India: Goa’s disaster management plan ready, but only on paper
By Newton Sequeira
While Goa's disaster management may look adequate on paper, the gaps in the state's preparedness to tackle calamities may be exposed if disaster strikes.
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Recent incidents indicate the lack of quick response on the part of the authority to alert stakeholders or act expediently.
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The National Institute of Oceanography, in its report post the Canacona floods, recommended regular de-silting of river channels, building of protective structures along river banks prone to flooding, identification of zones vulnerable to flooding, and discouraging investment in such zones. These suggestions have not been followed.
This is not the only instance where reality does not agree with paper. To address the cyclone risks in the country, the government of India initiated the national cyclone risk mitigation project (NCRMP).
“Under the centre’s NCRM project, 10 multi-purpose cyclone shelters are being built in Goa — six in the South and four in the North,” an official with the revenue department said. The revenue ministry is the nodal body for the state’s disaster management strategy.
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While the shelters remain in early stages of construction, the Rs19 crore early warning system that is part of the same World Bank-funded project is nowhere to be seen.
The state has also failed to organise a statewide disaster management mock drill to test the efficiency of the state’s disaster response machinery. The last time a state-level mock drill was organised was in November 2009, just after the Canacona floods.
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