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Need for
Disaster Management In Manipur
By Dr W Budhendra Singh
Amid the high decibels of the discussion about the new Government, what is generally being ignored is the precarious condition of the physical environment. Why should the stability of the physical environment matter more to us than the stability of our political environment? The reason is that the disastrous consequences of the destruction and degradation are affecting our lives in many different ways.
The stark facts remains: e.g. there many months in the year when there is so little water that you can cross them without wetting your knees. At other times you cannot see the opposite bank; they became an expense of muddy turbulence sweeping villages, trees and cattle before them. Is there nothing we can do to prevent such disastrous annual inundations, followed by months of aridity while arable lands along their route lie parched and thirsty?
Here, disaster and disaster management both in the informal and formal sector have become one of the most important issues, which seem to have little awareness among us particularly among the general population. Disaster is a sudden, extremely unfortunate happening that affect many people. The motto and spirit of Disaster Management is to reduce risks from disaster, to save lives and ensure that health and its development do not stop in situation of instability, emergency and post conflict, but continued through relief and recovery.
Such destructive phenomenon may be due to natural occurrence (flood, cyclone and hailstorm, landslides and earthquakes), accident (motor vehicles, plane crash and fire etc.), terrorism (ambushes, bomb blast), mass mob, epidemic (communicable disease like gastroenteritis, malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS etc), biological warfare (Anthrax etc.) and very importantly ethical clashes (as we have witnessed the last couple of years). The list is endless. Any disaster can befall upon mankind deeply involving the responsibility of the public authorities. Owing to their diversity and their extent, disasters often render social groups struck in such a way, making them incapable to aiding themselves with their own resources which are generally destroyed, diminished or rendered inoperative.
The sadness of a natural catastrophic event leads to the stupefaction of relief work. It is, therefore, the task of the public authorities to foresee the possibility of any disaster and to take appropriate safeguard of lives and property to the almost, and afterward to ensure a speedy return to normal life in the stricken region to the best of their ability. It is also to reduce the loss of life, burden of disaster and disability in emergencies and post transitions by ensuring the presence and operational capacity in the field to strengthen coordinated public health and hospital management for optional immediate impact, collective learning and health sector accountability.
GOAL:
The operational goal of such authorities should be to:
a) Identify priority health and disaster issues and ensuring these are properly addressed in an integrated health care approach that preserves and strengthen health system.
b) Strengthening the surveillance system to enable monitoring of any changes, early warning of deterioration and immediate life saving action through outbreak responses and technically sound interventions.
c) Ensure good quality and access to basic preventive and curative case.
d) Ensure that risk related to environment are recognized and properly managed.
e) Ensure that humanitarian health assistance is in line with National & International standards and local priorities.
f) Advocate and negotiate for securing humanitarian aids, neutrality and protection health workers, service and structures as integral part of public health promotion.
g) Define an integrated health policy for preparedness, emergency response and post conflict, for a coherent health sector development resilient to emergencies, to link relief reform with National and State capacities and initiate future health system reform.
MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN:
Out of many natural hazards the nature, origin, perception of hazards, the general guide lines for disaster management etc, some of the very important aspects are as follows:
i) Training to be imparted to all the local medical and paramedical persons in emergency medical services relevant to disaster management and local hospital and dispensaries to equip with emergency medicine and equipment.
ii) Preparation of the list of all Government offices and volunteers from police force, civil defense, local administration, school and colleges, home guard, fire service, panchayat members etc. and members of the established local NGOs. These persons are to be trained in emergency rescue, relief and rehabilitation work. Periodic drills to be undertaken for these trained persons.
iii) Each district should have appropriate “Disaster Management Plan” having details of necessary measures for providing immediate rescue, relief and assistance to the disaster victims. This should be reviewed by the Chief Secretary of the State in every four month.
iv) Different Task forces under unified command of the District Magistrate/ Deputy Commissioner/ Collector should be identified beforehand. This task force may be as liaison-transmission service, welfare and temporally accommodation service, Medical Service, Welfare and Temporary Accommodation Service and Transport and Public Work Service. They should be prepared to take up their respective responsibility within shortest possible time.
From the large casualties and damages, rescue and relief cannot be fully effective unless it is speedy and unless there are enough trained people with technical knowledge and operational competence have sufficient equipments selected to the needs and to the terrain. Operational co-ordination is the basic rule of action to be observed if the best use is to be made of personnel and equipment. This coordination should come into play both within each group and between groups, being especially necessary if the stricken zone is extensive, the numbers of casualties are high and the damage is serious and varied.
Lastly, the media has the main role to play. Sometimes irresponsible accounts by media giving distorted, inaccurate and disturbing accounts upsets public opinion and undermines country’s confidence leading to impediment in relief operations. Therefore, media should be told beforehand to act in responsible ways. At the same time, the authorities should be able to foresee, to safeguard and to construct in the disaster management plan and action.
(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)
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