Disaster Management:bhuj Earthquake, India 2001

DISASTER MANAGEMENT:BHUJ EARTHQUAKE,INDIA, 2001
CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, destruction
and devastation to life and property. WHO defines Disaster as "any occurrence,
that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of
health and health services, on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary
response from outside the affected community or area
The damage caused by disasters is immeasurable and varies with the geographical
location, climate and the type of the earth surface/degree of vulnerability. This
influences the mental, socio-economic, political and cultural state of the affected
area. Generally, disaster has the following effects in the concerned areas:
1. It completely disrupts the normal day to day life.
2. It negatively influences the emergency systems.
3. Normal needs and processes like flood, shelter, health, etc. are affected and
deteriorate depending on the intensity and severity of the disaster.
Thus, a disaster may have the following main features:
Unpredictability
Unfamiliarity
Speed
Urgency
Uncertainty
Disaster management aims to reduce, or avoid, the potential losses from

hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster, and
achieve rapid and effective recovery. The Disaster management cycle illustrates
the ongoing process by which governments, businesses, and civil society plan
for and reduce the impact of disasters, react during and immediately following a
disaster, and take steps to recover after a disaster has occurred. Appropriate
actions at all points in the cycle lead to greater preparedness, better warnings,
reduced vulnerability or the prevention of disasters during the next iteration of
the cycle. The complete disaster management cycle includes the shaping of
public policies and plans that either modify the causes of disasters or mitigate
their effects on people, property, and infrastructure.
In nature catastrophes such as floods, drought, earth quake, tsunami, happen

from time to time causing immense damage to life and property. It is important
to devise means and methods to manage and minimise from natural disasters as
far as possible.
Disasters caused by human activities such as fires, accidents, epidemics are no
less sudden than natural disasters and may be equally devastating. In this lesson
you shall learn about causes, effects, prevention and management of natural as
well as human made disaster.
1.2DEFINITION
AND
MEANING
OF
DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
DEFINITION
Disaster Management can be defined as the organization and management of
resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of
2
emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and recovery in order to

lessen the impact of disasters.
MEANING
Disaster Management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. It is
a discipline that involves preparing for disaster before it occurs, disaster
response (e.g. emergency evacuation, quarantine, mass decontamination, etc.),
as well as supporting, and rebuilding society after natural or human-made
disasters have occurred. In general, any disaster management is the continuous
process by which all individuals, groups, and communities manage hazards in
an effort to avoid or ameliorate the impact of disasters resulting from the
hazard.
1.3 TYPES OF DISASTER

Though, all kinds of disaster require more or less similar skill-sets and rescueefforts at least a few days after the event, it is important to understand various
kinds of disasters. Depending upon the actual nature of disaster, the immediate
reaction needs to be different.
Also, the first few moments of disasters are distinctly different for each kind of
disasters. Thus, understanding of each kind of disaster might also help in
identifying the onset of a disastrous event, so that a trained person can
undertake some key actions, during the initial few moments. This could have a
major impact on the final outcome in terms of amount of final loss.
Natural
These are primarily natural events. It is possible that certain human
activities could maybe aid in some of these events, but, by and large,
these are mostly natural events.
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Earthquakes
Volcanos
Floods,Tornadoes, Typhoons, Cyclones
Man Made
These are mostly caused due to certain human activities. The disasters
themselves could be unintentional, but, are caused due to some
intentional activity. Most of these (barring coordinated terrorist activities)
are due to certain accidents which could have been prevented if
sufficient precautionary measures were put in place.
Nuclear Leaks
Chemical Leaks/Spill over
Terrorist Activities
Structural Collapse
Generally, disasters are of two types Natural and Manmade. Based on the
devastation, these are further classified into major/minor natural disaster and
major/minor manmade disasters. some of the disasters are listed below
1.4
NEED
AND
IMPORATNCE
OF
DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
1.
To avert a disaster: - Disaster management teams can help to avert a

