Whatsapp 88106-52225 For Details
Constitutional Provision - Need for a separate entry
• A new entry, “Management of Disasters and Emergencies, both natural and man-made,” should be incorporated into List III (Concurrent List) under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
The Disaster Management Act, 2005, requires amendments to introduce the following provisions:
• The primary responsibility for disaster and crisis management should remain with the State Governments, while the Union Government should play a supportive role.
• The Act should define a categorization system for disasters, distinguishing them at local, district, state, or national levels.
• The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) should focus on:
• Recommending policies and guidelines for disaster preparedness.
• Establishing standard operating procedures
for various disaster scenarios.
• Conducting vulnerability assessments, research, and evaluation.
• Advising on disaster classification parameters and the declaration of state and national disasters.
• Enhancing expertise and knowledge in crisis management and disseminating it to relevant authorities.
• Organizing training and capacity-building programs for disaster response.
• Coordinating the early warning system and deploying specialized personnel and equipment to assist state and local authorities when necessary.
• Providing guidance on the formation and use of Disaster Management Funds.
•
Offering recommendations on all disaster- related matters to the government.
• The implementation of mitigation, prevention, and response measures should be primarily handled by State Governments, with district and local authorities playing key roles, while central ministries and departments** provide support as required.
• The law should mandate that every public official must promptly report any crisis to the appropriate authority if they believe that the concerned authority is unaware of the situation.
• A uniform crisis management structure** should be established at the highest level, with:
• The Prime Minister heading it at the national level.
• The Chief Minister leading it at the state level.
• The Cabinet Secretary overseeing administration at the national level.
• The Chief Secretary managing it at the state level.
• The law should introduce strict penalties for the misuse of funds allocated for disaster and crisis management.
• Local governments should be given a more prominent role in disaster and crisis management efforts.
• The National Executive Committee (NEC), as outlined in the Disaster Management Act, should not be constituted, and the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) should continue to serve as the highest coordinating body. At the state level, the existing coordination mechanism under the Chief Secretary should remain in place.
• Since several sections of the Disaster Management Act remain unnotified, the suggested amendments should be implemented without delay. Meanwhile, sections that do not require amendments should be immediately notified, ensuring that the law comes into effect as soon as possible.
Coordination at the Apex Operational Level:
• There is no need for a separate ministry/department of disaster management at the national or the state level.
• The NEC as stipulated under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 need not be constituted, and the NCMC can continue to be the apex coordination body. At the state level, the existing coordination mechanism under the Chief Secretary may continue.
• Notwithstanding the establishment of NDRF, the role of the Armed Forces, particularly the Army, in coming to the aid of victims of disasters should be retained and the special capabilities acquired by the Armed Forces in search and rescue and on-the spot medical attention need to be maintained.
Role of Local Self-Governments:
• State governments should consider incorporating provisions in their state disaster management laws and local governance laws to clearly define the responsibilities of municipal bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions in disaster management.
Crisis Management Set Up for Metropolitan Cities:
• In larger cities (say, with population exceeding 2.5 million), the Mayor, assisted by the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation and the Police Commissioner should be directly responsible for Crisis Management.
Creation of Legal and Institutional Framework for Managing Floods in Inter-State Rivers:
• Using powers under Entry 56 in the Union List, a Law may be enacted to set up mechanisms for collection of data, managing flow in rivers and release of water from reservoirs, so as to prevent disasters, with interstate ramifications.
Institutions and Policy Aspects
Empowering the Relief Commissioners/Disaster Management Departments to Effectively Discharge Disaster Related Responsibilities:
• The State Disaster Management organizations need to be strengthened for dealing with crises. This could be achieved in the following manner:
• A framework for some pre-arranged scenarios
– the ‘trigger mechanism’ needs to be well defined to ensure that the ‘framework’ is put in active operation instantaneously.
• The ‘framework’ may consist of officers (designated by name) drawn from Revenue, Police, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Public
Health Engineering, Water Resources, Women & Child Development, Welfare, Public Works, Highways, Irrigation, Health, and Treasury & Accounts Departments. The designated officers
must undergo a week’s orientation every year, though they may continue to discharge their normal departmental responsibilities except when seconded to the nodal point in the manner suggested above.
• The designated officers will work as a cohesive integrated team under one roof on whole- time basis during crisis situations, under the leadership of the nodal officer and be responsible entirely for the functioning of their department insofar as it relates to drought/ disaster management.
