India’s Disaster Response

Preparedness

K.M. Singh

Member, NDMA

Indo-German Workshop on Civil Security Research

Indian Institute of Science

Bangalore, Nov, 7, 2012

Contents

Management of Disasters in India

Disaster Management Act 2005

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)

Civil Defence

Fire & Emergency Services

Major Natural Disasters in India

1999-2004

Year Causalities

• Orissa Super Cyclone 1999 9,803

• Gujarat Earthquake 2001 20,005

• Tsunami 2004 12,405

Until 2001 – Responsibility with Agriculture Ministry.

Approach : Response & Relief Centric

Committees Set Up by Govt on Disaster Management :-

• HPC under J C Pant – August 1999

• All Party National Committee under the Chairmanship

of PM – Feb 2001

Responsibility Transferred to MHA in June 2002.

NDMA established with Executive Order in Sept 2005.

DM Act passed in December 2005.

MANAGEMENT OF DISASTERS

DM Act 2005 : Institutional Mechanism

NDMA : Apex Authority for DM

• Chairman : Prime Minister

• Vice-chairman : Cabinet Min. Status

• Members : Min. of State Status

National Executive Committee (NEC)

• Executive Committee of the NDMA

• Comprising Secys of 14 Ministries

• Home Secy : Chairman NEC

DM Structure : Institutional Mechanism

State Disaster Management Authority :

• Chairman : Chief Minister

• State Ex. Committee : headed by Ch. Secy

District Disaster Management Authority

• Chairman : Dist. Magistrate

• Co-Chairperson: Chairperson of Zila

Parishad

New Vision

• To build safer and disaster resilient

India

• To develop a proactive, multi-hazard

& technology driven strategy for DM

• To develop a culture of prevention,

mitigation & preparedness

• To ensure a prompt and efficient

response mechanism

DM Act 2005 : Response Mechanism

• NDRF : a specialist Force for any Disaster/

threatening Disaster situation. (Sec.44)

• Superintendence, Direction & Control of

NDRF with NDMA (Sec.45)

• Command & supervision of NDRF with DG

NDRF (Sec.45)

NDRF Present Status

• 10 Bns (1149 personnel each Bn) drawn

on deputation (5 Yrs) from CAPFs (BSF,

CRPF, CISF & ITBP)

• Strength of NDRF being Raised to 12 Bns

in 2013

• Trained & equipped as per International

standard

Bhatinda

Ghaziabad

VADODARA

PUNE (Talegaon)

BHUBANESHWAR

(Mundali)

KOLKATA

GUWAHATI PATNA

CHENNAI

(Arakkonam)

NDRF LOCATIONS

VIJAYAWADA

CBRN Bns

Bns

NDRF

• NDRF is the single largest dedicated

Disaster Response Force in the world.

• Capable of responding to any natural

Disaster/ CBRN Emergencies

• NDRF has acquired a niche for itself as a

truly professional force

NDRF Distinctive Feature

• Pro-actively available to States

• Need based pre-positioning of

NDRF in States.

Role of NDRF

1. Acquire and continually upgrade its own

training and skills

2. Impart basic and operational level training

to State Response Forces (Police, Civil

Defence and Home Guards)

3. Assist in Community Training &

Preparedness

4. Liaison, Reconnaisance, Rehearsals and

Mock Drills.

5. Proactive deployment during impending

disaster situations

6. Specialised Response

Non

Disaster

Period

Impending

Disaster

During

Disaster

NDRF : Response

• Deployed in 148 Operations so far

• Saved/ Rescued 2,66,574 Lives &

retrieved 772 dead bodies

• Kosi Flood (Aug 2008) Saved/ rescued

1,05,000 people.

NDRF : Response

Collapsed Structure/ Earthquake

• Bellary (Karnataka), Multi-storey Bldg.

Collapse (Jan 2010) Rescued 20 lives & 27

dead bodies from underneath huge rubble.

• Jallundhar (April 2012) : Four storey Factory

Bldg. collapse . Rescued 62 live & 19 dead

bodies from debris

International Response :

• Japan (March 2011) : Devastating

earthquake, Tsunami & nuclear leakage.

On March 11, an earthquake of unprecedented scale

struck Japan’s Tohoku region. On behalf of the

Japanese people, I would like to express my sincere

gratitude for the assistance we received from Indian

people in all walks of life, including heroic efforts by

the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) of

the Government of India. Under the leadership of Commandant Alok Awasthy, the 46 members of the Force showed such outstanding discipline in their work that no one thought that it had been the Force’s first overseas operation ever since its creation.

Extracts of the Speech of

Hon’ble Prime Minister

of Japan (On Dec 28, 2011 at Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi)

I imagine how hard it was for NDRF members, coming from India to work under the bitter chill of Tohoku’s blustery winds in late March. Despite such harsh conditions in Onagawa, severely damaged by the tsunami, they listened to the needs of local residents and worked painstakingly with their hands to search for victims’ bodies and their belongings from piles of rubble more than 10 meters deep. Their dedication, whole heartedness and warm smiles touched the hearts of those who were grieved at the disaster and gave them immeasurable hope.”

NDRF : Community Trg/

Preparedness

Community : 1st responder in Disaster

Community Trg : High Priority for NDRF

Numbers Trained:

Till Sept,

2006: 54,458

2007: 55,834

2008: 2,80,357

2009 : 2,27,578

2010 : 3,69,498

2011 : 6,76,447

2012 : 4,02,940

Total 20,67,112

NDRF Community Training, BIHAR,

June – July 2008

• People Sensitized for Disaster

Response. : 20.06 Lakhs.

