DISASTER MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES- WHEN THE EARTH CAVES IN AND THE FLAMES TAKE CHARGE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES- WHEN THE EARTH CAVES IN AND THE FLAMES TAKE CHARGE

Joshimath is coming apart and fast, and now some parts of Varanasi too seem to have become disaster prone as well.

Varanasi Ganga Ghats are under threat due to change in river course, tectonic activities, says a report. Sinking ghats along the banks of the holy city of Benares have been posing a risk. Scientists in their research findings predicted impending danger to buildings along the Varanasi Ganga Ghats.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the development of an advance warning system to mitigate disasters and improve the response capacity system. The decision of the chief minister will go a long way in identifying the areas more prone to earthquakes and also help prepare a detailed report of landslides and sinking zones, a government spokesperson said.

Being a vast country with diverse terrains, India can have its own disaster management model that others can emulate, according to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia.

What is to be understood is that Disaster Management cannot be a uniform concept or work on templates beyond a point. This makes it a tough ask indeed. The face of disaster can change from Joshimath to Jalgaon. Natural disasters like earthquakes and landslide are putting one part at risk while ghettos with age old worn-out electrical wires are fire hazard perpetually.

Hospitals without working condition Fire safety tools or Emergency lights and proper prescribed signage support are death chambers by themselves. Here, people are often ill and indisposed who cannot evacuate without help if a fire breaks out.

In recent times, India has seen many hospital/nursing home fires in quick succession across the country and many have fallen prey.

Add to all this extreme weather conditions, abnormal and unexpected due to climate change, a Disaster Managers job is all the more tough and thankless too.

WHEN THE EARTH CAVES IN AND THE FLAMES TAKE CHARGE, A MINISCULE WORRY SUDDENLY BECOMES LARGE