SHORTFALLS IN OUR ENDEAVOURS
Some of the worst deficiencies in our disaster management infrastructure
are:
- Lack of trained personnel
- Resource mobilization and technology implementation at the right
time at the right place.
- Vulnerability of local telephone systems.
- Information log jam that invariably immobilizes efficient emergency
response,
- absence of a strategy catering to diverse contingencies
THE NEXT STEP
Recommendations Based on the deliberations and suggestions given
by the participants the following is the summary of recommendations
of the Apex Forum:
- Spread general awareness amongst the people on how technology
can help them in fighting disasters and leading a better life.
- Create building construction code and scrupulously implement it
for protection from earthquake, fire, floods etc.
- Create information centres and ensure transparency, integrity,
urgency and responsiveness in its dissemination.
- Create adequate resources quick to establish and easy to deploy
mobile communications on diverse media with redundancy.
- Acquire early warning resources and ensure their deployability
at warfooting.
- Create adequate capability in air transportation.
- Establish research facilities in emerging technologies that are
highly relevant to mitigation, warning and response to disasters,
e.g., artificial intelligence, robotics, genetic engineering, NBC
warfare, 3G wireless, radar, sensors and satellite based search
and rescue systems.
- Incorporate electronic-counter-counter-measures (ECCM) in communication
systems that cater to emergencies.
- Prepare for a possible electronic Kargil and information black-out.
- Create smart networks and C3I systems.
- Blueprint a civil defence system against NBC, genetic and terrorist
attacks.
- Establish a civil-military liaison network for exchange of intelligence
and joint operations against imposed calamities and natural disasters.
- Initiate measures to protect national information infrastructure
(NII).
- Create databases of scientific expertise, resource availability
and organizations engaged in warning, mitigation, response, relief
and rehabilitation work.
- Adopt technologies that are operational and can be put to use
with little effort and cost.
- Take steps to reduce human suffering and economic loss caused
by natural and man-made disasters.
- Make sure that disaster prevention and mitigation are integral
part of national development programmes.
- Promote capacity-building, and establishing partnerships with
the international and scientific community working on disaster issues.
- Ensure that disaster fighting and relief equipment is air transportable
and so located that it can be moved quickly to the disaster site.
- Acquire space and air based sensors in addition to ground based
sensors, which may also have a proportion which can be air seeded.
- Nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction have assumed great
importance in view of capabilities of our adversaries and ever increasing
threat from terrorists. Therefore, concerted effort is called for
development of defensive measures including early warning and psychological
preparation of the people.
IETE: Agenda for Action
Act as a think tank to find pragmatic solutions to the vexatious
issues and technological challenges connected with disasters, both
natural and man-made.
- Involve itself in liaison and co-ordination activities for development
of emerging technologies with suitable support from the Government.
- Create a corpus and establish a research seat under the Board
of Research on appropriate and relevant technologies.
- Establish information centres and set up databases on various
facets of disaster management with support from the Government agencies
and in collaboration with international and national organizations
engaged in similar tasks.
- Cooperate with international and national organizations, in particular
the World Bank and ProVention Consortium and provide technical support
to the World Bank operations in India.
- Initiate training programmes for improving the management of disaster
risk in the vulnerable and inaccessible regions and help build information
and telecommunication infrastructure.
- Help the Government in promoting sustainable projects and initiatives
that incorporate effective prevention of disasters.
- Set up HAM stations at various centres of the Institution and
impart training.
- Promote education, training, technical support and partnership
with other social organizations in the areas of disaster prevention,
mitigation and response.
- Dr Mashelkar proposed that the suggestions and recommendations
of this conference be collated and presented to the National Disaster
Management Group constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri Sharad
Pawar. Copy of the proceedings of this Forum should also be sent
to the National Institutions for their inputs, comments and information.
Conclusion
The province and scope of crisis management and emergency response
have grown partly because the man has fiddled with the nature and
environment and partly because human is pitted against human. The
changes that technology has brought about are both benevolent and
malevolent. Disaster-planning, response, mitigation, and recovery
efforts using new high-tech methodologies and devices are undergoing
metamorphosis as indeed new methods of destruction are being invented.
"When cooperation and cohesiveness become the rule of the road, when
learning curves flatten out a bit, and when responders turn more comfortable
with their new high-tech tools, then the business of dealing with
disasters will become more efficient and effective."
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