STATE DISASTER MANAGEMENT POLICY

SUBMITTED TO:Mrs. Tuhina SinhaDept. of Urban & Regional Planning

Act & Policy

An act to provide effective management of disaster, for mitigational effects of disaster, for administrering, facilitating, coordinating and monitoring, emergency relief during and after occurance of disasters and for implementing for reconstuction and rehabilitation in the aftermath of disasters.

A policy is just the way a government or politician goes about doing things. Their course of action, guiding principle, or procedure they take.

INTRODUCTION A disaster wipes out the gains achieved in decades of

development in the affected area. The poor and socio-economically weaker sections of people who are the most vulnerable to disasters.

While hazards are caused often due to factors that are beyond human control, vulnerability is generally a result of human activity.

Some patterns of consumption, production and development have the potential for increasing the vulnerability to natural disasters, particularly of the poor and socially disadvantaged groups.

Some of the root causes that increase the vulnerability of people are population size, poverty, illiteracy and lack of scientific approaches to prevention.

NEED FOR A POLICY

While disasters cannot be completely avoided, the vulnerability to various hazards can be sustainably and substantially reduced by planned prevention, mitigation and preparedness measures.

The need is to have a state specific policy that articulates its vision and strategy for disaster management in the state, which underscores that investments in prevention, mitigation and preparedness are much more cost effective than expenditure on relief and rehabilitation.

The policy laid down shall inform all spheres of Government activity and shall take precedence over all existing sectoral policies.

VISION

'A safer community and better quality of life in the State through holistic and comprehensive state of the art disaster management services‘

AIM

The state disaster management policy aims to minimize the loss of lives and social, private and commuunity assets because of natural or manmade disasters, and contribute to sustainable development and better standards of living for all, more specifically for the poor and vulnerable sections by ensuring that the development gains are not lost through natural calamities/disasters.

Comparison between Gujarat & OrissaGujarat Orissa

Policy Formation

2002 4th March, 2005

Types of disasters occurred

Earthquake, Cyclones, Drought and Tsunami

Floods, Cyclones, Earthquakes and Tsunami

Necessity To have proactive, comprihensive and sustained approach to disaster management to reduce the determental effects of disasters on overall socio economic development.

To have a specific policy for disaster management and to provide necessary guidelines on all aspects of emergency management.

Principles i. Integrating disaster management into development planning

ii. Sustainable and continuous approach

iii. Accommodating aspirations of people

i. proactive approach to disaster management and promote a culture of prevention and preparedness among individuals and institutions.

ii. Follow a multi-hazard approach to disaster management

iii. Focus on protection of the environment.

Indicator

Gujarat Odisha

The pre-disaster phase

Planned development, Development of policies and guidelines, Establishing a proper chain of command, Risk assessment, Develop disaster management plans, Develop repositories of information, Establish communication and technology networks, Developing early warning mechanisms, Establish flexible procedures, Funds generation

Integrating Disaster Management with Development Planning, Capacity Building,Planning for Disaster Management, Role clarity and unified command system, Trigger mechanism, Constitution of Specialised Task Forces, Risk assessment and vulnerability reduction, Role of local self-government, Community participation, Inventory of Resources

Indicator

Gujarat Orissa

During Phase Search & Rescue;

Subsistence, shelter, health and sanitation; Infrastructure and essential services, Security, Communication, Preliminary damage assessment, Funds generation; Finalizing relief payouts and packages

Monitoring Committee,Objective of Relief,Rescue & Medical care,Relief Personnel,Food & Shelter,Health and Sanitation; Trauma Counselling

Indicator

Gujarat Odisha

Post-Disaster Phase

Detailed damage assessment; Assistance to restore houses and dwelling units; Relocation; Finalizing reconstruction & rehabilitation plan; Funds generation; Funds disbursement and audit; Project management; Dispute resolution mechanisms; Implementing initiatives for recovery of reconstruction costs

Reconstruction Plan; Resource mobilisation; Rehabilitation of orphans and widows, Documentation

INTRODUCTION

The State of Odisha is located in Eastern India spreads over an area of 1,55,707 Sq km with a forest cover of 58,136.23 Square km.

Odisha has a coastline of about 480 Kms. It experiences natural calamities like Flood/Cyclone/Drought/Heat wave etc.

From March to October due to its geo-climatic conditions which leads to communicable & non communicable diseases, disabilities, injuries and deaths in the community.

The State experiences Heat wave conditions from March to June and sometimes the temperature recorded is above 45 degree C in 30 -40% of the districts.

Odisha is the fifth most flood prone State in our country followed by Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam & West Bengal.Source: Disaster response & management

plan 2014

State Profile

Date of Creation of Odisha State

1st April 1936

State Capital BhubaneswarNo. of Districts 30Urbanization Ratio

14.97%

Official Language

Odia

Temperature Max 48 deg.C (summer); Min 0 deg. C (winter)

Annual average rainfall

150 cm

Decadal Growth Rate

13.97%

Density of Population

269 per Sq. Km.