disaster before it occurs. The Disaster management team may examine the
possible causes of disaster, and may take appropriate measures to avert a
disaster. For instance, forest fires, or even terrorists bombings can be averted
through effective planning and pre-emptive action.
2.
To undertake rescue operations: - Disaster management personnel can

undertake rescue operations effectively. Trained disaster management personnel
can rescue people effectively at the time of floods, major fires, building
collapses, and so on.
3.
To provide relief measures: - Disaster management team is responsible to

provide relief measures to the victims. For instance, the team can make
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arrangement for food, clothing, and relief camps, medicines and so on. Such
measures would reduce the misery of the disaster victims.
4.
To undertake rehabilitation programmes: - Disaster management team can

work effectively to undertake rehabilitation programmes in the affected areas.
For instance, in the earthquake affected areas, rehabilitation programmes
include:
a.
Construction of dwellings
b.
Schools and other infrastructure.
5.
To undertake liaison work: -The disaster management team undertakes

liaison work relating to the disaster. The liaison work is required with various
agencies-private and government (including hospitals) in order to obtain funds
and donations, and other resources or services so as to manage and overcome
the disaster.
6.
To reduce trauma and tension: - The Disaster management team can help to
reduce the trauma and tension before and after the disaster. For instance, before
a disaster, the team can properly guide the people to face or handle the disaster
such as floods. Also, after the disaster, the team can provide not only material or
financial support, but also psychological support to overcome the traumatic
effect of disaster.
7.
To protect the Environment: - Disaster management team can help to

protect and preserve the environment. For example, a disaster management team
can plan pre-emptive action to avert forest fires. Etc.
8.
To minimize losses: - Disaster management teams can help to minimize loss

of life and property. This is because; the Disaster management team can take
pre-emptive actions to avert a disaster.
1.5 DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE

Disaster Management Cycle
Disaster management aims to reduce, or avoid, the potential losses from
hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster, and
achieve rapid and effective recovery.
The Disaster management cycle illustrates the ongoing process by which
governments, businesses, and civil society plan for and reduce the impact of
disasters, react during and immediately following a disaster, and take steps to
recover after a disaster has occurred. Appropriate actions at all points in the
cycle lead to greater preparedness, better warnings, reduced vulnerability or the
prevention of disasters during the next iteration of the cycle. The complete
disaster management cycle includes the shaping of public policies and plans that
either modify the causes of disasters or mitigate their effects on people,
property, and infrastructure.
The mitigation and preparedness phases occur as disaster management
improvements are made in anticipation of a disaster event. Developmental
considerations play a key role in contributing to the mitigation and preparation
of a community to effectively confront a disaster. As a disaster occurs, disaster
management actors, in particular humanitarian organizations, become involved
in the immediate response and long-term recovery phases. The four disaster
management phases illustrated here do not always, or even generally, occur in
isolation or in this precise order. Often phases of the cycle overlap and the
length of each phase greatly depends on the severity of the disaster.
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o Mitigation -
Minimizing
the
effects
of
disaster.
Examples: building codes and zoning; vulnerability analyses;

public education.
o Preparedness -
Planning
how
to
respond.
Examples: preparedness plans; emergency exercises/training;

warning systems.
o Response - Efforts to minimize the hazards created by a disaster.
Examples: search and rescue; emergency relief .
o Recovery -
Returning
the
community
to
normal.
Examples: temporary housing; grants; medical care.

Sustainable Development
Developmental considerations contribute to all aspects of the disaster
management cycle. One of the main goals of disaster management, and one of
its strongest links with development, is the promotion of sustainable livelihoods
and their protection and recovery during disasters and emergencies. Where this
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goal is achieved, people have a greater capacity to deal with disasters and their
recovery is more rapid and long lasting. In a development oriented disaster
management approach, the objectives are to reduce hazards, prevent disasters,
and prepare for emergencies. Therefore, developmental considerations are
strongly represented in the mitigation and preparedness phases of the disaster
management cycle. Inappropriate development processes can lead to increased
vulnerability to disasters and loss of preparedness for emergency situations.
Mitigation
Mitigation activities actually eliminate or reduce the probability of disaster
occurrence, or reduce the effects of unavoidable disasters. Mitigation measures
include building codes; vulnerability analyses updates; zoning and land use
management; building use regulations and safety codes; preventive health care;
and public education.
Mitigation will depend on the incorporation of appropriate measures in national
and regional development planning. Its effectiveness will also depend on the
availability
of
information
on
hazards,
emergency
risks,
and
the
countermeasures to be taken. The mitigation phase, and indeed the whole