Community Sensitized by NDRF.

Mata Jai Kaur Public School, NEW DELHI,

05 May 09

Govt. Boys Hr. Sec. Institute,

BARAMULLA, 18 March 2010

Capacity Building by NDRF

Mock Exercises by NDMA/ NDRF

2006-2010

• Earthquakes :61 2006 : 02

• Floods :20 2007 : 17

• Cyclones :16 2008 : 44

• Chemical (Indust) :71 2009 : 33

• Urban Fire :23 2010 : 89

• Others :79 2011 : 35

270 2012 : 50

270

Disaster Response

NDMA’s Vision : 3 Tier Mechanism

• NDRF : National Level

• SDRF : State Level

• Civil Defence : Distt. Level

• Fire & Emergency :

Services

Response : State Level

State Disater Response Force (SDRF)

• NDMA has been advocating to all States

to raise their own SDRF on NDRF

pattern.

• 14 States have initiated steps so far to set

up 3 to 8 Coys of SDRF dedicated for

disaster response only.

• NDMA/ NDRF have been assisting States

in training & equipping of SDRF

Role of SDRF

• Respond to any disaster

situation

• Community Capacity Building

• Awareness Generation

Protection to Nuclear Power

Plants (NPPs)

• 6 NPPs in the country to be provided

protection against Nuclear Emergency by

trained SDRF team (45 personnel)

• Role of SDRF :

• Detection, decontamination & evacuation in

the event of any emergency

• Off site preparedness, Awareness

Generation / Confidence Building measures

Response : Dist/ Local Level

• Need to sensitize all Police personnel to

basics of DM/ Response in their Basic Trg./

In-service Courses.

• Introduction of one week capsule on DM/

Response in all Basic Courses

Disaster Response

Advantage with Local Police

• First to arrive at any disaster site

• Familiarity with local terrain &

area

• Knowledge of local language/

resources

• Awareness of local sensitivities

Civil Defence Response Mechanism : Dist. Level

Civil Defence

Pre-2009 :

• Protection against any hostile act in categorised

CD towns (225) only

Post-2009

• Changed role as per recommendation of HPC

• CD to be integrated in DM framework

• Each dist in the country to have CD set up

• CD to be a community based voluntary Org.

• CD Act amended as per the HPC

recommendation

Proposed Role of CD

Pre-Disaster :

* Public Awareness

* Community Capacity Building

(Trg in Search & Rescue/ Medical First

Response)

During/ Post-Disaster :

* Response

* Relief

Proposed Responsibilities of CD

• Educating the community

• Civil Defence awareness in schools

• Sensitizing Govt servants

• Sensitizing Semi-Govt/ Pvt Sectors

employees

• Self capacity building

Prognosis

• The suggested approach will make CD an

effective tool in the DM framework at grass

toot level with the added advantages of :

* Being from amongst the people

* With total concern for their own area

Fire & Emergency

Services

One of the main responders

to any disaster situation in

most part of the world

Fire & Emergency Services

Fire & Emergency Services

• Existing deficiency as per SFAC norms

Fire Stations : 97.54%

Fire Tenders : 80.04%

Fire Personnel : 96.28%

Fire

Emergent Needs :

To upgrade the infrastructure , training &

career progression of the personnel

To integrate Fire & Emergency Services

in the Disaster Management framework in

the Country

Fire Services : Upgradation

• 13th Fin. Commission has allotted 23,110

crores, primarily on recommendations of

NDMA,for upgradation of the Fire Services

in next 5 years.

• Upgradation should include innovative

changes :

Light Vehicle Water Mist Fire Tender

Motor Bike Water Mist Fire Tender

Conclusion

Considering the large size & high vulnerability

of India from natural disasters as also CBRN

emergencies, it is imperative that all the

Response Agencies particularly, NDRF,

SDRF, Local Police, Civil Defence & Fire

Services train & equip themselves adequately

to meet any major challenge. Of course the

Army, Air Force & Navy have always played

a very important role in Disaster Response

and their valuable services will always be

sought in aid to Civil authorities during any

major disaster.

LIFE DETECTOR- 1 Works with seismic sensors and can detect up to 700 m

vertically and 60 m horizontally

LIFE DETECTOR- 2 Can detect persons buried inside rubbles at a range of 20-400 m

SEARCH AND LOCATION UNIT Can view victims with 12 ft probe and have facility for two way

communication with victim

AIR LIFTING BAG Can lift weights from 1.1 t to 72 t to a max height of 45 cm using

pneumatic power

Kosi Flood, 2008 Affected State –Bihar

Population affcetd – 33 Million Houses affected – 2,85,000

Personnel Deployment for Rescue

& Relief – 800

Inflatable Boats – 171

Drinking water bottles – 4.2 lacs

Rescued more than 1 Lac People

NDRF IN BELLARY RESCUE

“B” “A”

4th

3rd

5th

2nd 1st &

G/Floor

Men in actionNDRF IN BELLARY RESCUE

NDRF IN JAPAN

NDRF IN JAPAN

Light Vehicle Water Mist Fire Tender

Motor Bike Water Mist Fire Tender

• Operates in a set of

three motor Bikes.

• Two for Fire Fighting

and one for MFR.

• Total Crew of six

personnel.