EXPLORING DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

By

Prof. Chandan Ghosh, NIDM

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In tackling Disasters

Let’s try our best possibly

In the quest of

Our Faithfulness to the GOD almighty   (? )

Our Knowledge, knowhow, supportive environs  (?) 

Resources, analytical power,  data-mining  (?)

Scientific, experimental, technical acumen   (?)

Rehearsing

Our Hard work, sincerity, skills, man power    (?)

Modeling, predicting, early warning tenacity  (?)

Ideology, budgetary support, attitudinal idiosyncrasy   (?)

Trying, befalling, deadline friendly cultural ethnicity (?)

Let’s look forward to

Nurturing

Our undeterred  outlook in managing and

Fortifying disaster response teams amid

Amending DM-Act and making effective DM system

That become operative in plans and reports

Dictating

Everything under the tutelage of relief managers

Who despite having trained to adapt IRS

Remain hapless until disaster events

Drive all into grave crises and panicky

Ordering

Thru’ emergent meeting to edifice crisis mongers

 In the proliferation of lot more punitive

Yet toothless regulating authorities made for

Exerting conditional blockages to seamless operations

Regulating

All developmental activities in the Himalaya

Charged by the oath for protecting environs that

Creating uncertain cloud bursts and flash flood

Uprooting our establishments by landslides

Creating

Enigmatic shadow in the name of enviro-degradation

To which EIA officials continue to play role

In the data-mining for the software input

Often tuned enough to satisfy distorted whims of few

Getting

Woefully busy in sanctioning man-made activities

In several counts under the run-of-the river projects

In some vested manners and spirit we continue to see

All formalities in files but for the sake of the Himalaya

Delegating 

Responsible organs to take on the complaints

Filed thru’ PILs and RTIs by some of the affected

Who run from pillar to post to fend their rights

And privilege to live peacefully adoring Himalaya

Expecting

Much of the share of the resources and energy

Tapped out of the multipurpose projects

Alluring pilgrimage for the sake of affluent living

In tune with all that enjoyed by those living in plains

Let’s unite for the cause

Voicing

Our concern to respond to every such clarion

Call from the Nature by re-jigging us from slumber

Ordering our organised forces to tackle situation

Much to the need of the victims on compassion

Ordering

Command and poring relief packets from the sky

Counting on the fortitude and courage shorn

By Army, NDRF and many faith based organisations

Mounting with figures and heating debates in the media

Orchestrating

Hi-flying teams often sans subject specialities

To oversee the damages and losses sans quantifying tools

Followed up by surveys and sanctioning budget

For the states suffering the blunt of the shaking

Follow up actions 

In the name of post-disaster need assessment

And submitting reports after organising disaster tourism

Thereafter, conducting seminar-symposium-talk-show

For the sake of awareness drive and seasoned life style

Nay!

By all might the country has achieved several milestones

In keeping our organized forces in perfect order

Making them effectively functional gratifying in

Coordinating response and relief operations

Despite

Tattered by misgivings of the communication

Network and unrealised early warning system

Unmindfully maintained by nodal agencies

Leave us at our fate unaware, uncalled for

Yet

We shall continue to unravel our lacunae

In the name of disaster preparedness

Till we come forward with all sincerity

While wrapping up the truth before

Taking ownership by anybody for the

Unbecoming of our resilience syndrome

While every event takes us a bit closer to

Revisit and have reality check on our preparedness! 

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        We are a gifted nation; but disaster preparedness is still an option to choose

We are really God gifted nation and the fortunate people in such a huge numbers, not caring enough to those creation of present generation and not looking at what will happen after the life span of buildings/monuments/multistorey complexes will be finished by another few decades or so,. We are having all the 10 (?) Avtars born n lived in this piece of land and defining all Yugas that brought so much glories vs. fighting wars for the definite last...,

We are adoring Mother Nature thru' Hymns/Slokas (that even giving the formula for speed of sun light, i.e. 3 lakh km/s, which was proved by scientific world in 1749 only). We are also having excellent treatise on varied philosophy/subjects much before other creatures on this Earth could even imagine to do so..almost all "names"/nomenclatures in the modern atomic theories are somehow or other ways found originated from our ancient masterpieces...
...But while running trains in our country we often go by the numbers of KM of the track being spread by the worlds biggest employer (?) 

We are having so many no. of stations about a KM length of the longest platform...but when it comes to average speed or efficiency of the rail track and system of signalling or even getting so many Head on collisions/accidents though running at slower speed ....we rather take a sigh of contentment with the past and try to refer back to British era and thereby rebuking all developments that have taken place since then....

....when we look at our modern railway infrastructure we first look at the amount of billion or huge budget being earmarked for such  adventure, which are already traded elsewhere and trying to fit in our conditions ... in the last few decades we have given so much attention in the IRCTC booking system or even taking AC-II tier reject passengers by Air India....

....when these systems are shaken with earthquake or many other hazards...it's really hard to pinpoint which is the best way out..however, for knowledge sake this link on Japan train system after 9.1 Mar 11, 2011 earthquake Tsunami may be throwing some light ..http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature122751/