08 Mar 2023 | 06:25am IST
Disaster Management system’s limits exposed
The fire at the paint factory at Pilerne IDC went out only after everything turned to ashes.
The similar case seems to be with the ongoing fire at Satrem. There are many similarities between both the tragedies. And this has clearly exposed the disaster management authority’s incompetence and goes on to show how lightly the subject of emergency is being taken in the State.
The disaster management is handed over to the Revenue Department, the body which is already occupied with multiple other works. The respective department neither has independent officers nor workers for tackling emergency situations. The responsibility has been handed to the already existing staff and were trained for the same. However, the workers need to have sufficient time on their hands to give justice to their added responsibilities. The workers will not be able to fully understand the topic until and unless the government passes a circular regarding practice, mock drills and training.
Since the State was a former union territory, all the responsibilities were on the head of the Central government. The Centre would provide the facilities and the projects required here. Goa attained statehood in 1987; however, the status was not meant to be just flaunted but also to be taken with more seriousness as leading the State on its own is a huge task. Visionary planning was required keeping in mind the State’s needs. The lack of planning has been now exposed, courtesy the recent incidents.
It would not have been thought that such tragedies would strike the State. This is where the disaster management authority is tested. The authority concerned is expected to keep the action plan ready, which includes the potential adversities and the ways to tackle it. The State is equipped with the Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services. If a hill catches fire, then an action plan has to be kept ready to extinguish the same. The fires in chemical companies and in the jungles are different and so, the mechanisms required to douse them are also different. The responsible government bodies need to stay prepared. Just because such tragedies did not take place for years does not mean they are not going to happen now.
Going further, the restrictive measures also need to be in place to avoid such disasters from happening in the first place. The usage of fireproof equipment and machinery needs to be utilised and for that, the fire tenders’ role is crucial. They are expected to find the potential reasons behind the fire and recommend ways to tackle them.
Speaking about forests, it has been considered that this matter comes only under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department. The forest fires now need to be included in the action plan of the disaster management authority. The environmentalists have raised doubts over the fire in the jungles of Satrem. The narrative is that the fire was lit intentionally in order to build the road through the region so that the area could be recognised for development works. Such claims cannot be neglected altogether. However, one must also remember that such fire incidents have become common with the rampant rise in the temperature.
The international committee of the United Nations which studies the changes in the global temperature had warned about its effects through their sixth report which was published on August 9, 2021. The report had opened the eyes of many who usually took the change in global temperature lightly. Evaluating scientific factors related to global climatic change is the main purpose of the UN’s international committee. The committee works towards alerting about potential disasters and recommending resolutions to reduce the intensity of the impact. Although the committee is doing its job perfectly well, no lessons have been learnt by humankind yet.
The change in the climate happens at a gradual course of time and effects are long-lasting. Earth’s orbit around the sun, the inclination of Earth’s axis and its proportion, the distance between the sun and the Earth, the time taken by Earth to orbit around the sun, distribution of land mass and its relocation; these and many more factors contribute to the slow change in the atmosphere surrounding the earth. The change in patterns of global climate and precipitation stems from the aforementioned factors. Although this is a long-term procedure and its effects do not impact human life right away, it is necessary to take stock of the changes after a certain period since climate is the main indicator of the future changes. Since that was not done, the government should at least now pay attention to disaster management.
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