disaster management cycle, includes the shaping of public policies and plans
that either modify the causes of disasters or mitigate their effects on people,
property, and infrastructure.
Preparedness
The goal of emergency preparedness programs is to achieve a satisfactory level
of readiness to respond to any emergency situation through programs that
strengthen the technical and managerial capacity of governments, organizations,
and communities. These measures can be described as logistical readiness to
deal with disasters and can be enhanced by having response mechanisms and
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procedures, rehearsals, developing long-term and short-term strategies, public

education and building early warning systems. Preparedness can also take the
form of ensuring that strategic reserves of food, equipment, water, medicines
and other essentials are maintained in cases of national or local catastrophes.
During the preparedness phase, governments, organizations, and individuals
develop plans to save lives, minimize disaster damage, and enhance disaster
response operations. Preparedness measures include preparedness plans;
emergency exercises/training; warning systems; emergency communications
systems; evacuations plans and training; resource inventories; emergency
personnel/contact
lists;
mutual
aid
agreements;
and
public
information/education. As with mitigations efforts, preparedness actions depend

on the incorporation of appropriate measures in national and regional
development plans. In addition, their effectiveness depends on the availability
of information on hazards, emergency risks and the countermeasures to be
taken, and on the degree to which government agencies, non-governmental
organizations and the general public are able to make use of this information.
Humanitarian Action
During a disaster, humanitarian agencies are often called upon to deal with
immediate response and recovery. To be able to respond effectively, these
agencies must have experienced leaders, trained personnel, adequate transport
and logistic support, appropriate communications, and guidelines for working in
emergencies. If the necessary preparations have not been made, the
humanitarian agencies will not be able to meet the immediate needs of the
people.
Response
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The aim of emergency response is to provide immediate assistance to maintain

life, improve health and support the morale of the affected population. Such
assistance may range from providing specific but limited aid, such as assisting
refugees with transport, temporary shelter, and food, to establishing semipermanent settlement in camps and other locations. It also may involve initial
repairs to damaged infrastructure. The focus in the response phase is on meeting
the basic needs of the people until more permanent and sustainable solutions
can be found. Humanitarian organizations are often strongly present in this
phase of the disaster management cycle
Recovery
As the emergency is brought under control, the affected population is capable of
undertaking a growing number of activities aimed at restoring their lives and the
infrastructure that supports them. There is no distinct point at which immediate
relief changes into recovery and then into long-term sustainable development.
There will be many opportunities during the recovery period to enhance
prevention and increase preparedness, thus reducing vulnerability. Ideally, there
should be a smooth transition from recovery to on-going development.
Recovery activities continue until all systems return to normal or better.
Recovery measures, both short and long term, include returning vital lifesupport systems to minimum operating standards; temporary housing; public
information; health and safety education; reconstruction; counseling programs;
and economic impact studies. Information resources and services include data
collection related to rebuilding, and documentation of lessons learned
1.6 DISASTER MANAGEMENT PHASES

Pre Disaster phase
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Risk assessment Diagnostic process to identify the risks that a

community faces
Prevention - Activities to avoid the adverse impact of hazards
Mitigation Structural/non-structural measures undertaken to limit
the adverse impact
Preparedness - Activities and measures taken in advance to ensure
effective response
Early warning - Provision of timely and effective information to
avoid or reduce risk
During disaster
Evacuation - temporary mass departure of people and property
from threatened locations
Saving people and livelihoods Protection of people and
livelihoods during emergency
Immediate assistance Provision of assistance during or
immediately after disaster
Assessing damage and loss Information about impact on assets
and loss to productio
Post disaster
Ongoing assistance Continued assistance until a certain level of
recovery
Recovery - Actions taken after a disaster with a view to restoring
infrastructure and services
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Reconstruction - Actions taken after a disaster to ensure

resettlement/relocation
Ongoing
development
activities
Continued
actions
of
development programmes
1.7FUTURE CHALLENGES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT

We are facing difficult times due to global warming and other factors. Some of
the challenges that the governments and communities should prepare for are
being discussed such that the disaster management managers specially police
officers could appreciate the enormous task that they have on hand in future.
Frequency and intensity of disasters are increasing. At the same time response
management is becoming increasingly difficult due to variety of reasons
including population growth, climate change and democratisation of
information, which makes incumbent upon us to bring about recommended
changes in approach, policy, legislation etc. Moreover, the future is not all that
promising too. Although major countries are making efforts to reduce carbon
emission and mitigate the effects of global warming, the declarations have not
been translated in real terms so far to have any significant impact.
There is a growing need to look at disasters from a development perspective.
Disasters can have devastating effect on communities and can significantly set
back development efforts to a great extent. But then, it could also offer an
opportunity to invest in development efforts in a post disaster scenario.
Disasters are opportunities for communities to reinvent themselves
Disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and relief are four elements,
which contribute to and gain from the implementation of sustainable
development policies. These elements, along with environmental protection and
sustainable development, are closely inter-related. The Yokohama Strategy,
emanating from the international decade for natural disaster reduction in May
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1994, emphasizes that disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness are

better than disaster-response in achieving the goals and objectives of
vulnerability reduction
The Government of India has adopted mitigation and prevention as essential
components of its development strategy. The Tenth Five Year Plan emphasizes
the fact that development cannot be sustainable without mitigation being built
into the development process. In brief, Disaster Management is being
institutionalized into development planning.But, there are various underlying
problems in the whole process. In fact, a number of problems stem from social
inequities
In the long run, the onus is upon the local communities to handle disasters with
the help of the state and other such organizations. It is a well-known fact that
the community dynamics is quite complex in a country like India. There is a
need to address specific local needs of vulnerable communities through local
traditions and cultures. Restoration of common property resources with the
participation of the local level bodies is a real challengeThe historical focus of
disaster management has been on relief and rehabilitation after the event but
now the focus is on planning for disaster preparedness and mitigation.Given the
high frequency with which one or other part of the country suffers due to
disasters, mitigating the impact of disasters must be an integral component of
our development planning.
One of the glaring lacunae in the process of Disaster Management in India has
been the overlooking of unnatural disasters. The recent efforts focus purely on
natural disasters, whereas the current global situation also demands initiatives in
managing the impact of unnatural disasters. Developments at the international
level, particularly the civil wars and civil strife in Eastern Europe and Southern
America culminating on 9/11 have brought the issue of unnatural disasters at the
forefront of disaster management. The global community has recognized the
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serious consequences of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare. This

remains a serious challenge for India to address in the near future
The need of the hour is to chalk out a multi-pronged strategy for total disaster
management comprising prevention, preparedness, response and recovery on
the one hand and initiate development efforts aimed towards risk reduction and
mitigation on the other. The countries in the Asia-Pacific region should establish
a regional co-ordination mechanism for space-technology based disaster
mitigation and strengthen co-operation, Luan suggested, adding that they also
need to set up an all-weather and all-time comprehensive space-based disaster
mitigation system and share the information.
A pro-active stance to reduce the toll of disasters in the country requires a more
comprehensive approach that comprises both pre-disaster risk reduction and
post-disaster recovery. It is framed by new policies and institutional
arrangements that support effective action. Such an approach should involve the
following set of activities:
Risk analysis to identify the kinds of risks faced by people and
development investments as well as their magnitude;
Prevention and mitigation to address the structural sources of
vulnerability;
Risk transfer to spread financial risks over time and among different
actors;
Emergency preparedness and response to enhance a countrys readiness to
cope quickly and effectively with an emergency; and
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CHAPTER-2
BHUJ EARTHQUAKE, INDIA, 2001
2.1INTRODUCTION
Indian earthquake problem needs no introduction. Some of the largest
earthquakes of the world have occurred in the Indian subcontinent. However,
the M7.7 Bhuj (Gujarat) earthquake of January 26, 2001 was the largest
earthquake to have hit India in 50 years causing a death toll of 13,805 persons.
For the first time, Bhuj earthquake showed in graphic details the vulnerability of
typical Indian urban constructions. As a result, impact of this earthquake on the
mindset of public as well as policy makers has been enormous. Scenario in
16
India with regard to seismic safety programmes is considerably different today

