Awareness of Disaster Management

Introduction
A disaster interrupts the functioning of a society.
Disasters have many forms from natural to human
intervention induced. Natural disaster includes
earthquake, landslide, hurricane, tornado, eruptions of
volcanoes, fires / wild fire, flood and cyclones, etc.
Human induced disasters include wars, deforestation,
unplanned growth or constructions and other actions
affecting life. A disaster affects natural life adversely by
killing thousands of people and other lives. It also
destroys a wide range of habitat and property. Chances of natural disasters are more in highly
populated areas and environment get negative impacts by increased population density.
Disaster prone areas become even more vulnerable to disasters by increased human
interventions and less precautions for disaster management.
Disasters to be managed can be of various types like

Earthquake, volcano eruptions and land slides are of geophysical origin.

Flood, wild fire, cyclone, tornado, drought and locust are of climatic origin.

Disaster management deals with preparing for these disasters and trying to stop these disasters
to occur. It might not sound feasible to control nature to prevent occurrence of natural
disasters but steps could be undertaken to reduce the effects of these disasters by formulating
proper disaster management programme and reduce its affect on humans, other living things,
property and economy as a whole.
A disaster is a natural or man-made (or technological) hazard resulting in an event of
substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic
1

change to the environment. A disaster can be ostensively defined as any tragic event stemming
from events such as earthquakes, floods, catastrophic accidents, fires, orexplosions. It is a
phenomenon that can cause damage to life and property and destroy the economic, social and
cultural life of people.
In contemporary academia, disasters are seen as the consequence of inappropriatelymanaged
risk. These risks are the product of a combination of both hazard/s and vulnerability. Hazards
that strike in areas with low vulnerability will never become disasters, as is the case in
uninhabited regions.
Developing countries suffer the greatest costs when a disaster hits more than 95 percent of
all deaths caused by disasters occur in developing countries, and losses due to natural
disasters are 20 times greater (as a percentage of GDP) in developing countries than in
industrialized countries.
Etymology
The word disaster is derived from Middle French dsastre and that from Old Italian disastro,
which in turn comes from the Greekpejorative prefix -, (dus-) "bad" + (aster),
"star". The root of the word disaster ("bad star" in Greek) comes from anastrological theme in
which the ancients used to refer to the destruction or deconstruction of a star as a disaster or a
calamity blamed on an unfavorable position of a planet.

Classifications
Researchers have been studying disasters for more than a century, and for more than forty
years disaster research. The studies reflect a common opinion when they argue that all
disasters can be seen as being human-made, their reasoning being that human actions before
the strike of the hazard can prevent it developing into a disaster. All disasters are hence the
result of human failure to introduce appropriate disaster management measures. Hazards are
routinely divided into natural or human-made, although complex disasters, where there is no
single root cause, are more common in developing countries. A specific disaster may spawn a
secondary disaster that increases the impact. A classic example is an earthquake that causes
a tsunami, resulting in coastal flooding.
Natural disaster
A natural disaster is a consequence when a natural hazard affects humans and/or the built
environment. Human vulnerability, and lack of appropriate emergency management, leads to
financial, environmental, or human impact. The resulting loss depends on the capacity of the
population to support or resist the disaster: their resilience. This understanding is concentrated
in the formulation: "disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability". A natural hazard will
hence never result in a natural disaster in areas without vulnerability.

Various phenomena like earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, floods and cyclones are
all natural hazards that kill thousands of people and destroy billions of dollars of habitat and
property each year. However, natural hazards can strike in unpopulated areas and never
develop into disasters. However, the rapid growth of the world's population and its increased
concentration often in hazardous environments has escalated both the frequency and severity
of natural disasters. With the tropical climate and unstable land forms, coupled with
deforestation, unplanned growth proliferation, non-engineered constructions which make the
disaster-prone areas more vulnerable, tardy communication, poor or no budgetary allocation
for disaster prevention, developing countries suffer more or less chronically by natural
disasters. Asia tops the list of casualties due to natural disasters.

Man-made disasters
Man-made disasters are the consequence of technological or human hazards. Examples
include stampedes, fires, transport accidents, industrial accidents, oil spills and nuclear
explosions/radiation. War and deliberate attacks may also be put in this category. As with
natural hazards, man-made hazards are events that have not happened, for instance terrorism.
Man-made disasters are examples of specific cases where man-made hazards have become
reality in an event.

Generating Awareness On Disaster Management

Waste hierarchy
The waste hierarchy refers to the 3Rs of reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify waste
management strategies according to their desirability. The 3Rs are meant to be a hierarchy, in
order of importance. However in Europe the waste hierarchy has 5 steps: reduce, reuse,
recycle, recovery and disposal.
The waste hierarchy has taken many forms over the past decade, but the basic concept has
remained the cornerstone of most waste minimisation strategies. The aim of the waste

hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and to generate the
minimum amount of waste.
Some waste management experts have recently incorporated a 'fourth R': "Re-think", with the
implied meaning that the present system may have fundamental flaws, and that a thoroughly
effective system of waste management may need an entirely new way of looking at
waste. Source reduction involves efforts to reduce hazardous waste and other materials by
modifying industrial production. Source reduction methods involve changes in manufacturing
technology, raw material inputs, and product formulation. At times, the term "pollution
prevention" may refer to source reduction.
Another method of source reduction is to increase incentives for recycling. Many
communities in the United States are implementing variable rate pricing for waste disposal
(also known as Pay As You Throw - PAYT) which has been effective in reducing the size of
the municipal waste stream.
Source reduction is typically measured by efficiencies and cutbacks in waste. Toxics use
reductionis a more controversial approach to source reduction that targets and measures
reductions in the upstream use of toxic materials. Toxics use reduction emphasizes the more
preventive aspects of source reduction but, due to its emphasis on toxic chemical inputs, has
been opposed more vigorously by chemical manufacturers. Toxics use reduction programs
have been set up by legislation in some states, e.g., Massachusetts, New Jersey and Oregon.
Rethinking Waste
The 3Rs are categories at the top of our disposal options. They include a variety of initiatives
for disposing of discards. Generally, options lowest on the list are least desirable.
Reduce - to buy less and use less. Incorporates common sense ideas like turning off the lights,
rain barrels, and taking shorter showers, but also plays a part in Composting/Grasscycling
(transportation energy is reduced), low-flow toilets, and programmable thermostats. Includes
the terms Re-think, Precycle, Carpool, Efficient, and Environmental Footprint.

