Recognition and reform are two main components for strengthening disaster management: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 March, 2023, inaugurating the 3rd Session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR), said recognition and reform are the two main components for strengthening disaster management.

"While recognition will help in identifying the possible threats posed by natural calamities and when they will strike in the future, reform is a system where the threats of a possible natural calamity are minimised, he explained. He suggested improving the system by making it more capable in a time-bound manner and emphasized the approach of long-term thinking instead of shortcuts," he said.

“We cannot stop natural calamities but we can definitely minimise its effects by putting better strategies and systems in place”, the prime minister remarked as he emphasised on adopting a proactive approach rather than a reactive one.

With the main theme of the event being ‘Building Local Resilience in a Changing Climate, Modi said the concept was a familiar one in Indian tradition and it is clearly visible in the wells, architecture and the old cities. In India, the system, solutions and strategy of disaster management have always been local, he said, giving the the example of Bhunga houses of Kutch that survived earthquakes to a large extent.

He stressed the need to evolve local models of housing and town planning as per new technologies.

PM Modi emphasized the need to strengthen disaster management governance in the local bodies. “We will have to institutionalize planning and review local planning. Underlining the need for overhaul of the complete system," the prime minister called to work on two levels.

First, disaster management experts will have to focus more on public participation. He stressed a continuous process of making people aware about the dangers of earthquakes, cyclones, fire and other calamities. It is important to impart awareness about proper process, drill and rules in this regard. “You will get success only by following the mantra of Local Resilience by Local participation”, he said while asking the stakeholders to use train ‘Yuvak Mandals’ and ‘Sakhi Mandals’ at village and neighborhood levels.

PM Modi asked to further strengthen the mechanisms of Apada Mitr, NSS-NCC, Army veterans and need to ensure equipment in the community centers for the first response as timely start of the rescue work can save many lives.

On the second level, the prime minister asked for a real time registration and monitoring system using technology. He said, “Knowledge on aspects like age of the houses, drainage, resilience of our electricity and water infrastructure will help in taking proactive steps.”

He talked about the discussion on the hospital fires during his recent review meeting on the heatwave and how regular review of fire preparedness of the hospital can save lives.

PM Modi noted the increase in fire incidents in dense urban areas such as a hospital, factory, hotel or multi-storey residential building in the past few years especially with the increasing heat. He highlighted the challenges of having to work very systematically in densely populated areas where reaching by a vehicle is a difficult task and insisted on finding a solution for this.

He stressed on constantly increasing the skill set of our firefighters in order to extinguish the fire in high rise buildings while also making sure that there are enough resources to extinguish the industrial fires that start.

PM Modi focussed on the need for continuous modernization of local skills and equipment. He asked to explore the possibility of providing equipment that changes forest fuel into biofuel to women of self help groups to increase their income and reduce fire incidence. He also talked about creating a force of specialists for industries and hospitals where chances of gas leaks are high.

Similarly, highlighting the need to make Ambulance networks future ready, PM Modi asked to explore the use of AI, 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) in this regard. He also asked the stakeholders to look into the use of drones, gadgets for alerting, and personal gadgets that can help in locating people buried under debris. He requested the experts to study the work of global social bodies that are creating new systems and technologies and adopt best practices.