Plan points out State's frailty to disasters

It has suggested providing training to district, taluk and sub-taluk level officials

The 366-page plan, a copy of which is available with Deccan Herald, has been prepared after holding consultation workshops with various stake holders across the State and will be serving as a guide to the state government to take up preventive and mitigation measures on the onslaught of disasters.

The plan drafted by the Centre for Disaster Management at the Administrative Training Institute, Mysore will now be placed before the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority headed by the Chief Minister for approval.

In fact, it was only after the devastating floods in North Karnataka during October last year, that the government took the initiative to finalise a disaster management plan. Let alone discussing the plan, the Disaster Management Authority had not even met once since was constituted in January last.

Hazards

The draft plan has now included an analysis of the hazards faced by every district in the State. For instance while Bangalore urban and rural districts have been listed to be more prone to industrial and chemical disasters, many of the north Karnataka districts face the threat of floods, drought besides health and sanitation hazards.

According to the document, the five taluks and 164 gram panchayats in Raichur district face the following hazards - drought, flood, communal violence, industrial hazard, earthquake, health and sanitation, forest fire, road and accidents, while the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada has been listed to be vulnerable to industrial and chemical disasters, cyclones, floods and communal violence.

The plan has suggested providing training for district, taluk and sub-taluk officials from 12 departments and chairpersons of all gram panchayats in disaster management specific to their district.

The module, which includes both classroom and satellite-based training, is proposed to spread over a five years.

CBDP

The plan also touches on Community Based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP), which suggests the formation of village disaster management committee in each village with a responsibility for initiating disaster preparedness activities. The committee will comprise local elected representatives, grass root level government functionaries, local NGOs, members of youth groups such as National Service Scheme. The head of each committee will have to lead in mobilising the community for preparation of the CBDP.

The draft plan also lists out in detail, department specific institutional arrangements for implementation of disaster preparedness, prevention, response and recovery.

Specific plans have been prepared for the departments of agriculture, health, animal health, water supply and sanitation, police, civil defence, fire service, civil supplies, rural development, energy, water resources, fisheries, forest, transport, panchayat raj, information and public relations, revenue, home, response and for voluntary, bilateral and multilateral organisations.