Technology, Information and
Communication Technology
(ICT), mobile communication
for dissemination of early warning
and alert messages, Geographical
information Systems, Global
Positioning System (GPS),
General Pocket Radio Service
(GPRS), Remote Sensing, Voice
over Internet Protocol (VoIP),
Radio over Internet Protocol
(RoIP), Scenario Analysis
and Modelling, biometrics for
family reunification in disasters
and complex humanitarian
emergencies, Digital elevation
M odels and bathymetry for
tsunami inundation modeling,
early warning systems, Doppler
radars, etc. are being increasingly
used by many countries. In India,
the Department of Information
Technology’s satellite-linked
Common Service Centres (CSCs)
c an be used to disseminate
critical life saving messages
in local languages and dialects
to disaster-prone communities
instead of spending huge amounts
of money on television channels
for brief spots and incurring large
expenditure on advertisements
in newspapers and magazines.
The printing of public awareness
messages on postal stationery and
on railway tickets and boarding
passes of airlines will also have
the desired impact because of
the opportunity to familiarize
those who handle such products
in everyday routine use with
life-saving messages. A judicious
mix of indigenous traditional
knowledge and modern technology
is required to reach various
stakeholder groups for greater
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public awareness on disaster risk
and vulnerability.
Need to Strengthen Capacities of
all Stakeholders
Capacity building of various
stakeholder groups is one of
the most formidable challenges
in a large nation facing high
risk from multiple disasters.
Training, public awareness,
research and education in disaster
management must reach out to
communities for strengthening
disaster preparedness, prevention,
mitigation, emergency response,
disaster resilient reconstruction
and recovery at local levels. It is
necessary to involve civil society
organizations, community based
organizations, corporate sector
entities, local administration
officials, elected representatives
and professionals in these activities.
The experience of Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka in the 2009 floods
of washing away of 7.5 lakh houses
and 5.5 lakh houses respectively
must compel public functionaries
to ensure that all mass housing
schemes like Indira Awas Yojana
in the rural areas and Rajiv Awas
Yojana in urban and peri-urban
areas must comply with disaster
resilience features so that we are
not reconstructing risk in disasterprone areas. The approach document
of the 12th Five Year Plan has
observed that “a major weakness
of the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY)
has been the quality of housing.
There have been complaints
about weak foundations, poor
roofing materials and incomplete
constructions. There is a clear need
for developing and popularising
innovative, location-specific
technologies, materials, designs
and methods through a network
of institutions, which could result
in low-cost, environment friendly
and disaster resistant houses as per
local cultural preferences. Better
systems for monitoring of the
programme are also required.”
It has to be recognized by
all stakeholder groups that the
temptation to claim post-disaster
relief by state governments
without shifting the emphasis
to strengthening disaster
preparedness, prevention and
mitigation is like a futile attempt
to trying to drain an overflowing
sink without looking at the root
cause of the leaking tap. It would
be more effective to make efforts
to close the tap or change the
washer to stop the leak, rather
than simply trying to drain the
sink. If we do not move in that
direction, we will continue to
be spending scarce resources on
providing post-disaster relief for
damaged property, assets and
infrastructure and continue to take
away resources from competing
needs for provision of essential
services like education, health
care, pow \