Reuse - elements of the discarded item are used again. Initiatives include Hand-Me-Downs,
Garage Sales, Quilting, Travel Mugs, and Composting (nutrients). Includes the terms
Laundry, Repair, Regift, and Upcycle.
Recycle - discards are separated into materials that may be incorporated into new products.
This is different from Reuse in that energy is used to change the physical properties of the
material. Initiatives include Composting, Beverage Container Deposits and buying products
with a high content of post-consumer material.
Generate - capturing useful material for waste to energy programs. Includes Methane
Collection, Gasification and Digestion, and the term Recover.
Incinerate - high temperature destruction of material. Differs from Gasification in that
oxygen is used; differs from burning in that high temperatures consume material efficiently
and emissions are controlled.
Devastate - to discard into the natural environment, or to "trash" the planet. Includes Litter,
Burn Barrels, Unnecessary Vehicle Idling, and Dumping discards onto land or into water.
Incentives for 3R
The 3Rs of reduce, reuse and recycle have been considered to be a cornerstone of
ecological awareness and a way or promoting environmental balance through conscious
behaviour and choices. It is generally accepted that these patterns of behaviour and consumer
choices will lead to savings in materials and energy which will benefit the environment. In
this context it may be enquired whether certain economic instruments may be considered to
further strengthen these behaviours and choices.
In this context it may be enquired whether certain economic instruments may be considered to
further strengthen these behaviours and choices. An example may be to reduce the sales tax or
value added tax on goods that are made by recycling used materials, such as paper, plastics,
glass, metals. Another example may be to reduce sales tax or value added tax on second-hand
goods, which may include books, clothes, house-hold gadgets, bicycles, cars and automobiles,
7

office equipment, medical and scientific equipment, telecommunication equipment,

agricultural equipment, industrial and manufacturing equipment, boats, ships, trains and
trams, aeroplanes, oil rigs, and so forth.
An additional approach may be to reduce the interest rates on the financial loans, which
companies avail of, for their commercial activities in the recycling of used material and
equipments.
It is plausible that this may have a significant impact on consumer behaviour, and may
strengthen those sections of the economy and trade that are associated with such goods and
services. Additionally, this would be consistent with supporting consumer behaviour and
choices that are beneficial for the environment and for the economy.

Theory X and theory Y

Theory X and Theory Y are theories of human motivation created and developed by Douglas
McGregor at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the 1960s that have been used
8

in human resource management, organizational behavior, organizational

communicationand organizational development. They describe two very different attitudes
toward workforce motivation. McGregor felt that companies followed either one or the other
approach. He also thought that the key to connecting self-actualization with work is
determined by the managerial trust of subordinates.
Theory X
In this theory, which has been proven counter-effective in most modern practice, management
assumes employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work if they can and that they
inherently dislike work. As a result of this, management believes that workers need to be
closely supervised and comprehensive systems of controls developed. A hierarchical structure
is needed with narrow span of control at each and every level. According to this theory,
employees will show little ambition without an enticing incentive program and will avoid
responsibility whenever they can. According to Michael J. Papa (Ph.D., Temple University;
M.A., Central Michigan University; B.A., St. Johns University), if the organizational
goals are to be met, theory X managers rely heavily on threat and coercion to gain their
employee's compliance. Beliefs of this theory lead to mistrust, highly restrictive supervision,
and a punitive atmosphere. The Theory X manager tends to believe that everything must end
in blaming someone. He or she thinks all prospective employees are only out for themselves.
Usually these managers feel the sole purpose of the employee's interest in the job is money.
They will blame the person first in most situations, without questioning whether it may be the
system, policy, or lack of training that deserves the blame. A Theory X manager believes that
his or her employees do not really want to work, that they would rather avoid responsibility
and that it is the manager's job to structure the work and energize the employee. One major
flaw of this management style is it is much more likely to cause Diseconomies of Scale in
large businesses.
Theory Y
In this theory, management assumes employees may be ambitious and self-motivated and
exercise self-control. It is believed that employees enjoy their mental and physical work
9

duties. According to Papa, to them work is as natural as play . They possess the ability for
creative problem solving, but their talents are underused in most organizations. Given the
proper conditions, theory Y managers believe that employees will learn to seek out and accept
responsibility and to exercise self-control and self-direction in accomplishing objectives to
which they are committed. A Theory Y manager believes that, given the right conditions, most
people will want to do well at work. They believe that the satisfaction of doing a good job is a
strong motivation. Many people interpret Theory Y as a positive set of beliefs about workers.
A close reading of The Human Side of Enterprise reveals that McGregor simply argues for
managers to be open to a more positive view of workers and the possibilities that this creates.
He thinks that Theory Y managers are more likely than Theory X managers to develop the
climate of trust with employees that is required for human resource development. It's here
through human resource development that is a crucial aspect of any organization. This would
include managers communicating openly with subordinates, minimizing the difference
between superior-subordinate relationships, creating a comfortable environment in which
subordinates can develop and use their abilities. This climate would include the sharing of
decision making so that subordinates have say in decisions that influence them. This theory is
a positive view to the employees, meaning that the employer is under a lot less pressure than
someone who is influenced by a theory X management style.
Theory X and Theory Y combined
For McGregor, Theory X and Y are not different ends of the same continuum. Rather they are
two different continua in themselves. Thus, if managers need to apply Theory Y principles,
that does not preclude them from being a part of Theory X & Y.

