Professional Documents
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Speech
Speech
As we all know an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 on the Richter scale occurred on 8 October, 2005 at 0920
hours with its epicentre located at Muzaffarabad. Because of its impact, large parts of the State of Jammu &
Kashmir were affected causing loss of lives and extensive damage to property. The earthquake also affected
some parts of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and its impact was felt in most parts of Northern India. The State
of Jammu & Kashmir has been the worst affected. Uri and Tangdhar in Baramulla and Kupwara districts
respectively bore the brunt of the earthquake and reported heavy casualties in terms of human lives and
extensive damage to property. More than 1300 people lost their lives in the State, more than 6000 persons
were injured, and more than 40,000 houses were damaged. The State Governments, Government of India,
Armed Forces and Central Para Military Forces have responded promptly to the situation by providing relief
material for the earthquake affected areas. But let us not forget that it was the local community and the local
administration that provided immediate relief. The State Government of Jammu and Kashmir, our armed
forces, and the voluntary organisations need to be complimented for their efforts, which have won them
international accolades.
Disaster management-the international scenario:
Disasters do not respect national boundaries. Each year there are major natural and man made disasters which
cause heavy loss of human lives and destruction of properties. The international community has also
recognized disaster management as a top priority item. The Yokohama message emanating from the
international decade for natural disaster reduction in May 1994 underlined the need for an emphatic shift in
the strategy for disaster mitigation. It was inter-alia stressed that disaster prevention, mitigation,
preparedness and relief are four elements which contribute to and gain, from the implementation of the
sustainable development policies. These elements along with environmental protection and sustainable
development, are closely inter related. Therefore, nations should incorporate them in their development
plans and ensure efficient follow up measures at the community, sub-regional, regional, national and
international levels. The Yokohama Strategy also emphasized that disaster prevention, mitigation and
preparedness are better than disaster response in achieving the goals and objectives of vulnerability
reduction. Disaster response alone is not sufficient as it yields only temporary results at a very high
cost. Prevention and mitigation contribute to lasting improvement in safety and are essential to integrated
disaster management.
A review of the Yokohama strategy was carried out recently. The review stressed the importance of disaster
risk reduction being underpinned by a more pro-active approach to informing, motivating and involving people
in all aspects of disaster risk reduction in their own local communities. It also highlighted the scarcity of
resources allocated specifically from development budgets for the realization of risk reduction objectives,
either at the national or the regional level or through international cooperation and financial mechanisms.
Specific gaps and challenges are identified in the following five main areas:
(a) Governance: organizational, legal and policy frameworks;
(b) Risk identification, assessment, monitoring and early warning;
(c) Knowledge management and education;
(d) Reducing underlying risk factors;
(e) Preparedness for effective response and recovery.
The following were the important findings of the review:
The Principles contained in the Yokohama Strategy retain their full relevance in the current context, which is
characterized by increasing commitment to disaster reduction;
An integrated, multi-hazard approach to disaster risk reduction should be factored into policies, planning and
programming related to sustainable development, relief, rehabilitation, and recovery activities in post-disaster
and post-conflict situations in disaster-prone countries;
A gender perspective should be integrated into all disaster risk management policies, plans and decisionmaking processes, including those related to risk assessment, early warning, information management, and
education and training;9 Keeping in view the fact that often children and women suffered the most in such
situations.
Cultural diversity, age, and vulnerable groups should be taken into account when planning for disaster risk
reduction, as appropriate; communities and local authorities should be empowered to manage and reduce
disaster risk by having access to the necessary information, resources and authority to implement actions for
disaster risk reduction;
Disaster-prone developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States,
warrant particular attention in view of their higher vulnerability and risk levels, which often greatly exceed
their capacity to respond to and recover from disasters;
There is a need to enhance international and regional cooperation and assistance in the field of disaster risk
reduction.
The promotion of a culture of prevention, including through the mobilization of adequate resources for
disaster risk reduction, is an investment for the future with substantial returns. Risk assessment and early
warning systems are essential investments that protect and save lives, property and livelihoods, contribute to
the sustainability of development, and are far more cost-effective in strengthening coping mechanisms than is
primary reliance on post-disaster response and recovery;
There is also a need for proactive measures, bearing in mind that the phases of relief, rehabilitation and
reconstruction following a disaster are windows of opportunity for the rebuilding of livelihoods and for the
planning and reconstruction of physical and socio-economic structures, in a way that will build community
resilience and reduce vulnerability to future disaster risks;
Disaster risk reduction is a cross-cutting issue in the context of sustainable development and therefore every
effort should be made to use humanitarian assistance in such a way that risks and future vulnerabilities will be
lessened as much as possible.
Drawing on the conclusions of the review of the Yokohama Strategy, and on the basis of deliberations at the
World Conference on Disaster Reduction, in 2005 in Kobe, Hyogo Japan the following action points were
identified.
i.
Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong
institutional basis for implementation.
ii.
Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.
iii.
Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience
at all levels.
iv.
v.
other institutions spread across the country to anticipate the disaster and prevent it from causing huge
damage. The concept is that disaster should be anticipated and preparation to deal with them should be made
before they occur, through well out policies and institutional arrangements. The change in the policy and
approach to natural calamities has necessitated a shift to pre-disaster aspects of mitigation, prevention and
preparedness. In keeping with this shift, new institutional mechanisms are being put in place.. Such Authorities
are to come up at the State and District levels as well. There are provisions in the Act for the constitution of a
National Institute of Disaster Management, the creation of a National Disaster Response Force, National
Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Mitigation Fund.
From our past experiences we have learnt many lessons in disaster management. Some of the problems in the
past have been:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
delegation
v.
Lack of Interface and Coordination with State, District Administration & Community
n Community involvement & awareness generation. Community to be made the first line of defence. Local
Self Governments to play the crucial role.
n
n
Youth Organizations and Student Bodies like NCC/NSS/ Scouts & Guides to be provided training in
Emergency Response and Awareness Generation.
n
Disaster Management to be made an essential component of initial training for Government
functionaries.
n Media professionals to be sensitized and encouraged to integrate Disaster Management components in
different programmes for public awareness.
n
All hazard-prone areas to have community-based disaster preparedness plansDisaster Management
Committees [DMCs], Disaster Management Teams [DMTs] and Volunteer Task Forces [VTFs]
n
Making realistic disaster management plans. Keeping them updated through mock drills.
Protecting the interests of the vulnerable sections. As it is they who suffer the most.
Also, In the upcoming months, the Civil Engineering dept of NIT Trichy will continue with a number of
initiatives such as its public education and community outreach programmes which include interactive
sessions with the private sector, community groups and educational institutions
I hope the conference delivered valuable suggestions, which would inspire to become the recommendations of
the towards mitigating hardships caused by disasters. I thank one and all for making this conference a grand
success.