Transforming Disasters into Opportunities

1. Transforming Disasters into Opportunities Experiences from India P.G.Dhar Chakrabarti Executive Director National Institute of Disaster Management Geneva 22nd November 2005

2. Disasters and Indian ethos • Disasters integral part of living in India • High profile disasters like earthquake, cyclone, flood, landslide, avalanche take heavy toll of life • Silent disasters like drought, starvation, epidemics , infant mortality and maternal mortalitytake even heavier toll of life • Communities have learnt to cope with disasters, but more often they are resigned to their fate • Same attitude of fatalism seem to have pervaded State policy or lack of it till nineties

3. Turning point: 4 major disasters between 1993-2004 • Latur Earthquake 1993:9475 dead, 1 million houses damaged, 8 million people affected • Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004:12405 people dead, 3.5 million houses damaged, 18 million people affected • Orissa Super Cyclone 1999:10086 dead, 2 million houses damaged, 15 million affected • Gujrat Earthquake 2001:13805 dead, 1.8 million houses damaged, 12 million people affected

4. How disasters changed policies and practices • Earthquake resistant construction technology developed for non- engineered constructions with community participation LATUR’93 • Multi-hazard zoning map of the entire country prepared • Disaster management plans prepared for all the districts of Maharastra

5. Early warning system for cyclone developed • Network of cyclone shelters constructed • Emergency evacuation plans for communities in coastal areas ORISSA’99 • Livelihood restoration integrated in poverty alleviation program • High Powered Committee on disaster management set up,

6. National Committee on disaster under Prime Minister • DRR shifted from Agriculture to Home Ministry • 8 battalion strong National Disaster • Response Force sanctioned GUJRAT’01 • Disaster management introduced in curriculum of school education, engineering, architecture, medicine • New building standards in seismic zones • National Institute of Disaster Management set up • Community based DRM program in 17 States

7. Disaster Management Bill 2005 introduced in Parliament prescribing legal-institutional • framework of disaster management • National Policy on Disaster Reduction • National Disaster Management Authority set up TSUNAMI’04 • Tsunami Early Warning system approved for 50 million USD • Emergency Operation Centre in National, State and District Headquarters • Nation wideDisaster Communication Plan

8. Test of new initiatives: Kashmir earthquake 2005 • Quick response of rescue and evacuation team, restricting casualties to 1150 • Relief materials mobilized and distributed with speed and efficiency STRONG POINTS • Immediate financial support announced • Plan for intermediary and final shelter finalized in less than two weeks • Entire operation conducted without donor assistance

9. Disaster could not be prevented despite warnings • If the epicentre of the quake was a city like Baramulla or Srinagar the losses of life and property could be colossal • Civilian response was very slow WEAKNESS • If the army had not responded quickly the casualties could be more • Community involvement in response and reconstruction program was minimal • State sponsored rescue and recovery operation may be difficult to be replicated elsewhere

10. Unfinished agenda…. • India is finally putting up a legal and institutional system for disaster management in the country • But preventive and mitigation aspects continue to be weak • Community involvement and participation is rudimentary • EWS continues to be weak as Mumbai flood demonstrates • Hazard resistant building bye laws notified, but standard of implementation is dismal everywhere • Strengthening of lifeline building a huge unattended task • Many metropolitan and mega cities are live hotspots