McGregor and Maslow's hierarchy

McGregor's work was based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. He grouped Maslow's hierarchy
into "lower order" (Theory X) needs and "higher order" (Theory Y) needs. He suggested that
10

management could use either set of needs to motivate employees. As management theorists
became familiar with Maslow's work, they soon realized the possibility of connecting higher
level needs to worker motivation. If organizational goals and individual needs could be
integrated so that people would acquire self-esteem and, ultimately, self-actualization through
work, then motivation would be self-sustaining. Today, his Theory Y principle influences the
design of personnel policies, affects the way companies conduct performance reviews, and
shapes the idea of pay for performance. According to the Douglas McGregor: Theory X and
Theory Y article, "He is the reason we use the term 'human resources' instead of personnel
department" says Brzezinski. "The idea that people are assets was unheard of before
McGregor."
Criticisms
Today the theories are seldom used explicitly, largely because the insights they provided have
influenced and been incorporated by further generations of management theorists and
practitioners. More commonly, workplaces are described as "hard" versus "soft." Taken too
literally any such dichotomy including Theory X and Y seem to represent unrealistic
extremes. Most employees (and managers) fall somewhere in between these poles. Naturally,
McGregor was well aware of the heuristic as opposed to literal way in which such distinctions
are useful. Theory X and Theory Y are still important terms in the field of management and
motivation. Recent studies have questioned the rigidity of the model, but McGregor's X-Y
Theory remains a guiding principle of positive approaches to management, toorganizational
development, and to improving organizational culture.
Green waste
Green waste is biodegradable waste that can be composed of garden or park waste, such
as grass or flower cuttings and hedgetrimmings, as well as domestic and commercial food
waste. The differentiation green identifies it as high in nitrogen, as opposed tobrown waste,
which is primarily carbonaceous.
Green waste is often collected in municipalcurbside collection schemes or through
private waste management contractor businesses and subject to independent audit.
11

Biodegradable
The word "compost" it simply means the decomposition of biodegradable materials. In
agriculture,particularly organic farming, farmers utilize their green waste for composting
whereby they use as manure for their crop.There are different types of composting, which
includes aerobic composting, vermi-cpmpost and heap compost.In Bhutan most of the farmers
prefer heap compost which doesn't cost much for the preparation as it can be easily made with
locally available material.However with the increase of the population, the generation of
waste had been very high and there is high risk of pollution and harmful effect to human
being and environment.Therefore in order to utilize the agriculture waste, National Organic
program had started a project with collaboration with Thimphu city corporation to utilize the
green waste generated from centenary farmer's market.The management of the waste from the
new Centennial Farmers Market has been an essential component of the Market facilities
utilization for the MOA and Thimphu City Corporation. It is clear that the management of
waste from the city is a problem that all should be concerned about and TCC alone cannot
solve the problem. All citizens could help by being a little more caring and responsible in their
disposal of wastes. However, the limitation of the TCC facilities in collection of wastes from
various locations and appropriate management of the collected waste is a constraint in
efficient collection and proper disposal. Due to these difficulties coupled with poor awareness
and civic sense of the citizens, TCCs service although far reaching needs assistance from
other fronts.A huge composting facility was constructed with DANIDA funds and completed
in 2004, The facilities include a shed for sorting of wastes which is connected to a chute to
pass the waste to the composting structure where a shredder is located at the entrance which
leads to composting cubicles which are equipped with aeration facilities with blowers. A
control room has the engines that control the operations such as sensing temperatures.The
National Organic Programme of DOA, MOA and Thimphu City Corporation made the first
heap of compost from the fruit and vegetable wastes collected from the Centennial
Farmers Market in an effort to take responsibility of the waste generated from
agriculture.
On the 25th May, 09 a awareness programme was conducted by the NOP for over 150
vendors and retailers at the CFM while awareness infomercial was aired on BBS and banners
12

hung around the market to remind buyers and sellers alike to share in the waste segregation by
sorting at source. Separate stickers for fruit and vegetable wastes, and for plastics and others
were provided to be stuck on each bin all provided by MOA through DNRM project.
With the TCCs help in collection and transport of the biodegradable wastes to the
composting site at Serbithang, National Organic Programme started making compost heaps
which will be now carried out continuously to manage all the fruit and vegetable wastes
generated from the CFM. The techniques used here is the low tech aerobic composting that
seals in the heat and moisture and prevents foul odour around the heap. The compost is ready
to be sold in the market and it is looked after by the TCC.
Biofuels
Biogas captured from biodegrable green waste can be use as biofuel.
Also green waste can be used as non food crop to produce cellulosic ethanol.

13

Alternative Terminology
In some agencies, Code 3 is also called a Hot Response. Code 1 is also called a Cold
Response.
Some slang may be used, such as "Running Hot", or "Running Cold".
Some departments may use the terms upgrade, and downgrade as well. If a unit is responding
to a call with out lights or sirens (code 1), and the unit later needs to turn on lights and sirens
(code 3), the term upgrade may be used. The term downgrade may be used in the opposite
situation.
Some Paramedic/EMS agencies use Priority terms, which run in the opposite of code
responses.

Priority 1 - Critical

Priority 2 - Emergency

Priority 3 - Non-Emergency

Other Countries
UNITED KINGDOM
The use of lights and sirens is up to the individual police officer driving to the call. The nature
of the call is an aggravating factor when deciding when to use them. Calls are graded by
either the control room direct (in the case of emergency calls) or by some sort of first contact
centre (non emergency calls). Grading is effected by such factors as the use, or threat of
violence at the incident being reported. Even though the grading is done by the control room,
officers can request an incident be upgraded if they feel in their judgement they are needed
immediately. They can also request to downgrade an incident if they feel they cannot justify
using emergency warning equipment to get there. If a control room does not grade a call an

14

emergency and refuse to upgrade it, the police responding to the call can still use emergency
equipment if they deem it appropriate.
London
There is also a grading system related to new computer systems coming online with several
police forces across the country:
AUSTRALIA
Victoria
Ambulance Victoria The information provided to Ambulance Victoria at the time of the triple
zero call generates a case type and ambulance response code depending on the severity of the
emergency.
There are three types of ambulance response:
Code 1: A time critical case with a lights and sirens ambulance response. An example is a
cardiac arrest or serious traffic accident.
Code 2: An acute but non-time critical response. The ambulance does not use lights and
sirens to respond. An example of this response code is a broken leg.
Code 3: A non-urgent routine case. These include cases such as a person with ongoing back
pain but no recent injury.
Please note additional codes are used, but these are for internal purposes.
Country Fire Authority There are two types of response for the Country Fire Authority which
cover the outer Melbourne Area. These are similar to those used by Ambulance Victoria,
minus the use of Code 2.
Code 1: A time critical event with response requiring lights and siren. This usually is a known
and going fire or a rescue incident.
15

