Disaster Management Northern Part of India

Question: Discuss about theDisaster Managementfor Northern Part of India. Answer: Introduction: Varanasi is a pilgrims destination in the Northern part of India. While the main livelihood of the people are by way of tourism yet the Banarasi Sari is making significant contribution to the economy of this very old town situated in the state of Uttar Pradesh (which translated into English roughly means the Northern State). The total population of around 1.1 million people approximately there are 0.58 million males, 0.51 females and 0.15 million children. In case any natural disaster strikes this very old town then the entire population will be in danger of not only the flood water creating havoc but also the aftermath spread of epidemics and disruption of livelihood of the populations and these are also areas of concern for any disaster management team(mapsofindia, 2016). This city is very well connected with other parts of India by a very extensive set of railway lines and roadways. There are two distributaries of the river Ganges, Varuna and Assi (the name Varanasi came out of the conjunction of these two small rivulets) which flows beside Varanasi. These two rivers, one of which has silted very badly could add to the woes of the people since the outlets for the waters of Ganges have been constricted. Being located in the Indo Gangetic plains the prospects of flood has always remained in this area(Hinduism, 2016). Overview of Event: As the rains intensified the water in the river Ganges started swelling. The imminent danger was seen by the people but they firmly believed that Lord Shiva, the worshipped deity of this pilgrim town, being their protector no natural disaster could ever cause any concern. Further, since this city as per Mark Twain is older than history and had survived the onslaught of time, it is firmly believed that this place is protected by the Lord himself. Thus there was an anticipated delay in the process of evacuating the people. The activity would start with the evacuation of the people but at the same time all efforts were made to ensure that loss of property is also minimized. The rich and very immaculate industries of silk work, music, education and cultural heritage were to be protected. Thus the silk weavers of Varanasi, the seats of learning which includes a rich and rare collection of ancient texts of the Hindu philosophers and the very rare manuscripts were all in need of protection( NdTv, 2016). The flood, which was imminent, will not only help to replenish the eroded soil but will also imply a large contamination of the drinking water supply within the city. The roads will get damaged and the railway system will also be put into jeopardy. Thus the details of the disaster plan will have to be drawn up with the interests of all the stakeholders. Response Plan to the Event: The response plan will have to be of various priorities. While at the top of the priority list will be the evacuation of the people from the low lying areas yet the importance of protecting the properties of the people will be a close second. In order to ensure that people are evacuated to a safer place all possible means of transport will be summoned up to shift the people to safer places. The temporary shelters will be in the school and college buildings of the nearby areas where people will be safe from the flood waters and yet not be required to move long distances to protect themselves(Verma, 2016). Help for shifting of the people to safer destinations will have to be supervised by the local administration and no help from the India Army will be sought for this specific purpose. After the deluge converts itself into a disaster the help of the Indian Army personnel will be sought for handling the evacuation of the people who get marooned in the floods. Therefore the structured disaster management plan for the flooding of Varanasi would be contemplated under the following headings: People: The people mainly the ladies and children will have to be moved out to safer places at a distance from the heart of the city. Just shifting the people out from Varanasi would be only the tip of the ice-berg. It will be necessary to provide food and potable water to these people for the time they are sheltered from the flood waters in their new camps inside school building and college buildings. Thus it will be necessary to collect the maximum amount of food grains, fuel for cooking their food and arrangements for generating potable water which will have to be rationed very rigidly. Thus these items will have to be procured and stored at each of the relief centres. Since the issue of potable water is a very big issue during any flood situation the collection of potable water in tanks and storing them suitably is a very vital issue. To conserve resources each individual will be provided just two meals and two litres of potable water every day. Since storing of these two essential commo dities will not be possible all that fast it will be necessary to move food and potable water by small manually operated boats which will be obtained from the army. Wherever the water is deep the boats which ply on the river Ganges will be pressed into service. The boats which ferry passengers and tourists across the Ganges during normal times will be requisitioned to ferry essential commodities to various camps where the water level is sufficient to permit their movement(Indianrailways, 2016). Medical Facilities: The flood water will certainly engulf many sick people who will need medical attention. In order to ensure that flood affected people get proper and adequate medical attention doctors from all the state general hospitals will be summoned to attend to the flood affected population. This will have to be done cautiously since the state hospitals and health centres should not be left to suffer for want of medical attention. However, the doctors will be put on alert and will be told to attend duty at any place they are asked to by the disaster management team. Doctors from the armed forces will also be requested for participating in the efforts made by the disaster management team. Care would be taken to ensure that no doctor