Disaster Management Plan

Note on Thrivikramji Disaster Management Plan

Disaster strikes without any warning, any time of the day or night or without any heed to the season of the year in general. In general disasters are grouped as below in table.1.

Table 1. Classifiction of Disasters.

Disaster Type	Manifestation
Natural	Floods (River flood and storm surge coastal flooding); Landslides (sudden downward and outward slippage of large volumes of soil or rock or mixture of both under the pull of gravity and lubricated by water; Beach erosion during monsoons Rarely Tsunamis and Earthquakes
Technological	Factory fire or explosion (releasing large volumes of fluids causing damage to water, vegetation, animal and humans}: Road and Rail road Tanker (gases and industrial chemicals) accidents releasing poisonous fluids threatening environment by pollution and damage to organic world in the immediate neighbourhood.
Mechanical	Explosion or fire accidents in small workshops/worksheds; Bus/Truck mishaps involving loss of life..
Other	Pyrotechnics and tamed elephant going rowdy during festivals. Factions in riot etc. Dengu fever and other vector borne diseases

In the GP territories one or another type of disasters listed in table -1 might strike, occasionally or frequently. Disastrous floods are due to river floods, rare floods due to dam breaks and coastal flooding due to storm surges. Monsoon beach erosion of Kerala beaches occasionally reaches disastrous proportions affecting several coastal villages. Many of the natural disasters are site or region specific events and so some knowledge of the Physiography is imperative as the GPs are located in one or another category of the following divisions of the physiography (Table 2).

Table 2 Physiographic divisions of Kerala

Category	Elevation	Description
Highland	>75.0 m	Most of the rugged high rocky ridges of Western Ghats on the east, followed by midranges to the west, bordered by rocky hills and ridges merging with lateritic foothills of midland. Prone to risks of landslides in monsoon season. Tracts of higher elevation planted under coffee, cardamom and tea. Rubber planted in tracts of lower elevation. Steeper westerly slopes are in some degree of disequilibrium and are prone to land slips or land slides during wet monsoon season.
Midland	7.5-75.0 m	Mostly laterite covered hills with cores of crystalline rocks- gentle lateral profiles with smooth slopes especially in districts south of Thrissur – near flat tableland like hill tops - steeply sloping profiles with steep free faces or waning slopes and waxing foot slopes. River shores infrequently with steep and eroding (landslips) outer banks.
Coastal land	<7.5>	Two types: high coastal land with cliff line like at Kovalam, Varkala and Kannur and low coastal land like for e.g., between Chavara and Chavakkad – Low coastal land is prone to beach erosion and coastal flooding annually.

Truly based on their geographic site, GPs are affected variously. Yet it should be the general policy of the GPs to have a disaster management plan (DMP), so that loss to life and property are minimized or even eliminated. Information, communication, awareness and action are essential ingredients of any DMP.

Essentially, what is required is the creation of a striking force of trained volunteers including members of the community like social and political activists, officials of GP and district administration readied with awareness, action plans for requirements in respect of facing and minimizing the consequences of a disaster. Preparing a force of volunteers under a leadership of two or more individuals and training and coaching the members in various emergency measures and plans of action are very crucial in the event of a disaster striking a GP.

Training scheme

The program should be imparted to the volunteer force based on a syllabus that shall cover the various possible types of disasters, cause/s of origin and immediate triggering mechanism, possible vulnerable groups of population and their geographical location/s, strategy/ies of rendering assistance like providing first aid, medical assistance, providing shelter, drinking water and food, rehabilitation etc. should find a place in the course content.

Table 3 Disaster preparedness and management- General Training Program

Disaster	Content
Natural	Brief description of common natural disasters- magnitudes and frequencies – striking seasons - origin: ultimate and immediate causes, anthropogenic triggers- prone areas of occurrence. General picture of manifest consequences- type of loss of property, humans and domestic animals.
Technological	Gaseous and liquid chemical cargos – types of harms to humans and animals and immediate environment both aquatic and pedologic-basics of daily weather – channels of collection of weather forecast- first response-precautions-evacuation-types and strategies-connectivity to outside world-
Other	Costal erosion-causes, rates and intensities – types of threats to life and property- first responses- precautions and evacuation strategies- basic infrastructure in the relief camps- vector borne diseases, preventive measures, trauma care and rehabilitation.

A rapid action force trained, informed and ready to strike force be trained and kept in readiness so that inn the event of a strike of disaster, deployment will be complete, and rewards will be good and trauma will be minimal.

{thrivikramji@gmail.com}

ON URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENMT & RELATED ISSUES: A VISION STATEMENT

INTRODUCTION

IN ANY ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP A BLUE PRINT FOR IMRPOVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE CITY OF TRIVANDRUM THE QUESTION OF URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT MUST BE GIVEN THE SAME STATUS AS TRANSPORT, WATER SUPPLY, HOUSING, RECREATION AND HELTHCARE.

THE WASTE MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH EXTREME CARE AND SITING OF THE DISPOSAL FACILITIES CALLS FOR CAREFUL SCRUTINY OF THE GEOLOGICALAND HYDROGEOLOGICAL SETTINGS.