Literacy Rate 73.45%

Odisha is the 9th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population.

Administrative map of Odisha

Source: OSDMA

Aims & Objectives

1. To take up relief, restoration and reconstruction activities and measures for socioeconomic revival for mitigating the damages caused or likely to be caused due to any disaster;

2. To take up programmes and schemes that will prevent occurrence of any disaster or minimize the damaging effect due to any disaster;

3. To undertake specific studies to identify programmes and schemes to be taken up to evaluate the various measures taken and suggest suitable action;

Source: OSDMA

Aims & Objectives

4. To accept grants, donation, funds from the State Government, Government of India, bilateral or multi-lateral funding agencies, non governmental organization (NGOs), semi-governmental organizations, State Government and Central Government undertakings, public or private companies, trusts, private individuals interested in participating in or supporting the disaster mitigation works;

5. To raise loans if necessary; and 6. To utilize funds of the society either directly or through

Government Departments, State or Central Government undertakings, semi-government Organizations (NGOs), or private philanthropic organizations for achieving its aims and objectives.

Source: OSDMA

State Disaster Management Policy

Orissa is a disaster prone state. The recurring disasters like flood, drought & cyclone etc. have had a crippling effect on the economy of the state.

In the year 1999 a sever Cyclone followed by a Super cyclone lashed the entire coast of Orissa causing a large scale damage to the life and property.

The State Govt. felt it necessary to have a specific policy for disaster management and to provide necessary guidelines on all aspects of emergency management.

The focus of the policy shall be on total risk management and vulnerability reduction by strengthening the physical infrastructure to make the people increasingly disaster resilient as well.

Source: OSDMA

PRINCIPLES OF THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT POLICY

Take a proactive approach to disaster management and promote a culture of prevention and preparedness among individuals and institutions.

Shift from a relief and welfare approach to a rights and entitlement-based approach to humanitarian assistance.

Integrated Disaster Management into Development Policy and Planning.

Ensure quality at all stages of emergency management including prevention, mitigation, relief and reconstruction and make their adoption mandatory.

Source: OSDMA

Focus on protection of the environment. Promote inter agency coordination and cooperation for

Disaster Management. Establish a trigger mechanism for emergency operations. Promote a spirit of volunteerism, develop a cadre of well-

trained volunteers whose services will be utilised during emergencies.

Source: OSDMA

Decentralize management of disasters to the Block, Gram Panchayat /Municipality levels and strengthen their institutional and functional capacities to be effective.

Ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided in an equitable, consistent and predictable manner.

Emphasize participation of women in all stages of Disaster Management and predictable manner.

Recognize the higher vulnerability of children, elders, physically and mentally challenged, during and after emergencies and design interventions accordingly.

Source: OSDMA

STRATEGY

Disaster Management will have an integrated approach covering the 3 phases of disaster. The pre-disaster phase The response phase and The recovery and Rehabilitation phase

The community affected/ vulnerable to disasters

Volunteer based organisations such as NSS, NCC, Indian Red Cross, Civil Defence, Scouts and Guides, Nehru Yuva Kendra, etc.

Civil Society Organizations including Community-based Organizations

Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies

Police, Home Guards, paramilitary forces

Coordinated efforts of some or all the following stakeholders would be required for effective disaster management:

District Administration Orissa Disaster Rapid

Action Force (ODRAF) Special Relief

Organisation Orissa State Disaster

Mitigation Authority (OSDMA)

State Govt. Departments Govt. of India

organisations, agencies in the State

Public Sector Organisations

Private Sector Organisations

United Nations Agencies

Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation

Integrated Disaster Mangement with Development Planning: All aspects of disaster management will be integrated with the normal development planning at all levels.

Capacity Building: The Government will consciously promote programmes and projects to augment the capacity of the State and the people to be better prepared to face disasters.

Planning for Disaster management: The Disaster Management Act will give statutory backing to some of the essential functions and agencies; define their roles, duties and responsibilities in all the three stages.

Role clarity and unified command syatem: A clear chain of command will be established with Special Relief Organisation as the nodal agency for rescue and relief operations and OSDMA as the nodal agency for preparatory, preventive, mitigative and reconstruction activities.

Trigger mechanism: A trigger mechanism will be put in place, which would ensure warning dissemination, quick/ advance mobilisation of human and other resources, prompt evacuation and rescue operations as well as steps for recovery and reconstruction.

Constitution of Specilalised Task Forces: Specialised Action Group(s) will be formed and provided with the required training and equipment to enable them to carry out search and rescue work, establish communications, provide emergency medical services, set up temporary shelters, maintain law & order.