• The role and responsibility of each department needs to be specifically identified and defined on the lines the Ministry of Agriculture has specified the responsibilities of various Union Government agencies during severe droughts.
• The designated departmental officer should be delegated powers and responsibilities defined in advance and will deal with other departmental functionaries directly.
Institutional Support from Science and Technology Institutions to Disaster Management:
• The National Disaster Management Authority, with support from NIDM, should establish a shared platform to connect science and technology organizations with technology users. This system should be implemented at both the national and state levels.
Strengthening of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM):
• NIDM may continue as an autonomous body and function as an apex professional institution in disaster management. In addition to research and studies, the institution needs to engage itself in documenting and disseminating global and national best practices and in developing planning, training and evaluation methodologies.
Professionalisation of Disaster Management:
• ‘Disaster Management’ as a body of knowledge should be introduced as a subject in Management and Public Administration in selected Universities.
• The possibility of bilateral agreements with foreign governments and international institutions dealing with different aspects of disaster management, for exchange of experiences and learning from their documentation and research efforts may be explored.
Enunciating a Policy Towards Crisis Management which emphasizes Risk Reduction: There is a need to have a National Policy on Disaster Management.
The policy must address all issues not included in legislations and may, in particular include the following:
• Disaster management should be handled by trained professionals.
• Risk management should be a central focus in all disaster mitigation strategies.
• Disaster management efforts should be guided by hazard and vulnerability assessments.
• Communities and local authorities should be educated about potential hazards and vulnerabilities.
• Communities and local governments should actively participate in the development of disaster management plans.
• The state government should have primary responsibility for disaster management, while the central government provides support.
• Effective implementation of land use laws, building byelaws, safety laws and environmental laws.
• Setting up a framework to coordinate the responses from different sections like donors, voluntary organisations, corporate bodies etc.
• Special needs of women, children, elderly and physically challenged persons to be addressed.
Assessment of Risk - Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis:
• Hazard and vulnerability assessments should be a fundamental part of all disaster mitigation plans.
• Seismic micro-zonation should be prioritized for major cities, high-risk areas, and urban clusters at a scale of 1:1000 in Zones V and IV, with the highest priority given to cities with populations exceeding one million.
• Geographical Information System (GIS) tools should be utilized to integrate spatial data, including topography, hydrology, land use, land cover, settlement patterns, and built
structures, along with non-spatial data such as demographics, socioeconomic conditions, and infrastructure. This data should be combined with satellite imagery, aerospace data, and Geographical Positioning System (GPS) inputs
to enable real-time crisis monitoring and scientific
damage assessment.
• A comprehensive vulnerability assessment should be conducted in all hazard-prone areas, ranking them based on their level of risk. The analysis should also emphasize the vulnerabilities of different societal groups and infrastructure.
Generating Awareness about Risk:
• Awareness generation programmes should be undertaken using tools of social marketing.
• A responsible media, which is also well informed about all aspects of disaster, is a very powerful tool for sensitizing people. Proactive disclosures about all aspects of disaster management would build a healthy relationship between the media and disaster management agencies.
Details of past accidents and disasters and the lessons learnt, should be documented and kept in the public domain. The Disaster Management Authorities have to take up this task
Disaster Management Plans
Preparation of Disaster Management Plans:
• Crisis/disaster management plans as stipulated under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 should be prepared, based on hazard and vulnerability analysis. The offsite emergency plans, in case of industrial hazards, should be integrated into the District Crisis/Disaster Management Plan. The State Disaster Management Authorities should set up a mechanism in place to evaluate these plans periodically, and ensure the effectiveness of the plans.
• The District Disaster Management Plan needs to have two components:
Long Term Mitigation Plan.
Emergency Response Plan.
The Long-Term Mitigation Plan, in turn, should have the following components:
Long Term Development Plan.
Long Term Enforcement Plan.
• The effectiveness of on-site and off-site emergency plans in hazardous industrial units should be improved to ensure they are comprehensive and practical for real-world implementation.
• The plan should be developed in collaboration with all stakeholders, ensuring that each participant understands and accepts their responsibilities. This would require awareness programs, particularly for the local community.
• To enhance the quality of emergency plans for hazardous units, the expertise of professionals in both industries and regulatory bodies, such as Factory Inspectorates, should be strengthened.