NATURE OF URBAN WASTE

THE CITY WASTE IS DOMINANTLY COMPOSED OF BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL (SAY 94%) ORIGINATING FROM DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL SOURCES.

PLASTICS, GLASS, TIN CANS ETC. CONSTITUTE THE REMAINDER. SORTING AT THE SOURCE MUST BE THE SECOND STEP IN THE MANAGEMENT PLAN. THE FIRST STEP UNDOUBTEDLY IS THE REDUCTION OF THE QUANTITY. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED ONLY BY EDUCATING THE CITIZENS AND OTHERS WHO LINK THEMSELVES WITH THE WASTE FROM THE POINT OF RIGIN TO FINAL DISPOSAL.

FURTHER THE WASTE IS A POINT SOURCE OF CONTAMINANT CHEMICAL ELEMENTS WHICH ARE SILENTLY AND SLOWLY RELEASED TO THE SUBSOIL, SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE WATER. EXCEEDENCE OF CERTAIN BACKGROUND LEVELS OF THESE ELEMENTS WILL LEAD TO THE “DEATH” OF THE ALREADY “STRESSED” ECOSYSTEM OF THE AQUATIC ENVIRONEMNTS (EXAMPLE STREAMS AND KAYALS).

PROPOSAL

WE IN GOSAN BELIVE THAT THE LEAST HARMFUL METHOD OF DISPOSAL OF CITY WASTE IS HIGH TEMPERATURE INCINERATION; WHERE BY MOST OF THE BULK IS BURNED OFF LEAVING BEHIND A RELATIVELY TINY FRACTION OF ASH WHICH CAN BE SAFELY KEPT AWAY.

SECONDLY, HEAT COMING OFF AS A BYPRODUCT FROM THE INCINERATORS CAN BE UTILISED FOR GENERATING ELECRICITY IN A CAPTIVE POWER PLANT.

ALTERNATIVELY, THE CLASSIFIED BIODEGRADABLE WASTE (SANS GLASS, TIN CANS RUBBER AND PLASTIC) CAN BE SAFELY DISPOSED OF IN A SANITARY LANDFILL.

THE ABANDONED ROCK AND SUCH OTHER QUARRIES ARE THE BEST CANDIDATES FOR DEVELOPING SANITARY LANDFILL. NEARLY ALL SUCH QUARRIES, IN THE MONSOON SEASON GETS FILLED WITH RAIN (AND GROUND) WATER AND POSE A THREAT LOCALLY. MANY SUCH SITES HAVE STOLEN SEVERAL PRECIOUS LIVES BY ACCIDENTAL FALL AND DEATH BY DROWNING.

IF SUCH QUARRY FLOORS ARE GIVEN AN IMPERVIOUS SEAL BY A COAT OF BITUMEN THE LEACHATE ACCUMULATING INSIDE THE LANDFILL CAN BE INSULATED FROM THE LOCAL GROUND WATER REGIME AND CAN BE PUMPED OUT AS AND WHEN NECESSARY.

ULTIMATELY THE SITES OF SANITARY LANDDFILLS CAN BE EASILY CONVERETED INTO RECREATIONAL SITES LIKE PLAY GROUNDS AND PARKS. GOSAN CAN ASSIST THE AUTHORITIES IN MAKING AN INVENTORY OF SUCH QUARRIES (WHICH QUALIFY AS POTENTIAL SITES FOR SITING SANITARY LANDFILLS)

TRANSPORT OF CITY WASTE

INSTEAD OF THE CURRENT PRACTICE OF USING COVERED TRUCKS, COMPACTOR TRUCKS SHOULD BE USED IN A PHASED MANNER TO SAVE FUNDS AND IMPROVING EFFICIENCY ON MANY FRONTS LIKE FUEL, WEAR AND TEAR OF THE FLEET AS WELL AS THE SIZE OF WORKFORCE NEEDED.

THE WASTE REMOVAL FROM STREET CORNERS MUST BE CARRIED OUT ONLY DURING THE THIRD SHIFT – BETWEEN 10PM AND 6 AM. THIS WILL ELIMINATE ROADBLOCKS AND TRAFFIC HOLD UPS DURING THE SCHOOL RUSH HOUR. FURTHER, CHANCES FOR BAD EXPOSURE OF THE WORK FORCE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC GETS REDUCED.

CONTRARY TO THE CURRENT PRACTICE, THE COLLECTION AND LOADING CREW SHOULD BE PROVIDED WITH APPROPRIATE ATTIRE AND OTHER PARAPHERNALIA LIKE GLOVES AND SHOES TO DO AWAY WITH DIRECT SKIN CONTACT WITH THE GARBAGE AND WASTE.

LASTLY, THE PUBLIC IN AND AROUND THE POTENTIAL LANDFILL SITES MUST BE EDUCATED ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE SANITARY LANDFILLS LIKE THEIR CONSTRUCTION, NATURE OF THE MATERIAL GOING INTO AND COMING OFF AS LECHATE. A WHOLE LOT OF TRANSPARENCY NEEDS TO BE BUILT INTO THE VARIOUS STAGES OF THIS OPERATION.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

THE POINTS RAISED IN THE FOREGOING IS THE OUT COME OF A COLECTIVE EFFORT BY THE MEMBERS OF THE GOSAN.