Risk assessment and Vulnerabilty reduction: A systematic risk assessment for different types of disasters will be undertaken and coordinated by the OSDMA.

Role of local self government: Being closest to the people, the role of the local self-government institutions assumes greater importance in disaster management.

Community Participation: The Government will actively promote, through its own agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders, active community participation in risk assessment, vulnerability analysis, mitigation, planning and implementation of response and rehabilitation activities.

Coordination: All agencies at the State and District levels will inform the concerned officials (MD, OSDMA/ SRC/ concerned District Collector) before the commencement of any new activities and submit necessary reports requested for or published by the agency.

Training Institutions and Training of stakeholders: The government, in order to improve disaster management capacity in the State, will give emphasis on training at all levels.

Communication System: Constant endeavour will be made to make the communication systems linking the State, District, Block, Gram Panchayat as failsafe as possible. Communication facilities in cut-off areas will receive special consideration.

Inventory Of Resources: A detailed inventory of resources, both human and material, available with all stakeholders required for emergency management functions will be prepared at the State, District, Block and GP/ Municipality levels.

Shelter needs Strengthening of Infrastructure: An assessment of shelter requirements during emergencies in areas vulnerable to frequent disasters like floods and cyclones will be made.

Control Room and Emergency Operation Center: The district control rooms will be strengthened adequately. During emergencies temporary control rooms will be set up as close as possible to the location of the crisis.

Source: OSDMA

Environmental Protection: One of the most important components of Disaster mitigation is protection of the eco system. Efforts will be made to preserve and protect these systems with people’s cooperation.

Risk Transfer: The State Government, wherever necessary, in collaboration with the Government of India will promote effective and comprehensive insurance coverage.

Revision and Updation of Policy: The Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority will revise and update the policy as and when required.

KEY ACTIVITIES DURING THE RESPONSE PHASE

Monitoring Committee Objective of Relief Rescue & Medical Care Relief Personnel Food and Shelter Health and Sanitation

Surface Communication Securing Information Information Sharing Transparency Early Transition to

Rehabilitation

Source: OSDMA

Monitoring Committee: An official committee headed by the Chief Secretary will meet more frequently to monitor and deal with the situation.

Objective of Relief: Relief activities will be designed to address the immediate needs of victims with special emphasis on the vulnerable.

Rescue & Medical Care: The first priority after the impact will be to rescue and provide medical care to the people, who have been trapped, injured or marooned.

Relief Personnel: Often during prolonged periods of emergencies, relief personnel suffer from stress. Arrangements would be made for prompt and proper stress management of emergency personnel and volunteers.

Food and Shelter: Immediate need of food, including those for infants, potable drinking water and temporary shelter will be addressed at the earliest.

Health and Sanitation: All efforts including disinfection of contaminated water sources will be made to prevent outbreak of epidemic.

Surface Communication: Immediate restoration of surface communication and telecommunication will be accorded the highest priority.

Security: Adequate arrangements will be made, if necessary, to provide security for smooth movement of relief materials. Security will also be provided in the relief camps. Cooperation of persons enjoying social esteem and local trained volunteers will be solicited.

Information Sharing: To ensure dissemination of information and to prevent spread of disinformation and rumour the SRC and the Collector will release bulletins and brief the Press from time to time keeping Govt. informed.

Transparency: Transparency in relief, reconstruction and mitigation activities will be maintained by all agencies.

Early Transition to Rehabilitation: In order that human dignity is not compromised, efforts will be made to ensure a smooth and quick transition from Relief to Rehabilitation phase where food security needs would be combined with peoples’ participation in creating and renovating community assets.

KEY ACTIVITIES IN RECOVERY AND REHABILITION PHASE Reconstruction Plan: A detailed and objective damage assessment will be

done in the affected area in order to size up and prioritise restoration, reconstruction and rehabilitation measures within the shortest possible time.

Resource mobilisation: To augment the resources available with the State Govt. assistance from Union Government, public and private sector and from other agencies will be sought with the approval of the State Government.

Rehabilitation of orphans and widows: For the rehabilitation of orphans and widows a community-based approach will be adopted. Institutional rehabilitation will be considered only as an alternative option.

Documentation: The OSDMA will document various disaster events, highlighting lessons learnt in association with other involved organizations.

Source: OSDMA

Task force members persuading villagers to evacuate

Map Showing flood prone areas of Odisha

Source: OSDMA

Map Showing Cyclone zones areas of Odisha

Source: OSDMA

Map Showing Earthquake zones areas of Odisha

Source: OSDMA

Map Showing Tsunami prone areas of Odisha

Source: OSDMA

THANKING YOU

References: Odisha Disaster Management Authority WebsiteDisaster and Response Management Plan 2014

Disaster Management Planning- Khanna