Date:08/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/08/stories/2007090858160100.htm

Front Page

Focus on ward-level disaster management

K.V. Prasad

Efforts include sensitisation down to grassroots
This necessitates involving councillors

COIMBATORE: The city is gearing for a micro-level focus on ensuring disaster-preparedness. Councillors of the Coimbatore Corporation are being oriented to identify structures and populations that are vulnerable to the impact of an earthquake and prepare a ward-level management and mitigation plan.

Apart from district and city-level disaster management plans, the efforts include sensitisation down to the grassroots. This necessitates involving the councillors as they have everyday contact with the people and ought to also know the strengths and weaknesses of their wards. The exercise is undertaken by the Disaster Management and Mitigation Department in Chennai under the United Nations Development Programme’s Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Project.

Coimbatore comes under seismic zone III that is prone to a moderate intensity earthquake of 5.5. Therefore, it is vital to first educate those sections that have the potential to spread the message to wider sections of the public.

Mayor R. Venkatachalam, Deputy Mayor N. Karthik, Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran, councillors and officials of the civic body participated in an orientation programme here on Friday.

Project Officer S. Vanitha explained the risks and measures to reduce them.

While many such meetings have been held earlier, the one of Friday was held specifically to guide councillors on preparing the plan through a participatory approach.

It should include the people in identifying the vulnerabilities of a ward and preparing it to overcome the impact of disasters.

The councillors should identify volunteers for fire and rescue, first aid and water supply and sanitation teams. They should organise meetings to spread awareness among the public on all aspects of disaster management and risk reduction. They also have to do social and vulnerability mapping of their wards. The councillors asked the organisers to hold such meetings in all the wards so that the people would get to know of the efforts of the department and be prepared to involve in these efforts.