Information Technology and Natural Disaster Management in India
disaster preparedness and relief and obtains information from nodal officers on measures relating to the above. Figure 1 shows the Interaction Pattern in the Government.
Figure 1:Natural Hazards - The Interaction Pattern in the Government
The State Governments are autonomous in organising relief operations in the event of natural disaster and a long-term preparedness / rehabilitation measures. The State Governments efforts are supplemented by Central Government. There is a State Crisis Management Group (SCMC) under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary/Relief Commissioner to take into consideration the infrastructure and guidance received, from time to time, from Government of India and formulate action plans for dealing with different natural disasters.There is a State Level Control Room set up whenever a disaster situation develops.
States are further divided into districts, each headed by the District Collector (also known as the District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner), who is the focal point at the district level for directing, supervising and monitoring relief measures for disaster and for preparation of district level plans. The Collector exercises coordinating and supervisory powers over functionaries of all the departments at the District level. The relief measures are reviewed by the District Relief Committee consisting of official and no-official members, including local legislators and members of parliament. In the wake of Natural disasters, a Control Room is set up in the District for day-to-day monitoring of the rescue and relief operations on a continuing basis.
The Collector/Deputy Commissioner maintains close liaison with the Central Government authorities in the districts, namely, Army, Air Force an Navy, Ministry of Water Resources, etc., who supplement the effort of the District Administration in the rescue and relief operation.They also co-ordinates all voluntary efforts by mobilising the non-government organisations capable of working in such situations.
The armed forces of the country have played a vital role during disaster emergencies providing prompt relief to the victims even in the most inaccessible and remote areas of the country. The organisational strength of the armed forces with their disciplined and systematised approach, and with their skills in technical and human resource management make them indispensable for such emergency situations. India having a federal structure the integrated disaster management mechanism exists within the government framework.
7. Conclusions
It may be observed that advancement in Information Technology in the form of Internet, GIS, Remote Sensing, Satellite communication, etc. can help a great deal in planning and implementation of hazards reduction. For maximum benefit, new technologies for public communication should be made use and natural disaster mitigation messages should be conveyed through these measures. GIS can improve the quality and power of analysis of natural hazards assessments, guide development activities and assist planners in the selection of mitigation measures and in the implementation of emergency preparedness and response action. Remote Sensing, on the other hand, as a tool can very effectively contribute towards identification of hazardous areas, monitor the planet for its changes on a real time basis and give early warning to many impending disasters.Communication satellites have become vital for providing emergency communication and timely relief measures. Integration of space technology inputs into natural disaster monitoring and mitigation mechanisms is critical for hazard reduction. It is absolutely necessary to create awareness amongst the public as well as decision makers for allocating resources for appropriate investments in information technology. Awareness and training in Information technology in a much grater measure is required to develop human resources, particularly in the developing countries, who are chronically suffer from natural disasters.
The disasters usually occur in the well-defined areas, even though the community does not know the coping mechanism for the disaster. The disaster mitigation programmes must be extensively taken up covering various aspects at national level to minimise the disaster damages. There should be a greater emphasis on development of new technologies in disaster mitigation. The disaster preparedness and awareness is the only effective way of mitigating the impact of future disasters.
8. References
- Sinha, Anil & Sharma, Vinod K., (1999),Culture of Prevention, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Disaster Management Division, New Delhi.
- Mandal, G. S. (1999), Forecasting and Warning Systems for Cyclones in India, Shelter, October, 1999, pp. 24-26.
- Sinha, Anil (1999), Relief Administration and Capacity Building for Coping Mechanism towards Disaster Reduction, Shelter, October, 1999, pp. 9-12.
