge. It coincides with the
extension of the Aravali Mountain belt beneath the alluvial plains of the Ganga
basin to the northeast of Delhi towards the Himalayan mountain (Jain,1996).

Delhi is prone not only to damaging earthquakes in or near Delhi but due to its
peculiar geological setting, it could also sustain strong shaking due to a large
earthquake in the Himalayas. Unfortunately, most buildings in Delhi may not
meet Indian standards on seismic construction and may be considered deficient
from a seismic safety viewpoint. Thus, there is a real potential for a great
earthquake disaster in Delhi, the implications of which go well beyond casualties
because of its political and commercial significance.

ISSUES
The city's settlement pattern has never been viewed about location and
geological characteristics.
Pockets with high-rise buildings or ill-designed high-risk areas exist without
specific consideration of earthquake resistance. Similarly, unplanned settlements
with substandard structures are also prone to heavy damage even in moderate
shaking.
The Central Business District namely Connaught Place, numerous District
Centres, and sprouting high-rise group housing schemes are high-risk areas due
to the vertical as well as plan configurations. The walled city area, the trans-
Yamuna area, and scattered pockets of unplanned settlements also figure as
high-risk zones due to their substandard structures and high densities.
So far as housing is concerned, vulnerability analysis has never been carried out
and a preliminary estimate of damages is not available for strengthening
structures under regular improvement development schemes.
Infrastructure and other implications
Delhi is currently passing through a major infrastructure development phase
with a large number of bridges, flyovers, and the metro project under
construction. After a severe earthquake, the transport infrastructure is
earthquake-resistant and the old one is seismically retrofitted. Indian seismic
code (IS:1893-1984) is not applicable for major projects that require special
studies on seismic design criteria. Moreover, the Indian seismic codal provisions
on bridges as these exist today are obsolete and inadequate (e.g. Jain and
Murty, 1998).
Earthquake disaster in Delhi has the potential to go well beyond the statistics of
deaths and injuries. Such a disaster in the country's capital, which also happens
to be a major commercial and industrial center, will have huge economic and
political implications that will affect the entire country and not just the
population of Delhi. This adds an extra dimension to the earthquake problem for
Delhi.
ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE
Delhi Disaster Management Authority(DDMA) was constituted on 19.03.2008
under the Chairpersonship of the Hon’ble Lt. Governor of Delhi for an effective
and practicable framework for disaster management in Delhi. The Secretary
(DDMA) / Divisional Commissioner of Delhi is the head of the nodal department
for disaster management in Delhi and he is the Convenor of the DDMA. The
framework created provided for institutional structures for unified command,
control, and coordination, with legal sanctity and the ability to achieve the
disaster management needs of Delhi (systems that define the roles and
responsibilities of each part of government and institutions, techno-legal
regime, awareness generation, capacity building, disaster management plans at
all levels, specialized teams, an Incident Command System, etc.) in the broader
framework of development.
AIM
The primary aim of this study is to ensure that the Administration is prepared to
handle any unprecedented situation that may arise in Delhi. The plan is essential
to institutionalize Disaster Management in Delhi and to deal with future
disasters efficiently and effectively.

OBJECTIVES
The basic objective of the study is to protect all the residents of Delhi and all
property from all sorts of untoward incidents through the following objectives:
 Institutionalization of Disaster Management in Delhi.
 Encouraging a culture of Disaster Preparedness in Delhi.
 Vulnerability Reduction and disaster mitigation through a better planning
process
 Creation of the best government mechanism to handle any unprecedented
events
 Instant response and effective decision-making in disaster.
 Better coordination of relief and rehabilitation after a disaster
 Better coordination of all line departments in Disaster Management
 Encouraging and empowering the local community to own Disaster
Management
 Regular updation of resources available in and around the district.

HYPOTHESIS
There is a significant correlation between the level of disaster preparedness and
the socio-economic status of residents in Delhi, with higher-income individuals
being more prepared.

