Disaster Management in India : Technologies

[engineer.akash]

Update here various technologies put in use to prevent/mitigate effects of disasters.

[think-tank]

http://www.ndmindia.nic.in/

National Policy on Disaster Management(NPDM)

Promotion of Amateur Radio for Emergency Preparedness and Response

Strategy Paper on - Prevention/Protection and Mitigation from Risk of Tsunami Disasters.

[p2p4]

I posted a very long post about Disaster Management in India and it got deleted for reasons I have no clue about ! I covered the police, the Fire Services and the Military AND - biggest of all, the Medical professionals - especially those dealing with trauma / orthopaedic cases.

I also wrote at lengths how the aam janata in India - in all good intentions - make the work of amubulance and fire service ambulance services difficult by trying to yank out injured persons from sites of accidents / natural calamities etc..

3 pages of information gone to deleted-land ! I have no patience to write it up again but to cut a long story short, DISASTER MANAGEMENT exists in India - ON PAPER... but it is quite a different story as to how state level govts and central govt pays no heed to requests / recommendations made by panels and professionals who want to make a difference

I will write my lengthy post again when I have enough time with sources quoted from India's medical / fire / police depts.

[Euromast]

Some Info

[nandan_ks]

Spiritual way

[engineer.akash]

Mangalore : MSEZ

[engineer.akash]

38 Indian cities fall in moderate to high risk seismic zones

Top metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata fall under moderate to high risk seismic zones of the country, the National Disaster Management Authority has said.

“Earthquake is a major issue of concern. Over 58.6 per cent of land in India is highly vulnerable to earthquakes and 38 cities fall under moderate to high risk seismic zones,” NDMA Vice Chairman Shashidhar Reddy told PTI.

Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Greater Mumbai, Kochi, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Patna, Ahmedabad, Dehradun are some of the cities falling in the vulnerability zone.

Noting that a large number of buildings constructed in the past have not been made earthquake resistant, he said, “NDMA is ensuring that the new constructions that come up are disaster resistant and the old buildings are retrofitted.”

The NDMA is training a large number of architects, engineers and masons to make sure that any new construction that comes up is earthquake resistant.

“To have a typography study, a team of experts from six IITs led by IIT-Mumbai is working together to classify buildings in 10 different types, to make all buildings earthquake resistant,” he said.

A senior NDMA official said that 235 districts fall in the seismic zones IV and V.

“We need to take into consideration structural safety, mitigation and preparedness and immediate response. Lifeline buildings and telephone booths need to be retrofitted and critical installations in zone IV areas should not be allowed,” the official said.

He said in spite of Japan being highly equipped and fully prepared, when disaster struck, the country was devastated.

“It reminds us of our vulnerability. Disaster management is not a one-day job. We have already done mistakes in not closely monitoring our constructions in the past.”

Since making all buildings earthquake resistant is a state subject, NDMA has already written to almost all the states to ensure safe construction as per disaster management guidelines.

However, a senior official rued “No substantial response has been received so far.”

The Hindu

[engineer.akash]

National disaster risk management project launched in AP

Hyderabad April 28:
The Centre on Thursday launched the World Bank-funded National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project I in Andhra Pradesh, in what is described as the first disaster risk management initiative to be implemented across the country.

In the first phase, the three-year project will be implemented in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and will be extended to 13 other coastal states in a phased manner.

The project is being financed through a $ 225-million credit being provided by the International Development Association, the World Bank's concessionary lending arm, with 35 years to maturity and a 10-year grace period.

The project is proposed as a Centrally-sponsored project with 75 per cent contribution by the Centre as grant-in-aid and matching 25 per cent contribution by the State Government.

In the State, the project will cover the nine coastal districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, east Godavari, west Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore.

The projects will have three components — one to improve the warning systems for coastal communities through installation and operation of an early warning communication and dissemination system and strengthen the capacity of coastal communities to maintain and operate the system; two involving construction of emergency shelters and evacuation procedures and the third envisaging provision of technical assistance to capacity building exercises at the State and national level.

Dr T. Radha, Andhra Pradesh Commissioner for Disaster Management, said the project will be taking a number of pioneering initiatives in disaster management.