Code 2: Unused within the Country Fire Authority

Code 3: Non-urgent event, such as a previously extinguished fire or community service cases
(such as animal rescue or changing of smoke alarm batteries for the elderly).
New South Wales
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service uses two levels of response, depending on what the
call-out is and what has been directed of the crew attending the incident by orders of the duty
officer:
Proceed: To drive to an incident, without displaying lights and/or sirens and to obey all road
rules.
Respond: To drive to an incident, urgently but safely, whilst displaying lights and/or sirens.
Some exemptions exist for emergency drivers (for example: proceeding through a red
light after stopping and when safe) though all road rules still must be obeyed. The siren can be
switched off at the discretion of the driver when it is not needed (for example, when the road
ahead is clear of traffic and easily visible) and reactivated at possible traffic hazards.
Possible shift to plain language
In the U.S. the National Incident Management System (NIMS) states "it is required that plain
language be used for multi-agency, multi-jurisdiction and multi-discipline events, such as
major disasters and exercises" and federal grants became contingent on this beginning fiscal
year 2006. NIMS also strongly encourages the use of plain language for internal use within a
single agency.

Open Source Zenoss 3.0 Simplifies IT Infrastructure Monitoring, Adds Automation

and Virtualization Management Capabilities
With 1.5 million downloads and driven by the community, Zenoss Core 3.0 includes new
features and functionality to give holistic view of physical and virtual IT assets Austin, TX
16

July 20, 2010 Zenoss Inc., the corporate sponsor of Zenoss Core, today announced the general
availability of Zenoss Core 3.0 under the GNU General Public License (V2). Fueled by the
85,000-member Zenoss community, the newest release features an updated user interface to
improve usability giving users a complete view of all IT infrastructure physical, virtual and
cloud computing. Beyond its new functional capabilities, Zenoss Core has been integrated
with multiple open source IT automation projects, providing a framework for improved
functionality and enabling better prevention of service failures. Since the last Zenoss Core
release in November 2009, the community has added more than 100 new and updated
management extensions to the project (called ZenPacks). Whats New in Zenoss Core 3.0
Simplified Interface. Based on feedback from thousands of users, Zenoss Core 3.0 includes an
easy to navigate interface that allows for a better experience using and configuring Zenoss.
Users now can more easily filter network monitoring data and organize their dashboards
through a more efficient layout to help surface critical information for managing their
physical and virtual infrastructure. Virtualization Monitoring Framework. The Zenoss
Community has developed extensions to expand monitoring for numerous virtualization
technologies: VMware ESX, VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Xen, and libvirt. Deep
monitoring for Amazon Web Services (EC2). Zenoss Core can be extended to collect
information for these objects monitored through Amazons CloudWatch APIs. As a result of
the Zenoss in the Clouds community initiative, Zenoss Core can also be extended to monitor
Google App Engine, Redis NoSQL databases, Ganglia-managed distributed computing
systems and events from the Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP), which is
frequently used in enterprise business and cloud environments. Integration with Configuration
Management and Automation Tools. The Zenoss Community has developed integration with
popular open source management tools Puppet and Cfengine to enable interoperability
between tools and provide automated disaster recovery and prevention. Highlights of new
community ZenPacks compatible with Zenoss Core 3.0 include: Event Histograms aggregate
network errors and provide graphs to visually display where faults and failures are in the
network, when alerts are peaking, and what type of errors are being generated. HP EVA
Monitor provides comprehensive monitoring and a graphical representation of storage,
updating graphics based on events. MySQL SSH Monitor provides identical monitoring to the
Zenoss Core MySQL Monitor without requiring remote access. Opengear wrote ZenPacks,
17

extending Zenoss open source management tools to monitor performance of its advanced
console server solutions and the target equipment attached. Additional highlights: Oracle
Database, Memcached, Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ), Collector Tool, and Nginx.
Supporting Quotes In addition to adding features and enhancements to its paid version,
Zenoss Enterprise 3.0, Zenoss is making its free, community version Zenoss Core 3.0 more
complete and capable thanks to both its own development and community development of
enhancements and improvements in ZenPacks, said Jay Lyman, enterprise software analyst
for The 451 Group. The company is also playing a role in making open source systems
management software easier to set up and deploy across physical, cloud or virtual
environments and resources a key flexibility customers are demanding. This release is a
testament to how a community of users can drive requirements and extend open source
software. Their feedback was the basis for the extensive interface enhancements, while our
large community of systems management experts broadened the scope of our monitoring
capabilities, said Mark Hinkle, VP Community at Zenoss. Beyond that this release entails
significant integrations between other open source systems management tools enabling users
in our and other communities to make monitoring data actionable and provide automation for
the higher levels of service assurance. The Zenoss 3.0 release can be downloaded from the
Zenoss Community website at: http://community.zenoss.org/community/download. About
Zenoss Core Zenoss Core is an award winning open source network monitoring and systems
management project that delivers the functionality to effectively manage the configuration,
health and performance of networks, servers and applications through a single, integrated
software package. The Zenoss Community is comprised of over 85,000 active members who
are instrumental in evolving the solution as well as providing timely support and help for all
questions. One of the most active projects on SourceForge, Zenoss Core has been downloaded
over one million times and is being used by companies in over 180 countries. The Zenoss
Core project is sponsored by Zenoss Inc., a commercial open source independent software
vendor. For more information on Zenoss Core, visit http://community.zenoss.org. About
Zenoss Inc. Zenoss is the leading provider of Dynamic Service Assurance to the next
generation datacenter. Zenoss Enterprise is a purpose-built Dynamic Service Assurance
product that assures IT service delivery to applications, business services and real-time
physical, virtual and cloud-based infrastructures. With a community of over 85,000 users,
18

Zenoss products monitor over one million network and server devices daily and have been
used in over 25,000 organizations in 180 countries around the world. Commercial customers
include leading companies such as Rackspace, VMware, LinkedIn, Carlson, Motorola and
Deutsche Bank. To learn more about Zenoss award-winning IT operations management
software
Prevention of natural disaster is a next to impossible task but human imposed disasters are
controllable. But reduction in damages caused by natural disaster should always be sought for.
And it could be done by undertaking some disaster mitigation strategies like follows:

Early warning strategies should be developed to alarm the people around to get ready
for some expected disaster.

