Chapter-5

Conclusion and Recommendations

While the NDRF is mainly responsible for disaster management, the Armed Forces
under the Ministry of Defence are also called upon to intervene in times of a crisis. This
activity is conducted by the Armed Forces as ‘aid to civil authority’. Safeguarding the
people of the Nation, the assets and interests against natural calamities or human induced
crisis form part of these duties. To facilitate performances of such duties the entire country
is divided into Operational Command structure for war time and peace time crisis.
Availability of resources, high standard of discipline and training and responsive
organizational structure make the Armed Forces highly effective during disasters. They are
relied upon as the “last resort” by the government.

5.1 Conclusion
The latest Himalayan tsunami that suddenly struck Uttarakhand and parts of
Himachal Pradesh has once again revived debate over whether it was a natural disaster or a
man-made tragedy. Whatever be the answer, one thing that comes out clearly from what
followed the catastrophe is that neither the Centre nor the state government were in a
position to respond to it adequately. Notwithstanding the fact that an elaborate disaster
management structure has been put in place and it is mentored by the National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) under the Prime Minister, the level of response of Central
and state agencies left much to be desired. The fact is that, except for the NDMA, even
after eight years of the enactment of the Disaster Management Act, SDMAs are yet to be
established all over the country and made operational. In some states, the department for
disaster management is the changed name of the department of relief and rehabilitation,
home guards and emergency fire services with ad hoc personnel. The ITBP, Indian Army
and Air Force, resultantly must step in and assume total control of a situation where in the
first responders proved inadequate. However, since the disaster management system of the
civilian administration is yet to become operational, the civil authorities will continue to
depend on the armed forces for disaster response. Hence, a defined role for the armed
forces in disaster management is required

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In India, the level of preparedness for disaster management at the Centre and in the states
is extremely uneven and requires considerable strengthening. The concept of handling
disasters with appropriate programs on disaster management based on the fundamental
elements of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, relief and recovery is of recent
origin. However, although the responsibility for coordinating disaster response and relief
operation is that of the home ministry, it is the armed forces under the defence ministry that
are called out to assist and manage the situation. Generally, the armed forces respond to
disasters as a part of their mandate to aid civil authorities during calamities. Their
involvement, however, was meant to work on the principle of being the ‘last to enter and
the first to leave. Conversely, in most post-disaster operations, the armed forces have been
the first to enter and the last to leave.
They are also located in most remote areas where natural calamities are frequent.
For instance, when the tsunami hit the Indian coast on December 26, 2004, the Indian
armed forces, co-coordinated by the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), efficiently handled
relief, rescue and evacuation work. Whether it was the Kashmir earthquake of 2005, the
tropical cyclone in Bangladesh in 2007, the flash floods in Ladakh’s capital Leh in 2010 or
the Sikkim earthquake of September 2011, the armed forces have been at the forefront of
disaster management.
The involvement of the armed forces in disaster response and relief operation is an
important issue in civil-military relations. In the Indian context, their role is primarily in
response to the immediate requirement of human resources and technical equipment for
rescue and relief operations by the civil authorities of the affected area. However, in view
of the fact that the disaster management system of the civilian administration is yet to
become operational, the civil authorities will continue to depend on the armed forces for
disaster response. Hence, a defined role for the armed forces in disaster management is
required.

First, the government must set up a center for excellence in disaster management
for the Indian armed forces. Second, since the field formations are unlikely to be equipped
with the state-of-the-art equipment to deal with disasters, the field formations in the