than was the case prior to the Bhuj earthquake
Gujarat has a history of earthquake disasters. In the past, from 1819 to 2001,
Kachchh area faced six major earthquakes in 1819, 1844, 1845, 1856, 1869 and
1956. The earthquake on 26 January 2001 had a devastating effect on the whole
of Kachchh Region and extended to other urban areas, like Ahmadabad, Rajkot
and Bhavnagar, as well. High number of casualties occurred due to lack of
general awareness among the community and absence of mitigation and
preparedness planning. It is scientifically correct that disasters cannot be
predicted. But they also say the Nature being the mother of mankind, does give
some indicators before any type of disaster and earthquakes are no exception.
Any prior intimation of this type of disaster can definitely decrease vulnerability
and thus the number of casualties. Hence forecasting is very important for
mitigation and preparedness planning. A number of developed countries like
USA, Japan and even India are carrying out research to predict earthquakes but
the scientific break through has yet to come. Before Bhuj Earthquake 2001,
however, some abnormal incidents/events were observed, i.e. thermal anomaly,
changing of temperature pattern and growing of flowers on Neem tree in odd
season. Chinese scientists also have developed network to collect data of
homely signals. Recently Spanish scientists have linked the temperature of the
Earth's crust to the planet's seismic activity
Date:
26 January 2001
Origin line:
08 hrs.46 min. 42.9 sec. IST
Epicenter:
Latitude 23.40 N Longitude 70.28 E
Magnitude:
7.7 (Mw)
Focal Depth:
25 kms
Time :
8:49 A.M
17
2.2 EARTHQUAKE 2001- HIGH VULNERABILITY DUE TO

LACK OF MITIGATION PLANNING:
Earthquakes have an odd position in the field of disaster studies. As per Bureau
of Indian Standards, Kachchh area of Gujarat comes in zone V and adjacent
districts are also classified in zone IV, while commercial capital of Gujarat,
Ahmadabad comes in zone
On 26th January 2001, when all Indians were celebrating Republic day, Gujarat
felt an earthquake of the magnitude of 7.7 (USGS) on the Richter Scale, in the
morning at 8:49 A.M. The epicenter of the quake was located at 23.6 North
Latitude and 69.8 East Longitude, about 20 km Northwest of Bhuj town of
Kutchh District. At a depth of 23 km below surface this quake generated intense
shaking which was felt in 70% region of India and far beyond in Pakistan and
Nepal also. 21 districts of the total of 25 districts of the State of Gujarat were
affected in the quake. Around 18 towns, 182 talukas and 7904 villages in the
affected districts saw large scale destruction. Although the official fatalities
were pegged at 12220, the unofficial count is estimated to be over 20,000 dead
and 167000 injured. The number of houses destroyed was 400,000 (90% of all
houses) and 1884 school buildings. 5980 class rooms and 11751 school
buildings suffered minor to major damages. Additionally, 36584 rooms were
rendered unfit for holding instructional sessions. Total property damaged was
over $5.5 billion and it destroyed 80% of usable food and water supplies in
Kutch. The previous earthquake in Kutch area was reported 33 days before the
big bang, on 24-12-2000 with magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter scale but this
early indicator also failed to wake up the society and the responders.
EXTENT OF DAMAGE
7904 villages affected in 182 talukas in 21 districts.
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1.59 crore affected out of 3.78 crore population.