Preparation and implementation of disaster plans

Proper communication system and tele-medicinal services should be mobilized.

Few more Awareness Options

A disaster interrupts the functioning of a society. Disasters have many forms from natural to
human intervention induced. Natural disaster includes earthquake, landslide, hurricane,
tornado, eruptions of volcanoes, fires / wild fire, flood and cyclones, etc. Human induced
disasters include wars, deforestation, unplanned growth or constructions and other actions
affecting life. A disaster affects natural life adversely by killing thousands of people and other
lives. It also destroys a wide range of habitat and property. Chances of natural disasters are
more in highly populated areas and environment get negative impacts by increased population
density. Disaster prone areas become even more vulnerable to disasters by increased human
interventions and less precautions for disaster management.
Disasters to be managed can be of various types like

Earthquake, volcano eruptions and land slides are of geophysical origin.

Flood, wild fire, cyclone, tornado, drought and locust are of climatic origin.

19

Disaster management deals with preparing for these disasters and trying to stop these disasters
to occur. It might not sound feasible to control nature to prevent occurrence of natural
disasters but steps could be undertaken to reduce the effects of thesedisasters by formulating
proper disaster management programme and reduce its affect on humans, other living things,
property and economy as a whole.
Role of Students in Disaster Management - Training for Students
When the students are trained well, they can help in rehabilitation and resettlement of victims
at times of floods, earthquakes and drought etc., .They can play a very important role in
disaster management. They can spread awareness to all about the precautions to be taken at
times of these national disasters. They will help the victims with basic needs and they will do
whatever they can at times of these disasters. It is the duty of the teachers and school
management to let them understand their duties and responsibilities during and after the
disasters. This will minimise the panicking and uncontrolled disaster to the most extent. We
should have to train them with the knowledge of basic first aid to save lives of millions.
Hence, I feel students play a very important role in disaster management .
Some Wikipedians have formed a project to better organize information in articles related
to Disaster Management (a.k.a. Emergency management). We have three main work areas:
Theoretical and background information, including the phrases: Mitigation,
Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. This section also covers methods
hazards and their impacts, which cause disasters. Examples of hazards
include, earthquakes, drought and epidemics. When those hazards impact people, it
creates a disaster, such as the Boxing Day tsunami and theWorld Trade center attack).
Organisations and Individuals involved in disaster management
Thank you for taking the time to be a part of educating Wikipedians about
managing disasters. This page and its subpages contain their suggestions; it is
hoped that this project will help to focus the efforts of other Wikipedians. If you
would like to help, please inquire on the talk page and see the to-do list there.

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Quality Statistics
Disaster management articles by quality and importance

Importance

Quality

FA

Top

High

Mid

Low

12

???

Total

24

GA

NA

19

23

18

69

21

13

28

52

65

41

199

31

65

75

76

256

Start

34

113

341

188

681

Stub

12

43

192

147

394

List

16

10

14

51

NA

503

508

115

316

513

488

2,184

1,066

1,068

1,554

3,252

Assessed

33

Unassessed

Total

34

WikiWork factors (?)

719

115

= 7,530

316

720

513

= 4.63

22

Mumbai K-E Ward Plan

Location of Ward
The ward office is located at Andheri and its boundary extends from Milan Subway to
Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road.
Area and Divisions of Ward
The Ward covers an area of 23.5 square kilometres. The ward has industrial estates at MIDC
Marol, Mahakali Caves Road, Chakala and , Subhash Road.
The approximate population of the ward is 7,00,000 with an additional day-time floating
population of 2,00,000.
The ward is under the jurisdiction of police Zone VIII and Zone IX and 2 traffic divisions.
The area from Milan subway to Sahar Road comes under Zone VIII whereas the area from
Sahar Road to Jogeshwari is under Zone IX. There is a Fire Brigade Station at Marol,
M.V.Road, Andheri (East). There are Western Railway Stations at Vileparle, Andheri and
Jogeshwari and BEST bus depots at MIDC and Majas. The ward comes under Vileparle
telephone exchange.
23

Historical, religious and tourist centres

There are 2 centres of historical/religious or tourist places. Their details are given below.

Name of centre or
event with date

Mahakali Caves

Type (historical,
religious, tourist, sports,

Number of people
Location

political centre)
Cultural

Kagesjwaro Caves Cultural

visiting daily or for the

specific event

Mahakali Caves
Road, Andheri
Jogeshwari

500
500

Water Supply and Sanitation

The ward receives water supply 7 times a day. The timings and locations are as follows:
6.00 am. - 10.00 am.

Jogeshwari (E)

12 noon - 4.00 pm.

Poonam Nagar

4.00 pm. - 8.00 pm

Vileparle (East)

8.00 pm - 12 midnight

Andheri Zone - II

4.00 pm - 8.00 pm

Andheri Zone - I from VRI

6.00 am - 8.30 am

HLR, Mahakali Caves Road

6.00 pm - 8.30 pm

HLR, Mahakali Caves Road

Proposed Developments
Under the BMC development plan the proposed developments are
1. Marol Cancer Hospital
2. Ward Office building

24

The major private development projects in the ward are industrial building at Andheri
Ghatkopar Link Road, and the Lok Group Housing project at Military Road.
The following slums are being covered as a part of SRD programme
1. Sagbag Mithiriver slum colony
2. Sweeper colony
3. M.H.Plot (Cancer Hospital Plot).
4. Sambhaji Nagar
5. Sai Wadi (Teli Gulli)
6. Hari Nagar, Shivaji Nagar
7. Shauba Wadi
8. Ambica Nagar (part)

RISK ASSESSMENT AND VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS

Vulnerable settlements
There is a vulnerable settlement in the ward. The details is given in the table below.