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disaster-prone areas need to be given brick formations (logistics) specifically for disaster
response at the earliest. This would ensure that the military equipment meant for war is not
used for secondary tasks. Efforts should be made for using the expertise of the armed
forces for bolstering the capacity of the civil authorities, including the disaster response
forces. It would enable the latter to achieve self-reliance and thus reduce their dependence
on the armed forces. Enhancing capability for risk reduction in urban as well as rural areas
and having suitable legislative and regulatory mechanisms to promote safe buildings
should be encouraged as part of the civil-military relations program.
The catastrophic impact of disasters can be reduced only if there is coordination
and cooperation from all sections of the society. The Indian armed forces are dedicated
and professional with a rich tradition of being involved in the socio-developmental
roles of nation building. Their services should be utilised as a last resort and be called
upon when the situation is beyond the capability of civil administration.
The following is recommended for Armed Forces related to disaster
management:
i. The Armed Forces should have a dedicated component of personnel and
equipment at the battalion level for disaster management.
ii. All five army commands may have fully equipped centres in each of the
command regions at appropriate locations that may have heavy equipment
necessary to carry out relief and rescue activities in the region at short notice.
iii. Use of Territorial Army to be incorporated in disaster management
plans. In highly disaster prone states, it could be considered raising Specialised
Disaster Management Bns similar to Ecological Bns.
iv. Border Road Organisation, be suitably incorporated in disaster
management.
v. A Military Coordinating Officer should be part of the disaster
management team at the national and state level.
vi. The potential of ex-servicemen available throughout the country be
tapped.
Their role in providing the Emergency Support Functions such as
communications, search and rescue operations, health and medical facilities to the
victims, transportation, power, food and civil supplies, public works and engineering

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and information and planning at the time of disasters is extremely beneficial.

Since, various agencies operating in the field of disaster management rely on

the armed forces for timely assistance it is to be ensured that disaster specific training
be provided to the personnel and incorporated into their training programs. Each
disaster management plan may incorporate the available assistance that could be
provided by the armed forces.
The assistance by Armed Forces can be seen at three stages:
i. Planning done during the pre-disaster stage;
ii. Preparations done during the warning period and
iii. Post disaster response.
This assistance is provided by the Army, Navy and the Air Force depending on the
need. For example the Navy can deploy under water diver's and ships for search missions,
the Air Force can conduct rescue missions with helicopters or drop food packets during
floods and the Army can provide shelter and medical help. The Army is also used to bring
peace and order in an area that is affected by militant agitations.

5.2 Recommendations
An equally important imperative for disaster management is the need of self-
restraint by the political class. In a democracy, as elected representatives that form the
government, politicians no doubt must be at the forefront of handling any situation that
affects the masses. They, however, should not indulge in partisan blame game and refrain
from undertaking ‘observation sorties’ in state helicopters that can be put to better use in
rescue and relief missions. Disaster Mitigation demands much more than just focusing on
aspects which are directly related to the crisis management during or after disaster. With
our poor socio- economic status a holistic disaster management plan must include the
recognition of ‘rights-based’ approach, which focuses on protection issues, community
mobilization empowerment. Key objective is not only to provide material assistance but
also to help affected people to access services and entitlements. The media has a vital role
in educating the public about disasters, disseminating information about affected areas
and facilitating discussions about reducing vulnerabilities to future disasters. Following
are the few immediate and long-term measures that need to be soon accomplished:

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 Immediate measures
i Restructuring the Department of Relief into Department of Disaster Mitigation
ii Implementation of Disaster Management Act
iii Panchayat/Ward level disaster management teams and plans should be prepared
iv Clear defining of roles and delegation of responsibilities
v Conducting mock drills
vi Training of rural masons, engineers & architects
vii Retrofitting of lifeline buildings
viii Promotion of General Insurance for housing and household articles
ix Establishment of control rooms & equipment of the same
x State/District Emergency Communication Network
xi Early warning system
xii Creation of Disaster Mitigation Corpus

Long Term Measures

i Incorporation of disaster education in the school syllabus.
ii Incorporation of Bureau of Indian Standards codes in the building bye-laws.
iii Implementation of Town and Country Planning Act in rural areas through
Panchayati Raj Institutions.
iv Land use regulation and zoning.
v Incorporation of Disaster management in training curriculum.
vi Strengthening of fire services at the Sub-Division level and provision of life
tenders
vii Enactment of State Disaster Management Act
viii Disaster Management code has to be in place
ix Specialist response teams-GIS based State Disaster Resource Network (SDRN)
x Incorporation of Disaster Mitigation into all other development processes

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