Disaster Management Policy must for Goa

Every time we have a natural or manmade disaster we are found wanting in our ability to handle it to minimise damage, take preventive measures and provide relief to those affected. So also with Cyclone Ockhi where we are again waking up after the event has taken place. To make matters worse we have Manohar Parrikar claiming that Goa will have a new Disaster Management policy in place soon. But the question to be asked is what is the existing policy? Under this policy if one exists why was nothing done? These claims that a new policy will be drafted in Goa only underlies that there was no existing policy to handle disasters and to hide that fact the government is talking of a new policy.

With India aspiring super-power and technologically advanced country status, the inability to give adequate early warning recently to our fishermen in the southern States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka about Cyclone Ockhi is somewhat distressing. Thousands of fishermen from these States have been affected with some deaths, many rescued and hundreds still missing. This is a serious lapse on the part of the IMD and the State authorities to be responsible for causing human tragedy at such a large scale. As is usual the ball is being lobbied back and forth between the agencies mentioned above about the notices of the imminent cyclone not having been received in time from the IMD, while the IMD claims that though they advised on time the State authorities have been remiss in their duty to inform the fishermen. In any case, the tragedy remains a fact. 

The laxity on the part of the IMD and the State authorities could stem from the belief that on India's western coast cyclones are rare. The cyclone-prone zone in India is the eastern and south-eastern seaboard off the Bay of Bengal which being ravaged by many cyclones during the season are as we are told fitted with a network of cyclone warning weather radars for almost the entire coast. The State authorities in this part of the country particularly after the last tsunami about a decade ago take the job of informing the local population about the impending cyclones with great seriousness and expeditiously so that people can take protective measures. 

The western coast in these matters is somewhat lax considering the incidence of cyclones being few and far between. But Cyclone Ockhi may be the first of many to hit the western coast from now on considering climate change and unusual weather patterns that we have been seeing around the world. Therefore it is imperative that we get our cyclone warning weather radars installed throughout the western coast so that there is some local intelligence about these natural events rather than have to depend on IMD all the time. 

Not only that State authorities have to gear up local administration to inform the local population of the impending natural disaster quickly and effectively so that preventive and protective measures are taken to protect the people. India aspiring to be a super-power need to accept the responsibilities that goes along with that status.