Human lives lost : 20005, Persons Injured : 1.66 lakh, seriously injured:
20717
Missing persons : 247 in Kachchh
Cattle deaths reported as 20717
Houses Fully Destroyed 1.87 lakh (Pucca), 1.67 lakh (Kachcha) & 0.16 lakh
(huts)
Houses Partially Destroyed 5.01 lakh (Pucca), 3.87 lakh (Kachcha) & 0.34
lakh (huts)
Damage :
Personal Properties Rs. 387 crore
Household Properties Rs. 11195 crore
Public Utilities Rs. 600 crore
Public Infrastructure & Amenities Rs. 1080 crore
Industrial establishment Rs. 5000 crore
Commercial establishment Rs. 3000 crore
2.3 PREDICTION OF EARTHQUAKE

For the forecasting of natural calamities like cyclone, floods, heavy rainfalls,
fool proof techniques have been developed but not a single authentic technique
has been developed for forecasting earthquakes. For the forecasting of
earthquake some make shift techniques are being used, some of which are given
below:- (1) Measurement of ground tilting (2) Collection of data of past
earthquakes (3) Detailed study of main shocks and after shocks (4) Study of
change in ground water level (5) Survey of ground surface of water in reservoir
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(6) Change in volume of Rock (7) Change in velocity of P waves. (8) High
Radon emission. Moreover, changes in the behavior of animals have also been
traditionally accepted as indicators of oncoming earthquakes. Some of these are
given below:- (a) Strange reaction of birds restless and making noises. (b)
Barking of dogs (c) Sudden stampede in herd of cattle (d) Rats coming outside
from its holes (e) Rapid movement of cow and cats (f) Snorting and bolting of
horses By itself one behavior may not be always right, but a combination of
strange happenings can surely be construed as prediction or forecasting of
earthquake.
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR THEORY AND CHINA:

In late 1970, China concentrated on the study of common country side events,
as a prelude to major earthquake, such as the behavior of animals and the level
of water in wells. Signs of Chinese seismologists watch included chickens
roosting in trees, fish leaping out of the water in large numbers, horses refusing
to enter stables , snakes trying to lift from the ground, dogs howling and other
animals acting abnormally and nervously. The Chinese believe that the bat is the
most sensitive animal to predict approaching earthquakes. These homely signals
were collected over a sophisticated information gathering network, linking
regional centers. Two years after the successful learning experience, the
Tangsham quake (Richter 7.6) was correctly predicted through their short and
medium term homely indicators that saved a number of lives, with people
evacuating their homes in time.
ABNORMAL INCIDENTS BEFORE EARTHQUAKE 2001 IN

GUJARAT:
Before Bhuj Earthquake 2001, some abnormal incidents were observed,
which are given in succeeding paras.
20
Remarkable Difference between Maximum and Minimum Temperature in

Different Cities:
Normally, the temperature of a place is dependent on the movement of Sun but
it was noted those 25 days before the Bhuj Earthquake, temperature pattern
changed.
Difference between Maximum and Minimum Temperature in Different Cities
Date
Ahmedabad
Bhuj
Rajkot
Surat
11-1-2001
Max.: 26.5 c.
Min.: 12.1 c.
Diff. :14.4 c
Max.: 30.1c.
Min. :10.8c.
Diff. : 19.7c.
Max.: 23.0 c.
Min.: 10.7c.
Diff. : 12.3c.
Max.:30.5c.
Min.: 15.4c.
Diff. :15.1c.
Max. : 26.1c.
Min. : 10.7 c.
Diff. : 15.4c.
Max.: 32.5c.
Min. :15.4c.
Diff. : 17.1c.
Max. : 29.1c.
Min. : 12.8c.
Diff. :16.4c.
Max. :32.6c.
Min. :16.5c.
Diff. : 16.1c.
21-1-2001
It was seen that during the early morning hours eg at 3.0 AM, atmosphere was
warm instead of cool and the temperature kept increasing up to 3.0 PM. After
3.0 PM again decrease in temperature was seen. The coolness increased after
3.0 PM started decreasing between 12.00 AM. To 3.0 AM.
Effect of Incensement of Underground Temperature on Neem

