To address issues pertaining to natural and man-made disasters, the Disaster Management Act of 2005 was passed leading to the formation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). it is mandated by the Government of india to create the policy framework, transform disaster management plans and establish guidelines for effective response to disasters. the enforcement of its policies and implementation of its guidelines, disaster mitigation provisioning and disaster prevention also form the broad charter of apex body. the pace at which the envisaged reforms and modernisation initiatives are being adopted are not the same as that on an international level.
“Much can be learned from Japan”
“In the way in last couple of years we have seen, disasters have literally been knocking. It is the worst disaster that took place in Japan. Look at how they have reacted to it. What has happened in Japan is ironically an alarm for people in Bihar and all over India. Japan undoubtedly is the best prepared country for such disasters. They had prepared for the worst, but their worst was around 8 on the richter scale, they were beaten as what happened was much more than what they had imagined that too happened at a location at a depth that generated a large tsunami. If you have closely watched the losses and damage due to earthquake were almost negligible, they coped very well with the tremors. One thing which is notable and remarkable in the people of Japan is how they responded to the earthquake.
They first try to observe the seriousness of the tremor as they get hit by tremors almost every day. Once they realise that this is something unusual then they follow the do’s and don’ts taught to them in preparedness.
There are so many areas where we can learn from them. This was one of the gravest possible situation and see how they are coming back to the usual living. You won’t find media showing large number of dead bodies or people shouting and running around for food or other things. Why did they respond like this compared to the usual behavior of the people in such situations. It is because of their preparedness for disasters. They know what to do and how to do in such a situation. Knowing what to do and how to do in such crises situations is what we should learn. IT is a great tool to tell people what to do but how to do will come only from practice, mock drills, which has to be done repeatedly, like it happens in aircrafts. Have you ever boarded a flight where the initial safety instructions are not given? No.
Many of the buildings we live in have fire extinguishers, are very well maintained but how many of the residents are trained to handle that fire extinguisher? In Japan you don’t only have to come out of the building but also use the fire extinguisher, fully operate it. Public awareness and community education is the first step towards any disaster preparation or litigation. You cannot talk of risk reduction or litigation unless there is awareness and education. This is the area where we are weak. Public awareness and community education is the basic step and important also because they are the first respondents to any such disaster. We have to use the technology to reach out to women, children and each and every class. Not technology alone will help; effective use of it is the essential part.”