METHODOLOGY
The study is based on qualitative data with statements from secondary sources
to understand the overall institutional framework with roles and functions of
stakeholders involved in disaster management.

Social & Demographic Profile of Delhi

Delhi is still partly rural. Delhi has 1113 sq. km of urban area and 369 sq. km of
rural area. It has a total of 112 villages (Delhi Statistical Abstract, 2014). In the
1901 Census, more than 48 percent of Delhi's population lived in rural areas
which showed a gradual decline from 43.7 percent in 1911 to 7.3 percent in
1981, though there has been a slight reversal of the trend i.e. 10.07 percent in
1991. According to the Census of India 2011, the population of Delhi is
16,753,235. The corresponding population density was 11,297 persons per km2,
with a sex ratio of 866 women per 1000 men, and a literacy rate of 86.34%. In
2004, the birth rate, death rate, and infant mortality rate per 1000 population
were 20.03, 5.59, and 13.08, respectively. Delhi is one of the fastest-growing
cities in the world. It is the second most populous city in the world after Tokyo.
The population growth of the NCT of Delhi is now showing the tendency of
stabilization. The decadal growth of the population for Delhi has declined from
51.45% in 1981- 91 to 47.02% in 1991-2001 to 20.96 in 2001-2011.
Table

RESULTS
A study carried out by Bikash Chetry et al showed the following
results:
Regarding awareness about the disaster, 61% of the subjects knew
what a is disaster while the rest did not know about the disaster. 78%
of subjects knew about earthquakes but only 69% knew what they had
to do to save their life in case there was an earthquake. 53% knew
about fire as a disaster. The helpline number of PCR and fire brigade
was known to 90% and 67% of study subjects respectively. 70% of
subjects had no idea whom they should call in time of any disaster. The
primary source of information about disasters was Television (28%).
Other sources of information were newspapers and posters. It was
reported that students were taught about disasters and their
preparedness in their schools and colleges.
Attitude
About 84% of the subjects thought that the community was at risk of
disaster. In terms of family and community preparedness, 72% felt
that their family was well prepared to manage disasters but when
asked about the preparedness of the community, only 60% thought
that the community was prepared to face any disaster. When asked
about their perception of major disasters for which a community is
at risk, the majority (53%) answered fire. However, 68% of the
subjects thought that fire could not be prevented.
Preparedness
Most of the respondents (68%) had first-aid kits available in their
houses. 96% of the subjects had no plans for elderly or sick people
during disasters and 88% of them never discussed disaster and its
preparedness with other family members. Most of the houses
observed were at risk of disasters like electricity wires in the house
were open which can catch fire anytime.
ANALYSIS
The study showed that a significant percentage of the subjects knew
about the disasters. Another study carried out by
Kangabam RD et al in Itanagar, India also found that most of the people involved in the
study knew about disasters [2]. 78% of subjects knew about earthquakes but they didn’t
know what they had to do in case of an earthquake. It is especially important in Delhi due to
its proximity to the Northwest Himalayan range which is known to be the most vulnerable
seismic zone for large-magnitude earthquakes [7]. The helpline number for the fire brigade
was known only to 67% of subjects which is very low keeping given the vulnerability of the
houses to fire. A study by Jaslow D et al also found that only 42% of the subjects were
aware of their building fire plan and 40% believed that since they were not at risk of fire,
they need not know how to use it [8]. Although a significant proportion thought that they
were well prepared for disaster their perception cannot be relied upon because it was only
a subjective assessment of their perception not an objective one. A study conducted by
Blessman J et al found that only 15% of participants were prepared and the other 8% were
well prepared for disasters. The principal barrier found was a lack of knowledge about
disasters [9]. Thus the community must be sensitized and well aware of different disasters
so that they can take measures for mitigation. It was found that most of the subjects never
discussed it with their family members about disaster preparedness. This fact is important
because a plan has to be framed beforehand so that each member of the family knows
what they have to do in a disaster.