Vulnerable settlements are those along

Hilltops, slopes, nallahs, low-lying areas (with tendency to flood during high tides), coastal
locations, under high tension wires, along highways, along railway lines, within industrial
zones, pavements, along water mains, along open drainage

Name of

Location of

Settlement

Settlement

Sahar Village Sahar Road

Approximate

Type of settlement (hill

population of the

slopes/below high tension

settlement

lines/low lying area etc)

10,000

Low lying
25

Andheri
Floods
There are 216 kilometre open storm water drains in the ward.
The following slums get affected due to flooding
1. Narayan Nagar, L.B.S.marg, Ghatkopar (W)
2. Chimat pada, Navpada at Marol. Bamanwada, Nagardas Road.
The following places are low-lying areas prone to flooding in monsoon :
Chimat pada
Navpada
Sant Chokhamela Road
Sahar Road,
Nagardas Road.
The following sites are chronic drainage choking sites :
1 Thanawala Lane, Vileparle (East)
2 Sharadhanand Road, New Nagardas Road, Natwar Nagar
Road No., Jogeshwari (E).

Earthquakes and house crashes

3 buildings have been identified as dilapidated and dangerous for occupation.
Road Accidents
The following road section have been identified as accident prone spots

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Road section

N.N.Road No. 5

Reason for it being accident

Precautionary measures already

prone (high speed area, blind

taken (speed breakers, presence of

spot, schools/ residential area,

traffic constable, zebra crossing,

market)

traffic signal)

Narrow Road and due to heavy

traffic

Speed breaker

The passengers alighting and departing from the railway stations in the ward during peak
hours of morning and evening are 2,00,000

RESPONSE STRUCTURE
When the disaster situation is localised at ward level and can be managed locally, the K-East
ward plan will come into operation. However, a disaster situation may cover the entire city
which would call for co-ordination of activities not only at the city level but also at the ward
level.
The response structure given in the ward plan essentially limits itself to micro-level
intervention. When more than one ward are affected, BMC control room which is the coordinating authority, would expect the ward officers to co-ordinate the activities at the ward
level with the line agencies such as Fire Brigade, Police etc. The responsibilities for all the
ward level functionaries have been identified.

Responsibilities of K-East Ward Officer

On the receipt of warning or occurrence of the disaster, the K-East Ward Officer will be
required to be in preparedness by undertaking the following :
Establish a Ward Control Room with the following :

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 Direct telephone contact with BMC Control Room

A supervisor of the rank of S.E./J.E to be in-charge of control room.
Labourers from conservancy staff to be kept in readiness for undertaking any emergency
work
Required equipments such as :
digging tools
choke clearing equipments
ropes
tree-cutting saws
portable search lights
batteries
megaphones
gas cutters
J.C.B
proclain
beam cutters
generators
The ward officer will act as Site Officer responsible for co-ordination of field activities of
various line departments. The ward officer will also be responsible for providing support to
line agencies so as to enable them to operate efficiently. As the Site Officer, he would be in
constant touch with BMC Control Room and the field officers from
Police (Law and Order)

: DCP, Zone VIII and Zone IX

Police (Traffic)

: Divisional Police Inspectors

Fire Brigade

: Station Officers, Marol Fire Brigade

Railways

: Station Masters of Vile Parle, Andheri, and

Jogeshwari
BEST (Transport)

: Assistant Traffic Superintendents of Marol Bus Station

Hospitals

: Medical Officer casualty ward, ESIS Hospital, Marol

MTNL

: Area Manager, Vileparle Exchange

28

BSES

: Station Engineer

Revenue, GOM

: Officer designated by Collector, Mumbai Suburban

The ward officer should ensure that all BMC officers on disaster duty use the official shoulder
bands with BMC emblem for easy identification.
The ward officer will provide all information as given in the ward plan to the field officers of
the line departments.

The ward officer will be directly responsible for the execution of the following tasks
through BMC staff :
rescue operations during house collapses in co-ordination with fire brigade
ensure transport of injured to hospitals on priority
transport of dead to the hospitals/corpse disposal
anti-flooding operations
clearing of debris
salvage operations
clearing of uprooted trees
repairs to damaged roads, water supply and drainage
The ward officer will provide and co-ordinate arrangements for
transportation/shifting of stranded or affected persons through BMC vehicles, private
vehicles and MSRTC buses
temporary shelters with emergency food and water.
issue of passes and identification stickers for vehicles on relief duty
issue of passes and identity cards to relief personnel including the persons from NGOs
setting-up of Information Centre at the site

29

The ward officer will ensure through the Medical Officer (Health)
Preventive medicine and anti-epidemic actions
Providing special information required regarding precautions for epidemics
Supervision of food, water supplies, sanitation and disposal of waste
Damage assessment will be carried out as per the pro forma
The ward officer will enlist the support of NGOs and private sector for response operations.
The NGOs active in the ward along with their expected role is given in the Annexure.
The ward officer will report to BMC Control Room on the field activities including
deployment and reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate additional
requirements.

Responsibilities of DCP, Zone VIII and Zone IX

The DCPs office will be responsible for the following field activities in co-ordination
with the ward officer :
Shifting of the injured to the hospitals on a priority and providing bandobast for crowd
control at the hospital
Cordoning of area to restrict movement of on-lookers, vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Guarding of property/valuables in affected area
Providing easy access to rescue and relief personnel/vehicles
Ensuring proper identification , inquest procedure and Corpse disposal
Panchanamas will be prepared as per police procedure
Crowd control especially outside Railway stations, bus stations and schools
Police bandobast near railway stations, bus stations and schools
30

 Extensive mobile patrolling

Arrangements for transportation/shifting of stranded or affected persons through police
vehicles and private vehicles.
Law and order and control of anti-social elements
Use of public address system to provide information to the public. Sign boards may be used
to provide information and declare areas out of bounds.
Enlist support of Mohalla Committees for maintaining peace and for rumour control
Information centre to organise sharing of information with mass media and community
Communicate to police control room details on the field activities including deployment and
reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional requirements.

