This is monsoon time, and during this part of the year it is common to experience floods in the plains and landslides in the mountains. This is what Mother Nature has been doing since times immemorial. Really speaking there is no big a deal in the occurrence of these incidences, particularly during the monsoon period. […]
Disaster
Wildfires in Hawaii
More than 110 persons have been killed and numbers much larger are still missing in a wildfire that engulfed the town of Lahaina in Hawaii, US. The death count is really big, and yet no questions are being raised over organisational structure, planning, preparedness, and other related issues that would have crippled the responders in […]
Regulate high altitude pilgrimage
In the evening hours – on the trek route to Hemkund Sahib – glimpse of the crowd of tired but satisfied people slowly stepping down to reach the road head is commonplace. Some of these are in groups, but then some prefer travelling solo and maintain distance. Others like to gossip and share experiences – […]
आपदाओं का होना या ना होना हमारे हाथ
Disasters are caused by the process of slowly accruing vulnerability due to human actions and decisions, and certainly not by nature.
खुशियों को तौलने का सबब
एक तरफ जी 20 की अगुवाई तथा संयुक्त राष्ट्र सुरक्षा परिषद में स्थाई सदस्यता की पैरवी, तो वही दूसरी तरफ वैश्विक भुखमरी सूचकांक में 121 देशो में हम पीछे से 15वे स्थान पर और इस सूची में उत्तरी कोरिया, इथियोपिया, सूडान, रवांडा, नाइजीरिया व कांगो जैसे देश हमसे ऊपर। इतना ही नहीं खुशियों के वैश्विक सूचकांक की 137 […]
Human psychology and aggravated disaster risk
Despite geographical, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity humans think, act and react in amazingly similar fashion, particularly during distress and life threatening situations. This is attributed to evolution, as behavioural traits providing relative advantage and maximizing chances of survival get engrained in our behavior and psychology. Though evolved through the struggle for survival and aimed […]
Disasters: 2003-22 vs 1983-2002
Keeping with general perception of increasing frequency and magnitude of disasters, world witnessed 7931 natural disaster incidences in the previous 20 years, i.e. 2003-22, registering an increase of 36.9% over the preceding twenty year period ending in 2002 (1983-2002). 37-40% incidences during both these periods occurred in Asia. But then, negating the perception of steadily […]
संता-बंता और आपदा में लापता
A number of persons routinely go missing in various disaster incidences and there exists no standard mechanism for declaring these as being dead and accordingly issuing Death Certificates. This adds to the trauma of the affected families and often also delays relief disbursement. Registrar General of India has to be approached every time for notifying the procedure for doing so. It is therefore required that a dedicated SOP be put in place for routinely declaring missing persons as being dead and issuing Death Certificate.
Safety of construction workers
Construction workers are often killed in disaster incidence due to high vulnerability of their habitations. A comprehensive strategy in line with SFDRR priorities is however required to reduce disaster induced fatalities.
Track vulnerability for ensuring safety
Most of you would smile sarcastically, or scorn at me, and I really mean it. Don’t start to judge me; just pay attention to the following argument: Most of us fail to keep track of our vulnerabilities; physical, environmental, social, political, health, financial, familial, or whatever you may consider. This seemingly little lapse makes us […]