Flooding in India: Why wasn't the government ready?;
An estimated 3 million people have been displaced by the River Kosi, which is now 10 miles wide in places. The state and central governments have struggled to cope...
When the Kosi first broke through the embankment intended to contain it on Aug. 18, the breach was only about 1,300-feet long. Now it is more than a mile. Eighty percent of the river is pouring through the gap and into some of India's poorest districts. The strong flow of water from the Himalayas means that engineers might not be able to plug the gap until December.
The task of rescuing and then organizing food and shelter for 3 million displaced people "is such that only the Army can handle it," says Parshuram Rai, director Centre for Environment and Food Security (CEFS) in New Delhi.
His letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that "relief operations be launched on a war footing" was countersigned by 49 Indian scholars and activists.
Mr. Krishnan of Action Aid, who was in Bihar until Tuesday, agrees that only the Army has had any effect. "Wherever the military has been deployed, it is saving lives," he says. "But why is it taking so long? Why have so few military people been deployed?" ...
A student at Saharsa College is running a refugee camp out of his own dorm, and villagers in Supaul district have taken in 250 refugees who were denied admittance to a camp, according to a report on the website of NDTV, an Indian news channel.
It is indicative of a lack of diligence in disaster preparedness, critics say. For example, local engineers had sent letters to Delhi in April warning of the need to reinforce the embankment, which is in Nepal but is maintained by Bihar by mutual agreement. “Some of the disaster could have been averted,” says Sarah Crowe, a spokeswoman for UNICEF in New Delhi.
Of course, disasters lead to intense scrutiny in every country, but given that floods come with virtually every monsoon season, Bihar’s lack of a plan is particularly troubling, Krishnan says.
He notes that Cuban children learn hurricane drills in school and storm announcements are made on TV. Bihar, he notes, has had a complete lack of information. He suggests that the government could disseminate information by text messages, since mobile phones are widespread even among the poor here. and service is still intact.
1 comment:
There are issues that are currently in debate that show that "India in transition" has a chance to emerge from those shades and establish as "nation that has arrived" on the world scene.
There is a need for strong leadership to deal with the following three issues:
1. The floods in Bihar: As a nation we have become insensitive to the sufferings of the people. Look at the case of Bihar, Orissa, J and K. There is a need to look at the real issues and address them. A strong and inspiring leader is want is need of the hour.
2. The singurur tangle: The every day changing stance of the opposition leader mamata, the State government in a frozen mode, as it is seen supporting Capitalist like TATAs and the ultimate fear of the people who lost land in the hope of getting jobs are now held at ransom and are threatened by TATAs withdrawl.
3. The nuclear DUPE:The nation feels cheated by the Union Government, though which might not be completely true as what is there in the US "letter" is already there in the 123 deal document.
Hence India today needs an inspiring leader who can lead the transition and announce to the world that it has arrived.
KL
India
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