Responsibilities of Divisional Police Inspectors (Traffic)

The Divisional Police Inspector (Traffic) in co-ordination with the Ward Officer will be
responsible for the following field activities :
Control and monitor traffic
Extensive patrolling especially covering railway stations, bus stations and schools
Diversion of traffic on alternate routes as and when necessary.
Provide information about traffic flow along various corridors, especially heavy traffic or
congested roads
Co-ordination with BEST to ensure additional buses are deployed along desired routes
Mobilising towing cranes and towing of stranded/breakdown or those vehicles obstructing
movements
Use of P.A system to provide information and direction to the public
Setting up of sign-boards and display boards at strategic locations to give information
regarding traffic movement
Enlist support of RSP, NCC, NSS, NGOs and voluntary organisations for traffic
management
Provide and co-ordinate arrangements for transportation/shifting of stranded or affected
persons through police vehicles and private vehicles.
31

 Communicate to traffic control room details on the field activities including deployment and
reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional requirements.

Responsibilities of Fire Brigade Station Officer, Marol Fire Brigade

The Fire Brigade Station Officers in co-ordination with the Ward Officer will be
responsible for the following field activities :
Fire fighting operations in the affected area
Rescue operations
Transport of injured to the hospitals on a priority
Evacuation of persons from the affected area
Ensure safety from electrical installations or power supply at disaster site
Clearing of roads or pathways due to uprooted trees
Salvage operations
Co-ordinate with BMC for rescue operations in house collapses
Communicate to fire brigade control room details on the field activities including
deployment and reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional
requirements.

Responsibilities of Officer from Revenue Department

The officer from Revenue Department in co-ordination with the Ward Officer will be
responsible for the following field activities :
Assessing the requirements for transit camps on the occurrence of disaster
Assisting the ward officer in requisitioning vehicles and temporary shelters
Setting up of transit camps and pandals for temporary accommodation.
Arranging for food distribution
Arrangements for dry rations and family kits for cooking
32

 Arrangements for clothing

Providing gratuitous relief
Enlist support of NGOs and private sector for resources and manpower for transit camps
Communicate to district control room details on the field activities including deployment
and reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional requirements.

Responsibilities of Medical Officer (Casualty), ESIS Hospital, Marol

The Medical Officer (Casualty) in co-ordination with the Ward Officer will be
responsible for the following field activities :
Providing emergency treatment for the seriously injured at the hospital
Organising on-site treatment of injured with tagging and triage and transfer of injured
Emergency supplies of medicines and first-aid
Post-mortem and corpse disposal
Demarcate an area in the hospital for receiving patients, tagging and triage
If necessary, setting up poison centre within the hospital or at disaster site
Co-ordinate with blood banks for emergency supply of blood
Setting up an information centre at the hospital
Communicate to BMC control room details on the field activities including deployment and
reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional requirements.

3.7 Responsibilities of Railway Station Master, Vile Parle, Andheri, Jogeshwari Railway
Stations
The Railway Station Master in co-ordination with the Ward Officer will ensure that the
following field activities are undertaken :

33

 Crowd control through Railway Police

Continuous updated information through public address system on
the running of trains
measures being undertaken
Information on location of temporary shelters organised by BMC for railway passengers
Providing facilities at railway station to ward office for provision of emergency food and
water to passengers
Monitoring level of water on the railway tracks
Co-ordinating with engineering branch staff posted at the flood prone locations at railway
tracks
Co-ordination with ward officer regarding passenger data and alternate transport
In case of railway accidents :
Rescue and evacuation
Shifting of injured to hospitals
Co-ordination with railway hospitals, BMC hospitals and government hospitals
Provide information on alternate travel arrangements for outstation passengers
Communicate to Railway control room details on the field activities including deployment
and reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional requirements.

Responsibilities of Assistant Traffic Superintendent, Marol Bus Depot

The BEST Assistant Traffic Superintendent in co-ordination with the Ward Officer will
be responsible for the following field activities :
Keep standby buses in readiness for deployment
Co-ordination with Railway Station Master and Divisional Police Inspector (Traffic) for
information regarding traffic movement and passenger data
Co-ordinate with MSRTC for transport arrangements of stranded passengers
34

 Deployment of additional buses along certain routes to clear passenger traffic

Diversion of routes if and when necessary
Providing information to the public at bus depots regarding the cancellation, re-routing,
delays of buses, temporary shelter locations of BMC and the measures being undertaken.
Communicate to BEST control room details on the field activities including deployment and
reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional requirements.

Responsibilities of BSES Station Engineer

The BSES station engineer in co-ordination with the Ward Officer will be responsible
for the following field activities :
Cutting off power supply if necessary
Restoration of power supply
Alternative arrangements for power supply for lighting
Illumination of affected area as well as the periphery
Keeping emergency gangs in readiness for repair work
Repairs to damaged power infrastructure
Attending to calls of power breakdowns or short-circuits
Co-ordinating with fire brigade in case of fires or short-circuiting
Communicate with respective control rooms the details on the field activities including
deployment and reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional
requirements.
Responsibilities of MTNL Area Manager, Vileparle Exchange
The MTNL Area Manager in co-ordination with the Ward Officer will be responsible for
the following field activities :
Restoration of telephone lines
Keeping emergency gangs in readiness for repair work
Repairs to telecommunication infrastructure
35

 Communicate with Head Office the details on the field activities including deployment and
reinforcements of staff and resources and communicate nature of additional requirements.

NGOS AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS

The non-governmental organisations and voluntary agencies play an important role in disaster
management and provide a strong band of committed volunteers with experience in managing
the disasters. Their strength lies in the choice of their manpower, the informality in operations
and flexibility in procedures. These organisations enjoy a fair degree of autonomy and hence
can respond to changing needs immediately.
However, in order to maintain uniformity in operations and effective co-ordination, it is
desirable that they follow the standards of services (as given in the Guidelines), information
exchange and reporting so as to enable the Ward Officer to have a total picture of resource
availability, disbursements and requirements. NGOs therefore will be assigned specific tasks
by the Ward Officer to undertake relief work within the overall institutional framework. As
and where possible, NGOs may also be able to improve the quality of delivery of services.
Specific activities in which NGOs/Private Sector can be involved during disaster
management operations are :
Search and rescue operations
Information dissemination
First aid
Disposal of dead
Damage assessment
Management of information centres at temporary shelters
Mobilisation and distribution of relief supplies including finances
Manpower for community mobilisation, crowd control, rumour control, traffic management
Specialised services (psychiatric and mental health assistance)
Management of transit camps
36

