REFLECTIONS| Disaster Management

The world we live in today is full of uncertainties. Changing weather patterns, unusual natural events, looming threats of biological warfare, global warming and climate change, and pandemics; all this has caught the world unprepared and unplanned. Who would have thought, how world would come to a standstill and economies will collapse past covid-19. As the dust settles down and everything becomes visible, it is high time that we understand the importance of being well-prepared for situations like these and plan in advance for the unseen.

Now the question is, what could have we done to handle this pandemic in a better way? Or what can we do to handle these types of situations in future?

   

The answer is Disaster Management. Disaster management is the science which not only can handle and manage disasters but also helps in planning for the unseen disastrous situations of future. Mention a disastrous situation and disaster management will come up with the solutions. Now, let us consider a situation where a society is well trained in disaster management and pandemic strikes; the people would have known in advance the various do’s and don’ts during a pandemic like covid-19. They would have known in advance about the importance of sanitization, use of masks, physical distancing etc., and how easy it would have been to tackle the community spread.

Jammu and Kashmir is a multi-hazard zone susceptible to earthquakes, floods, snow-avalanches, cloud-bursts, landslides etc. Who can forget 2005 earthquake, 2014 floods, waltengo-nar avalanche to mention a few. Last but not the least, J&K is at the centre of tension between India, Pakistan and China. The threat of nuclear war looms over it, not to forget the mental health of its people.

We must understand the importance of disaster management in our lives now. It is very important to train people in disaster management and the best way to do it is by introducing it in the education system and makes it a compulsory subject. Train students to tackle disastrous situations and disasters.

Irfan jeelani rather

Irfanjeelani23@gmail.com

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