The annual pre-monsoon work is on – it can be seen with workers clearing drains on the streets – but it needs much more to be done. The government that reviewed the work said it is fully prepared to face the monsoon and the challenges that it brings along. As per the review meeting of the Disaster Management Authority, 24×7 control rooms will be activated from May 15, and various departments have been asked to inspect areas prone to flooding, landslides and put preventive measures in place. The plans for this year, however, have to take into consideration the natural disasters of last year and also the various reports of climate change that focus on varying weather patterns.
The experience of the previous year puts additional pressure on the State government and the Disaster Management Authority to pull up its socks and get the State ready to meet any eventuality. Last year, in mid May, the State experienced the fury of Cyclone Tauktae and for days after that the signs of the devastation it had caused were still visible. It was one cyclone that had effectively paused life in Goa. Yet, it had been forecast days earlier, but Goa was just not prepared to meet it despite marathon meetings held by the district disaster management teams prior to the cyclone. That cyclone exposed just how unprepared Goa was to meet any natural disaster. While most of Goa suffered for just those few days, there are others who have still not been compensated for the losses caused by the cyclone. Just this week the farmers of Ugvem complained that they are yet to receive the compensation. The planning for the monsoon preparedness should include the post disaster measures of compensation so that it can be done quickly.
Cyclone Tauktae was one example, there was another disaster last year and Goa has to keep in mind the floods of July 2021 which have been described as the worst in 40 years and the disaster management plan has to be geared towards mitigating the effects of such a flood on the land and the people. It is always better to be over prepared rather than under prepared as the latter leads to mishandling the rescue efforts for want of preparation. Natural disasters cannot be predicted too well in advance, but Goa has been experiencing a change in its weather patterns and cyclones that in earlier years were not too common on the Arabian Sea are now being experienced more often. Cyclone Tauktae is one such phenomenon, the floods of July another and these have to be factored in the plans.
Goa requires quick relief measures, with the response time of the teams at the minimum. What was seen after the floods in the eastern areas of Goa last year were photographs of politicians on inspection visits being uploaded on social media sites and being circulated, with little concern to what the people who had been affected by the flood may have being going through. Goa does not need that, it needs genuine concern that immediately mitigates the suffering of those caught by the natural disaster.
The aim of the Disaster Management Authority this year should be to do better than in the previous year. Cursory planning should be replaced by broad plans that take into account all eventualities and rescue efforts are aimed at quick response. This is important as the monsoon is an annual feature and Goa is prepared, but what it is not geared up for are the sudden cyclones and floods, which are not regular features of the season. The thunders storms in the current month that have been accompanied by wind are a precursor to what Goa can expect in the monsoon months. The preparations have to be aimed at meeting that.