The following individuals from varying agencies will be associated with relief and
rehabilitation activities. Most of them have the capacity to mobilise required resources and
have assisted the administration in the past in managing relief and rehabilitation activities.
These include :
Shri Nilkanth V. Modak
Shri Mahendra P. Sheth
Shri Anil K. Parera
Smt. Pratibha Belwalkar
Dr. Leela Narde
Shri Shrikant Panditrao
Shri Nitin Prabhakar Chaubal
Shri K. M. Chopra
Smt. Pallavi P. Deshmukh
Smt. Jijabai Maghade
Smt. Sagarbai G. More
Shri Harish Dinanath Tarkar
Depending on the intensity of the disaster and the quantum of resources required, the
following city level agencies will also be approached for assistance through the BMC Control
Room.
Agriculture Produce Market Committee
Bharat Sevashram
CARE
CARITAS
CASA
Indian Red Cross
Mahalaxmi Trust
Nirmala Niketan School of Social Work
Ramkrishna Mission
Salvation Army
SOCLEEN
37

 Somaiya Trust
Swami Narayan Trust
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Tata Relief Committee
As a part of general preparedness at community level, the NGOs in the ward will make the
communities conscious about the type of hazard that the community faces. Thus local disaster
management action plans for hot-spot areas in the context of specific vulnerability would be
developed. In addition, Mohalla Committees have been operating at the community level,
especially in times of emergencies like house collapses, fires, floods. Such committees have
been identified at the ward level.
For areas with high concentration of industries particularly engaged in production, storage and
transport of hazardous materials, Mutual Aid and Resource Groups will be set-up.
Mutual Aid and Resource Groups (MARGs)
The objective for setting up MARG is to
Make the industrial zone self-sufficient
Encourage pooling of resources to tackle industrial accidents
Manage both on-site and off-site industrial accidents
Provide for a degree of expertise in managing disasters
Reduce the response time for managing disasters
To integrate the on-site plan of industries with an off-site plan.
Assist the Corporation in managing disasters

38

Areas of Community Participation

Efforts to enlist community participation is being ensured by
identifying situational, opinion and position leaders in the community and voicing
administrations confidence in their capabilities to undertake the tasks.
Consultations and dialogues expressly indicating the need for assistance would encourage
the community and its leaders to come forward.
Regular feedback meetings and an open book approach to demonstrate transparency.
Involving community in decision making at local levels
The major areas of community participation are being identified in Greater Mumbai Disaster
Management Plan and include the following:
During Evacuation
For appropriate security and law and order evacuation would be undertaken with assistance
from community leaders and community based organisations (CBOs). The entire family
would evacuate together as a unit. However, to avoid stampede and confusion and in cases of
inadequate transport or limited time, emergency evacuation would be undertaken in the
following order :
seriously injured and sick
children, women and handicapped
Old
Able-bodied
In case of evacuation, people would be advised to follow these steps:
Secure their homes/establishments. Close and lock doors and windows.
Turn off the main water valve and electricity
Leave early enough to avoid being trapped.
39

 Follow recommended evacuation routes. Not to take shortcuts. They may be dangerous.
Not to move into flooded areas because the authorities may have removed the manholes for
efficient drainage and the indicators may get shifted due to water currents.
Stay away from downed power lines.

During the Disaster

Community leaders could be given the responsibility for ensuring the following
community behaviour :
People stay calm and panic behaviour is not encouraged. Regulate helter-skelter running or
crowding of people.
Encourage people to stay at a secured place and protect themselves from injuries.
People do not enter damaged buildings or structures
People do not touch electric poles, utility wires/cables
People do not use telephones except in life-threatening situations
Preparedness of community for recurrence of the disaster, increase in severity, or
consequential emergencies
Check for injuries. Do not attempt to move seriously injured persons unless they are in
immediate danger of death or further injury.
Undertake first-aid activities
Visually inspect utility lines and appliances for damage.
If water pipes are damaged, shut off the water supply at the main valve.
People stay away from damaged areas, unless their assistance has been specifically requested
by police, fire or relief organizations.
Mobilise people to put out small fires and people inside are made to evacuate.
Help police, if requested, to maintain law and order and watch the evacuated property during
the disaster

40

During Relief and Rehabilitation

Immediately after the disaster, the members of the community may look depressed and
helpless, but very soon gets euphoric when they find that after all everything is not lost.
Participation of community at this stage helps in early recovery and promotes mental health. It
is necessary to see that member of the community are continuously engaged in some sort of
helping activity to draw them out of their depression.
Relief authorities at the site would therefore:
Encourage self-help in every activity of their day-to-day living.
Encourage assistance for identification of dead, disposal of dead bodies, and disposal of
damaged food stocks
Encourage contribution of labour (loading, unloading, distribution, temporary constructions,
food distribution etc)
Enlist assistance for updating records of damages and losses.
Enlist assistance in maintenance of law and order
Enlist assistance in maintaining sanitation standards and disposal of waste
Promote cultural and recreational activities in order to protect the mental health

41

Key officials for ward response plan

Service

Designation

EOC

EOC In-charge

BMC

Mayor

BMC

Municipal Commissioner

BMC Control Room

In-charge Control Room

Ward office

K-East Ward Officer

Police (Law and Order) DCP, Zone VIII and Zone IX

Police (Traffic)

Divisional Police Inspector

Fire Brigade

Station Officers, Marol Fire Brigade

Railways

BEST (Transport)

Hospitals

Station Masters of Vile Parle, Andheri, and

Jogeshwari
Assistant Traffic Superintendents of Marol
Bus Station
Medical Officer casualty ward, ESIS
Hospital, Marol

MTNL

Area Manager, Vileparle Exchange

BSES

Station Engineer

Revenue, GOM

Officer designated by Collector, Mumbai

42

Suburban District

CONCLUSION
43

It is the main problem faced by all the insurance company is lack of awarenessabout Risk exposures and
about insurance products available to the customers. In India only 20% of the population is insured. Majority
of the populations who are living in the rural areas and sub urbanareas are not aware of the about risk exposures
and about insurance products available in the market.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

44

www.google.com
Research Methodology- Micheal Waz

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