• All disaster and crisis management plans should be regularly evaluated through mock drills.
Making Crisis/Disaster Management Plans a Part of Development Plans
Environment for Mitigation of Hazards:
• Environment management should be made an integral part of all development and disaster management plans.
Construction of Disaster Resistant Structures:
• Structural prevention measures should be integrated into the long-term disaster management strategy for a region, incorporating appropriate zoning regulations, building codes, and BIS standards for disaster-resistant structures. These guidelines should be made freely accessible to the public and published on the websites of relevant government agencies to encourage compliance.
• Among the existing buildings, government buildings used by the public should be evaluated and retrofitted first, giving preference to buildings housing essential services. It would be advisable to fix a schedule for all such buildings in hazard prone areas. Private buildings used by the public should also be tackled on priority. A mix of regulatory and financial incentives could be used for this purpose by the local bodies.
• All these measures should become an integral part of long-term disaster/ crisis management plans.
Legal and Other Frameworks
Effective Implementation of Laws and Regulations:
• Effective enforcement of laws on encroachments, public health and safety, industrial safety, fire hazards, safety at public places should be ensured.
• The same applies to Zoning Regulations and Building Byelaws.
• Third party audit of all major alleged violations needs to be introduced in the respective regulation governing the activity.
• Transparency in permissions/licenses should be brought in the public domain suo motu.
• There should be periodic inspections of all such places/facilities by a team of stakeholders assisted by experts.
• A scheme for enforcement of laws should be part of the long term mitigation plan.
• Public education on consequences of violations is important.
Early Warning Systems:
• Disseminate the warning with peoples’ participation through community leaders, NGOs and others with training and be prepared for their respective roles.
• Communications networks, with sufficient redundancies should be established between the data collection point to the points where hazard is likely to occur.
• The early warning system should be evaluated after each disaster to carry out further improvements.
Building Community Resilience:
• Crisis management awareness and training
needs to be mainstreamed in education and at local levels.
• Orientation and sensitization programmes highlighting issues and concerns in disaster management should be taken up for legislators, policy makers, and elected leaders of urban local bodies and panchayati raj institutions.
Financial Tools for Risk-Reduction
Research and Use of Knowledge
Emergency Plan:
• The District Emergency Response Plan should be prepared in consultation with all concerned. apart of the District Disaster Management Plan, with Standard operating procedures.
• Unity of command should be the underlying principle for effective rescue operations. For example, in a district, all agencies of Union and State Government have to work under the leadership of the Collector. Such unity of command principle should pervade at all field levels.
Relief and Rehabilitation
Coordinating Relief:
• Efficient coordination at the district and sub- district levels is crucial for effective rescue and relief operations, ensuring proper distribution of aid. During such operations, a unified command structure should be maintained, with the Collector having overall authority.
• To prevent discrepancies between demand and supply, immediate assessment of requirements should be conducted and communicated to all relevant stakeholders, including through the media, to ensure that relief materials are provided according to actual needs.
• Providing access to safe drinking water and maintaining hygienic living conditions should be given equal priority alongside other essential livelihood needs.
• The procurement and distribution of relief supplies should be carried out in a transparent and accountable manner.
• Monitoring and vigilance committees, involving key stakeholders, should be established to oversee operations and address grievances.
• Trauma care and psychological counseling should be integrated into the overall relief efforts.
• There is an urgent need to develop objective and standardized methods for assessing the extent of damage.
Civil Defence:
• Civil Defence should be established in all districts that are susceptible not only to hostile threats but also to natural disasters. Community participation should be encouraged, particularly in urban areas, with Civil Defence serving as the primary mechanism for engagement.
• Budgetary allocations should be significantly increased.
• Civil Defence organizations at all levels should be
allowed to receive donations
• The state-level Civil Defence structure should be integrated under the Crisis and Disaster Management framework.
Police, Home Guards and Fire Services:
• Police personnel, firefighters, and Home Guards should receive proper training.
• Only individuals with specialized knowledge in crisis and disaster management should be appointed to senior positions in the Fire and Rescue Services.
• The Fire and Rescue Services should be integrated into the State Crisis and Disaster Management framework under the Disaster Management Law.
Setting-upIntegrated Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)
Organising Emergency Medical Relief:
• A structured system for handling medical emergencies needs to be established.
