Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007
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Tamil Nadu
The number of people at risk from disasters is growing CHENNAI: Issues of preparing for disasters and post-disaster relief will be addressed in the 11th Plan, Vinod Chandra Menon, member, National Disaster Management Authority, said on Thursday. Stressing the importance of preparation , he said the package, to be incorporated into the Plan, would combine sound theories with practical tools, and would involve community participation. Tackling climate change, a serious issue for policymakers, would involve adopting more people-friendly emission reduction strategies rooted in communities. According to U.N. estimates, the number of people at risk from disasters was growing by seven-eight crore every year, and 90 per cent of them were in the developing world. Which was why it was important to build a culture of prevention, Prof. Menon said. However, it would not be easy to build such a culture as the benefits were not tangible. There were only disasters that did not happen and cause damage, so it would be difficult to convince people. He also outlined the course that the disaster management movement took since the 1990s, when the United Nations General Assembly declared the period as the “International Decade for National Disaster Prevention.” Some of the goals were to increase public awareness of disasters, reduce risks and keep the community in a state of preparedness. Prof. Menon was speaking at the inaugural function of a training programme on the community-based hazard map development, organised by the NDMA, the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre and Anna University. Building the culture of prevention and strategic thinking, disaster reduction through preparedness, quick response and effective coordination at all levels were necessary, according to Governor Surjit Singh Barnala. Preparedness had to be activated right from the top to the grass roots of all disaster-prone areas. The Centre had made laudable efforts at constituting the National Disaster Management Authority even before the Disaster Management Act, 2005, was passed. Setting up of State Disaster Management Authorities under the leadership of the Chief Minister and the district authorities led by Collectors would pave the way for effective planning in disaster mitigation. Koji Suzuki, executive Director, ADRC, Japan, said individual involvement and mutual help at times of disaster was crucial. He also spoke about the Town Watch method to develop community-based hazard maps, the brainchild of Yujiro Ogawa of ADRC. Hiroyuki Wattage of ADRC provided an overview of the programme. D. Viswanathan, Vice-Chancellor, Anna University, said he hoped the sessions would benefit the community in evolving hazard maps.
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