COVID-19 is a disaster that came with a prior warning andtherefore didn’t warrant an arbitrary, unplanned and ill-prepared decision. Theprime minister’s 8 p.m. top-down lockdown announcement was not accompanied bypractical and necessary relief measures. It brought uncertainty, confusion, andinsecurity to the unprepared people. There was also a critical communicationfailure on the part of government as it failed to explain many things relatedto lockdown. For example: what would be the timing for grocery stores and otherdaily essentials to remain open. In Delhi and Karnataka, the government saidthey would remain open for 24×7 while as in Uttrakhand, they would remain openonly for 3 hours which is an incorrect decision because if the shop stays openfor only 3 hrs a day, then rush and chaos will defeat the basic purpose of thelockdown.
There are also delivery problems. The food and grocerydelivery companies, like Big Bazar, Swiggy, Amazon and Flipkart, are facing a lot of problems. They are allcomplaining about the ware houses being shut down and their supply chainimpacted. The state governments are not giving them permission to keep theseestablishments open because there are no clear cut instructions by theauthorities.
The announcement of lockdown also triggered a huge exodus ofmigrant labourers from the cities. They were given neither time to prepare northe required support to cope with it. Although due to public pressure, a reliefpackage was announced, but it is woefully inadequate. Centre has been foundwanting in every aspect of managing this pandemic right from allowing exportsof personal protection equipments.
We should have learned from France. When France announcedits lockdown, the government there issued a one page online form to write downthe name and the reason to come out and whenever anyone wanted to go out forany emergency need, he has to show the form to the police. Upon instantverification of his/her legitimate reason to go out, the person will be allowedor assisted depending upon the emergency otherwise he/she will be fined upto135 Euros.
Time to strengthen the disaster management in India
The recurrent occurrence of natural disasters makes inincumbent on us to be prepared for such disasters in order to reduce the numberof casualties. Disaster management implies a number of actions to be developedbefore disaster happens, during the disaster, and after the disaster.
A study published in May 2004 edition of the pan AmericanJournal of Public Health found that the risk of epidemics from the bodies ofpeople killed in natural disasters is negligible. The researchers found thatepidemics resulting in mass fatalities after natural disasters have onlyoccurred from a few diseases like cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, anthrax andsmallpox. While those diseases can be highly contagious, they cannot survivefor long in dead bodies. The study found that survivors are far more likely tospread disease than corpses.
Although in India, various government authorities haveinvoked their respective powers under the Disaster Management Act (2005) todeal with the Noval Corona-virus outbreak in the country but more focus isrequired to be given to disaster management in India to deal with such thingsin future for the safeguard of its people and the country.
Post covid-19 Measures
Daily wagers and farmers are the most vulnerable communityduring pandemics. When the lockdown was announced, none of us rushed topurchase a car, or phone, but to buy essentials. So, it is the responsibilityof the government to come up with some concrete initiatives to providefinancial succour to the most affected.
The government should come up with disaster relief measuresintended to help those who don’t have resources for their own recovery. Variousmeasures should be taken to assist the recovery of communities whose social,emotional and financial well-being has been severely affected.
Author is Pursuing M-Tech Geotechnical Engineering from Punjab Technical University