• To ensure accessibility, a uniform telephone number should be implemented nationwide.
• This framework also includes the participation of private hospitals, with the responsibilities of different stakeholders clearly defined through legislation.
Relief and Rehabilitation:
• A comprehensive damage assessment should be conducted by multi-disciplinary teams in a transparent and participatory manner, following the guidelines set by the NDMA, with active involvement from NGOs.
• The recovery strategy should be formulated in collaboration with affected communities, relevant agencies, and organizations. It should comprehensively address all aspects of rehabilitation, including social, economic, and psychological support.
• Minimum standards for relief must be established, with special emphasis on addressing the needs of vulnerable populations.
•
The responsibility for rehabilitation should be ensured through village panchayats and local governing bodies.
• Continuous monitoring and prompt financial audits should be undertaken to prevent any misuse of funds.
• Risk reduction measures should be integrated into recovery plans, and land-use policies ensuring the safety of residents should be implemented during reconstruction.
• All new civil infrastructure projects must be designed and constructed to be disaster-resistant, adhering to prescribed safety standards.
• A grievance redressal mechanism should be set up at both the local and district levels to address concerns effectively.
Financial Management
Revisiting the Financial Procedures:
• The National Disaster Mitigation Fund and the National Disaster Response Fund should be made operational alongside the CRF and NCCF for the time being.
• The CRF and NCCF will be discontinued after the completion of the Twelfth Finance Commission’s award period.
• The NDMA may propose to the Government of India the amount, eligibility criteria, and conditions for providing assistance.
• A system of compiling accounts be established with full transparency.
Gender Issues and Vulnerability of Weaker Sections:
• Rescue and relief operations should prioritize the most vulnerable populations, including women, children, the elderly, and individuals with physical disabilities.
• Special care must be provided for their physical and mental well-being through healthcare services and counseling support.
• During the recovery phase, efforts should be directed toward empowering women economically by creating income-generating opportunities, offering skill development training, promoting self-help groups, and facilitating access to microfinance and marketing resources.
• Ownership of newly created assets should be jointly registered in the names of both husband and wife.
• Long-term arrangements must be established for orphaned children, with NGOs encouraged to take an active role in their rehabilitation and well-being.
Drought Management
A National Institute of Drought Management may be set up
a) for networking on multi-disciplinary, cross- sectoral research on various aspects of drought without duplicating the efforts of the National Institute of Disaster Management.
Livelihood Management in Extremely Drought Prone Areas:
The Ministry of Environment and Forests should promptly establish a multi-disciplinary team to identify villages where soil and climatic conditions render conventional agriculture unviable.
In these areas, alternative livelihood options should be developed in collaboration with local communities.
Codifications of Management Methodologies
Rationalization of Drought Declarations:
Where a certain percentage (say, twenty per cent) of area normally cultivated remains unsown till the end of July or December for Kharif and Rabi respectively, the affected Tehsil/Taluka/ Mandal could be declared drought affected by the government.
To begin with, ‘eye estimates’ could be used. Such estimates may be verified with reference to remote sensing data as access to such facilities improves progressively. The ultimate objective should be to use remote sensing as the primary tool of early detection of droughts with ‘eye estimates’ remaining only as ‘secondary verifying methods’.
Deployment of Remote Sensing for Diagnosis and Prognosis of Drought Situations:
Making Rivers Perennial:
• Technical agencies under the Ministries of Water Resources, Environment and Forests and Science and Technology must immediately carry out river specific feasibility studies to determine the ecological and hydrological implications of making seasonal rivers perennial.
Rainfed Areas Authority:
• A National Rainfed Areas Authority may be constituted immediately. The Authority can deal inter alia, with all the issues of drought management mentioned in this chapter.
Epidemic Management
Epidemics:
A thoroughly updated ‘model’ public health legislation should be finalized, incorporating necessary adaptations based on local requirements.
Standard Operating Procedures should be established to define the roles and responsibilities of agencies and personnel beyond the regular organizational framework when required.
State-level handbooks and manuals should be developed to ensure uniformity in response mechanisms.
Disruption of Essential Services:
All crisis and disaster management plans must incorporate strategies for managing potential disruptions in essential services.
Every agency and organization responsible for providing essential services should develop internal crisis management plans to effectively respond to emergencies.
Regulatory authorities in each sector should establish a framework for formulating standard operating procedures and crisis management plans.