How Cyclone Amphan prompts us to Amplify India's Disaster Management Policy

Super Cyclone Amphan, which originated in the Bay of Bengal region, was one of the most powerful cyclones ever to be recorded in the region. On May 20th, 2020, Amphan ravaged through the Indian state of Bengal as a Category 2 cyclone, went on to pass through the Sundarbans delta and then hailed north and east to rural Bengal, and the capital city of Kolkata. For a state that is already exhausted due to the consequences of COVID-19, the cyclone necessitates for policymakers to reevaluate the urgency of climate adaptation by establishing resilience frameworks in dense urban spaces and coastal megacities to reduce the damages from natural disasters, and to recover from the costs in a better way.

The city of Kolkata and the five West Bengal districts witnessed obliteration and challenges, which are especially devastating for rural areas, as hamlets swamped, dwellings were inundated, massive damage was inflicted on embankments, cultivable lands became saturated by saltwater, wildlife perished and permanent loss of life was inflicted by the cyclone. Despite the magnitude of the situation, media coverage primarily focussed on only tokenistic reporting on the calamity. While the strained Centre-State equation, along with the impending political ambitions and rigidity of funds due to COVID-19 explain the nominal "interim" economic resources given to the ravaged states by the Centre, the negligent media pointed towards differing narrative.

What crippled Kolkata's situation, even more, was the coming together of two extremes (the pandemic and the Cyclone), coupled with a slugfest between political parties. The duality of the crisis thus, increased and primarily affected the vulnerable communities - those who didn’t have access to early warning systems, and couldn’t adapt to long-term climate change policies and visions. Even though with the accurate predictions by IMD (India Meteorological Department) the evacuees were accommodated with social distancing norms, the resources fell short as the capacity of shelter homes dropped from 1000 to 400, especially since major cyclone shelters were revamped into quarantine centers for the migrant workers coming into the western states. The takeaway from the crisis should be further planning and management by the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) , in terms of implementing early warning systems, combined with information technology in flood risk management and upskilling of citizenry and concerned forces in adaptation strategies.

Amphan’s impact on Kolkata and its aftermath draws attention to the fact that it is not the dearth of funds but the lack of economic design towards sustainable growth that creates vulnerabilities in policy implementation. Since 2007, Kolkata has been the only state in India that had the advantage of having an IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Therefore, the citizens get first-hand knowledge and reports from the IPCC secretariat. However, the policymakers did not take into account its significance. India's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have drawn lessons from past occurrences; however, comprehensive climate modification planning must vehemently consider the proactive development of resilient infrastructure, particularly in critical sectors such as energy and transportation. Policy Makers around the world are now increasingly stressing on the fact that COVID-19 recovery presents a vital opportunity for the transition towards an ecologically-balanced world, are considering climate injunctions in economic recovery programs, and giving due recognition to sound environmental strategies and plans and policies. It is time that India does so too.

The Indian National Disaster Management policy must integrate infrastructure resilience by strengthening energy capacities through the use of renewable power, such as rooftop solar installations. Floods can be checked partially through the widespread development of green infrastructure, while preventing the deposition of grey infrastructure on wetlands. The protection of the Sundarbans’ mangrove forests is critical, not only to our ecological well-being, but also for building resilience against sea-level rise and future cyclones. Any future disaster management policy needs to cater to the material needs of the economically disadvantaged groups, thus creating a social safety net that will protect them and help them resume their livelihoods with dignity.

Cyclone Amphan and its aftermath initiates a conversation that gives us a reality check on how mishandling and unpreparedness at the grassroots level can lead to massive socio-economic downfalls. There is a need for the government, bureaucracy, and civil society to engage in resource management and organizational planning to prioritize and enhance efforts to tackle humanitarian loss in a natural calamity. Good disaster management policy points towards efficiency in governance and is required urgently during times of compound difficulties. The troubles caused by the COVID-19 situation have sent the Bengal government into a deplorable mess, where the cases are increasing and there is inadequate testing and medical safety equipment. Situations like these call for effective crisis management through sustainable development, along with planned improvement in the legal framework. There is also a need to make inclusive decision-making by drawing support from the community for long and short-term planning, especially by linking indigenous methodologies. Empowerment of the local community by state functionaries is an important step for sustainable development, as it modulates the damages inflicted upon by natural calamities and medical emergencies.

References :

https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/05/26/cyclone-amphan-climate-adaptation/

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/amphan-timely-lesson-for-states-to-modernise-infrastructure-focus-on-disaster-governance-ndrf-chief-sn-pradhan-841994.html

https://www.gonewsindia.com/latest-news/environment/super-cyclone-amphan-timely-response-and-lessons-to-be-learnt-13702

https://scroll.in/article/963805/lessons-from-cyclones-amphan-and-nisarga-for-indias-disaster-management-plan

https://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/disaster-management-1/policies-and-acts

https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/disaster-management-in-india-classification-policies-and-other-details/25006

By:

Nandana Bhattacharjee

(bhattacharjeenandana@gmail.com)

Nandana Bhattacharjee is a 3rd year student pursuing Bachelors in History Honours from Lady Shri Ram College for women (University of Delhi). Her interest areas include Development, Sustainability, Governance and Public Policy.