According to the plan drawn out by the Government, the project, in the next couple of months, will focus on awarding contracts for building cyclone building shelters. Contracts worth Rs 130 crore will be awarded by the end of June this year.

Mr N.V.V. Raghava, World Bank's Task Team Leader for the Project, said the World Bank is pleased with the efforts made by the Andhra Pradesh Government in orienting its departments for the implementation of the project.

The Hindu

[engineer.akash]

8-km-deep hole in Koyna to predict earthquakes

TNN, Apr 27, 2011, 03.14am IST
NEW DELHI: About 300 km from the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant, Indian scientists are all set to drill an 8-km hole in the earth's crust for prediction of earthquakes. Announcing this, minister of state for earth sciences Ashwani Kumar on Tuesday, however, denied that the choice of location had anything to do either with the proposed plant or the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The study costing Rs 300 crore will be carried out in the quake-prone Koyna region in association with the International Continental Drilling Programme. "One of the reasons that make prediction of earthquakes difficult is that both the origin and the timing have to be calculated to perfection. By drilling the hole, scientists will be able to monitor disturbances in the subsoil and thus predict both," a senior official of the ministry said. The entire project will take two-five years but the first findings will start to come in within eight months of commencement of work.

The Koyna region, home to a large hydel project, is a highly active seismic zone and would provide scientists an opportunity to study earthquakes real time and also help in identifying its early signs. Leading seismologists met in Hyderabad last month to draw up the final plan for the project. Provisions for the project will be made in the 12th five year plan.

Explaining the reasons for the choice of Koyna, scientists described the region as unique as very severe earthquakes continue to occur there four decades after the initial spurt in activity.

Kumar also spoke about India's efforts to scour the ocean bed for biomolecular drugs and spoke about the need for scientific institutions and the ministry to work in close cooperation.

TOI

[Cov Boy]

There will be a earthquake somewhere in India & I fear that it will be a calamity with many deaths like the one in Bhuj, Gujarat in 1998.

[tall_dreams]

Somewhere I read a huge earthquake is going to happen in the subhimalayan region in the distant future.

[murlee]

Let that "distant future" be really really distant!!

[Illusionist]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKr9I8P0J1s

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Sept. 10: Advanced disaster management technologies with proper infrastructure will now enable the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) to effectively implement various projects, including Integrated Guwahati Flood Management Project, it had undertaken, officials claimed today.

They said this during the inauguration of a new ASDMA office at Assam secretariat by chief minister Tarun Gogoi today. State revenue and disaster management minister Prithibi Majhi was present on the occasion.

After Gujarat and Odisha, the state disaster management authority is the third in the country to have its own office.

Gogoi said: “Starting from a small initiative, the ASDMA has today grown up to this stage where it is well equipped in handling various forms of disasters, be it natural or man-made. The authority has also undertaken research in different topics related to different forms of disasters. With greater facilities at its disposal, it should continue its endeavour to create a disaster management system that will not only tackle disasters but also prevent loss of lives and property in a possible disaster.”

“The ASDMA together with the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had undertaken the Integrated Guwahati Flood Management Project to find a permanent solution to the perennial problem of flash floods in the city. The DDMA is working on this project and no doubt the new infrastructure will highly help in implementing this ambitious project,” state project officer of the ASDMA, Nandita Hazarika, said.

The particular project is of great significance if the prevailing situation in the city is to be taken into account. Different measures undertaken by the civic authorities and the water resources department to desilt numerous drains and the Bharalu and Bahini rivers have failed to yield any tangible result so far as has been proved by the recent floods in the city. Several areas remained submerged under dirty water for days causing severe inconvenience to people.

The new office of the ASDMA has facilities for geographic information system (GIS) activities and different modes of communications like video conferencing which, if put to appropriate use, will facilitate a faster and efficient response to disasters that may strike at any place within the state.

“Earlier, though we had an office we were cramped and had difficulties in operating several scientific equipment there. But now with a proper office which is equipped with advanced disaster management technologies to provide crucial support in finding solution to various disaster-related crisis, we can expect greater efficiency from the staff,” Hazarika said.

At present, the ASDMA has undertaken 17 projects on different kinds of disasters plaguing the state.

The Telegraph