Hyderabad Lacks Disaster Management Plan

The twin blasts that rocked Dilsukhnagar recently, once again exposed the vulnerability of this metropolis to terror strikes. The handling of the fallout of these blasts by different agencies seems to be as chaotic as was witnessed in the wake of Mecca Masjid bomb blast in May 2007 and Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat blasts in August that year. It will be preposterous to apportion blame to any particular agency. But the fact remains that Hyderabad sorely lacks a City Disaster Management Plan (CDMP). 
    
The CDMP is envisaged as a comprehensive mechanism with well-defined institutional structure, incident command system, alarm mechanism, control room contacts, vulnerable localities, standard operating procedures and contacts and inventory. 
    
The concept of disaster management plan at different levels received a new orientation with the passage of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, by Parliament. Earlier, such plans were being prepared at the district level only. The Act provides for formulation of a national plan on disaster management, along with similar plans at state and district levels. The Act, enacted in December 2005, envisaged creation of the National Disaster Management Authority headed by the Prime Minister and State Disaster Management Authorities, headed by respective chief ministers, to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to disaster management in the country. 
    
The Planning Commission had also constituted a working group on disaster management in August 2006 as part of formulation of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-12). The working group, chaired by Mohan Kanda, then NDMA member and former chief secretary to AP government, made a series of recommendations. Consequently, the NDMA has launched several initiatives for disaster risk reduction, addressing the components relating to prevention, mitigation and preparedness. 
    
The NDMA is also engaged in the process of developing several disaster-specific projects/programmes for implementation during the Twelfth Five-Year Plan. NDMA has formulated the National Policy on Disaster Management with a vision to build a safe and disaster-resilient India by developing a holistic, pro-active, multi-disaster-oriented and technology-driven strategy through a culture of prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response. 
    
Marri Shashidhar Reddy, who has been associated with the NDMA since inception as its member and now as its vice-chairman, has been goading the AP government to come up with state disaster management plan, as well as district and city disaster management plans for several years now. At his insistence, a workshop was organised in March last year on disaster management plan for GHMC area. 
    
So far, the GHMC has come up with a preliminary disaster management plan (as a stand-alone plan) on trial basis. A disaster response and fire prevention wing was established in GHMC in February 2009. The GHMC also prepared a plan on urban flooding and monsoon preparedness. However, Hyderabad does not have a comprehensive DMP encompassing all departments and stake-holders. No one is sure whether any exercise is on to formulate such a DMP. 
    
The growth of Hyderabad in the last three decades has been truly phenomenal. Hyderabad is home to a string of defence establishments, central and state universities, national and state research institutions, central and state public sector undertakings, including facilities like the Nuclear Fuel Complex, as well as LPG bottling plants, chemical industries, pharmaceutical and bulk drug units, IT/ ITES companies, an international airport, railway stations, bus stations, bazaars, shopping malls, theatres, hospitals, schools and colleges, and myriad other facilities. The city lies in a seismic zone and is also prone to urban flooding. In recent times, major fire accidents have become common occurrences in the twin cities. Hyderabad cannot afford to miss a DMP any longer now.