is asked to work for more than twelve hours at a stretch since that would be creating health hazards for the medical professionals(Tiwari, 2016). Property: Having firmed up the action plan for handling with the people and their medical needs the next important job is to ensure that loss to the properties of the people and the nation is minimized. The very old and rare manuscripts of the yesteryears which are available at Varanasi will have to be shifted to some safe place like a tall buildings upper floors so that the rain water is not able to damage these historical relics. There is the very old and respectable Banaras Hindu University (BHU) which is a seat of learning and the properties of BHU will need to be protected from damage. With the flooding of the town of Varanasi it is expected that the power supply will be disrupted very badly and hence alternate sources of power from generators will have to be arranged for ensuring that the BHU is not all that badly affected(Economictimes, 2016). Power: The power supply to the township will have to be stopped as soon as flood water start entering the town since if the power is left flowing it may cause electrocution of some people which is best avoided since the facilities for meeting any eventuality will be suspended fully or partially. Thus only when the flood water starts receding may be within forty eight hours the first job will be to restore water and power supply to the areas which are not all that seriously affected by the floods. Post Flood Measures: After the flood waters recede the attention of the disaster management team will be on ensuring that no epidemics like cholera, typhoid, jaundice or any other water borne disease does not take an epidemic form. Hence, every action for disinfecting water bodies and other sources of water for consumption by the people mainly by the children are made fully infection and disease free so that the people do not suffer as the flood water recede. Having first and foremost treated the water supply the next step is to ensure that all roads which have been damaged by the floods are repaired immediately. Unless this is done life will not come back to normal and the life of people will be severely restricted by the damaged roads. Trade and industry also will not pick up momentum since the movement of goods will be slow and generally costly(Rediff, 2016). Recommendation for Future Response Plan: The plan for future will have to include certain salient features. First, the state should take the initiative for constructing concrete buildings, at least three stories high, for running their schools and colleges. It may be recalled that these school buildings which are usually three storied structures of concrete are best suited to provide shelters to people whose homes have been inundated by flood waters. Second, the administration will have to have more number of doctors available in the state run hospitals and health centres. This will have to be done by ensuring that no post of any medical personnel goes unmanned even for a day. While the number of doctors may be limited but the number of nursing and medical staff also is great help during such crisis situations(Firstpost, 2016). Third and perhaps the most important aspect of future disaster management at Varanasi would be to ensure that the two rivulets, Varun and Assi, are brought back to their previous condition so that the drainage of water through them during such flood situations is improved. This will ensure that the effects of flooding are much less intense both in terms of durations and volume. Conclusion: This historical and mythological town has withstood the test of time. The people of this place believe that no flood can wipe out Varanasi from the face of this earth. Time will show if they are correct but in the meanwhile disaster management concepts can be gainfully utilized to mitigate the loss of life and property of this holy Hindu town. References: Economictimes. (2016, August 27). varanasi flood. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from Economictimes: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/varanasi-flooded-but-corporators-on-6-city-junket/articleshow/53886679.cms Firstpost. (2016, August 27). Uttar Pradesh floods: Water starts to recede in Allahabad, Varanasi still inundated. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/india/uttar-pradesh-floods-water-starts-to-recede-in-allahabad-varanasi-still-inundated-2979014.html Hinduism. (2016, January 14). A Brief History of Varanasi (Banaras). Retrieved October 15, 2016, from Hinduism: https://hinduism.about.com/od/history/a/varanasi_history.htm Indianrailways. (2016, April 19). Disaster management plan. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from indianrailways: https://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/safety/pdf/2016/DM_Plan_%202016.pdf mapsofindia. (2016, September 19). varanasi. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from mapsofindia: https://www.mapsofindia.com/india/where-is-varanasi.html NdTv. (2016, August 25). As Ganga Floods, Janmashtami A Washout In Varanasi. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from ndtv: https://www.ndtv.com/video/news/news/as-ganga-floods-janmashtami-a-washout-in-varanasi-428795 Rediff. (2016, August 27). Raging Ganga, Yamuna flood UP; Varanasi, Allahabad worst hit. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from rediff: https://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-raging-ganga-yamuna-flood-up-districts/20160823.htm Tiwari, A. (2016, August 25). Weak infrastructure and inadequate government response is making Varanasi drown. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from catchnews: https://www.catchnews.com/india-news/weak-infrastructure-and-inadequate-government-response-is-making-varanasi-drown-1472140725.html/fullview Verma, L. (2016, August 30). Flood in Varanasi forces Akhilesh Yadav to abandon plan to throw open part of Varuna corridor in August. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from Indianexpress: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/varanasi-flood-akhilesh-yadav-abandon-plan-to-throw-open-part-of-varuna-corridor-elections-3003247/