Armed Forces and natural disasters
14 Feb, 2001 · 466
Wg Cdr NK Pant argues that India is badly in need of formulating a perfectly workable disaster management policy and the armed forces with their experience can contribute to this
Though
India
and the world rose in unison to provide succor to the extremely traumatized survivors of the severest earthquake in parts of
Gujarat
in the recent times, it was the military which rushed for help in the affected areas. Something definitely went wrong with the central and state governments who as usual were caught napping when the disaster struck. Surprisingly only the local help groups and NGOs were the earliest to spring into action within their limited means. But as the instruments of state machinery, the armed forces were the first to launch the massive relief work code named Operation 'Sahayata'.
Gujarat
coast converting them into makeshift hospitals.
India
is badly in need of formulating a perfectly workable disaster management policy.
The army deployed about 25000 soldiers, scores of medical teams, communication facilities, hospital equipment, medicines, bulldozers, earth movers, cranes, water pumping sets, generators, tents and blankets. The soldiers erected 10 tented townships to provide unavoidably essential shelter to thousands of families spending cold nights under the starry skies for fear of further tremors. Makeshift hospitals were set up where the forces’ doctors worked round the clock to treat and perform operations on tens of thousands of injured quake victims. In addition, military hospitals at Ahmedabad and Bhuj were opened to the affected civilian population for medical aid.
The IAF employed 40 transport aircraft and scores of helicopters to provide the logistics support besides setting up medical facilities. The airbase of Bhuj was made operational within a very short period to facilitate airlift of essential supplies for the needy despite the fact that 150 unlucky airmen had lost their lives in the earthquake. The Navy and coast guard anchored their ships off the north
Barely three months back on 11th October, 2000 the government of India had observed 'National Day for Disaster Reduction', calling for a new strategy for disaster reduction which recognized the need for a shift from a post disaster reactive approach to a pre-disaster pro-active approach with the aim of protecting the inhabitants and property from adverse disaster impacts. Moreover, in August, 1999, a high powered committee was set up to prepare the national, state and district level disaster management plans but nothing is known of its activities. All these official actions seem to be mere paper exercise to keep the burgeoning bureaucracy engaged in unproductive tasks. Had it not been so, the estimated death toll might not have crossed a staggering 50,000 lives besides destruction of property worth thousands of crore of rupees.
One wonders in a calamity prone country like ours, why the Natural Disaster Management Department should be placed under the central Ministry of Agriculture which is not at all geared to deal with the mammoth task involved in the relief operations. The normal official instinct is to fall back upon the armed forces every time a natural calamity takes place anywhere in the country needing action on a war footing. Since, the armed forces, more or less possess the dual use equipment meant to support troops in the combat zone which can also be utilized to help the suffering citizenry during the natural calamities, they are the most suitable organization to shoulder the disaster management responsibilities. About half a million or more personnel of the military establishment are normally available doing their peace tenure in army cantonments located all over the country at any given time with an excellent communication, and command and control systems. Moreover, their mobility enables them to reach the remotest areas of the affected region with the humanitarian aid. This does not imply that state governments should requisition the soldiers’ help at the drop of the hat. The fact must not be forgotten that the troops are stationed in the peace areas to recoup from the operation area fatigue and for carrying out combat training. Help from the armed forces ought to be availed if the situation is really out of the local administration’s control. Further, it should be for the minimally essential period.
The Services have gathered ample experience in handling many types of emergent situations including often recurring natural calamities such as floods, cyclones, quakes, forest fires, landslides, snow storms etcetera. It will be of immense value if this precious experience is included in the forces’ Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), manuals and training system. To make the armed forces’ units more effective in rescue operations, suitable equipment may have to be incorporated in their peace station inventories besides the necessary budgetary provisions.
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