Tree:
It was observed that before the Earthquake of 2001 in Gujarat, flowers were
seen on Neem trees in October 2000. There after, the same situation was seen in
August 2003, i.e. in August 2003 flowers were noticed on Neem trees in July
2000 and on 5th August 2003, an earthquake of the magnitude of 4.9 on the
Richter scale occurred in Gujarat. Seeing the untimely growth of flowers on
Neem trees, due to incensement of underground temperature, could be an
indicator of impending earthquake.
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OTHER PRECURSOR TO AN EARTHQUAKE

Some of the other precursors to an earthquake, which are widely believed to be
true are given below: 1). Two to four weeks before an earthquake, the water
level in wells rises. Dry wells get filled up.
2) Five to seven days before the reception of radio frequencies shifts.
3) Three days before, reception of landline goes to low quality. Mussing sounds
are frequent
. 4) 10 to 15 hours before, the reception of television gets disturbed.
5) 10 to 20 hours before, five to seven times rise is noticed in delivery cases.
People become restless, chronic disease symptoms appear, there is rise in blood
pressure, irritation, headache, migraine and respiratory troubles appear
. 6) Abnormal behavior in humans and animals is attributed to rise in charged
particles in the atmosphere.
2.4 DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN BHUJ EARTHQUAKE

Disaster Mitigation:
The standard mitigation measures which are shown under are important to
mitigate Natural Disasters.
(1) Hazard Zone Mapping
(2) Structural Mitigation and Research Development
(3) Monitoring forecasting/warning
(4) Emergency management
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Out of the above, Monitoring forecasting/warning is very important for

earthquake Disaster. In India, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is the
nodal agency for monitoring earthquake and intimating its magnitude and
intensity. IMD maintains 58 seismological stations and 32 seismological
observatories in different part of India. These observatories monitor seismic
activities of the earths crust and monitor seismic disturbances in some
indentified reservoir/dam site. In Gujarat, Institute of Seismological Research,
Gandhinagar has established a network of 22 permanent seismological
observatories with the state-of-art digital broadband seismographs. The seismic
data from these observatories are downloaded at Gandhinagar via VSAT. In
addition, a network of 40 Strong Motion Accelerographs (SMA) also record
strong ground motions. .
Response and Rescue operation in Bhuj Earthquake India

1.
Search and rescue operations
2.
International Community Response
3.
Response within the country
4.
First impressions of shelters
5.
Health initiatives
Search and rescue operations
All sizes and hues, relief equipment, personnel and rescue teams with
their equipment.
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Transportation trucks at times were not available and there was difficulty
in finding labour for loading and unloading material which caused avoidable
and critical delays.
International Community Response
17 Search and Rescue (SAR) teams made up of 399 rescuers and 26

rescue dogs equipped with technical and rescue equipment assisted in the search
and rescue operation.
Teams from Switzerland, Scotland, Mexico, France, Spain, Poland,

Turkey, Japan were most active in this task.
More than 300 persons were rescued alive in the first 5 days.
CARE Canada & Norway arrived in Bhuj with 2650 tents.
40 persons relief team were engaged in relief work.
The medical teams with medicines arrived from France, Japan, South
Korea, Mexico, and other countries.
66 countries, 24 other international donors/various international

organisations sent rescue teams including sniffer dogs, relief materials and
mobile hospitals.
Response within the country
Several CSOs/NGOs/philanthropists and rescue teams rushed to Gujarat

from all over the country.
24
Gujaratis and residents of different states set up community kitchens. One

such was set up in Adesar by an organisation called Jain Sasan of Mumbai in
which more than 3500 persons were served food per day.
Air force was bringing airmen everyday for Ahmedabad in which a large
number of ex-servicemen came forward to work for the rescue and relief .
Transportation facilities were extended for relief material abroad With

free handling facilities to charter flights bringing in relief materials.
By 5th February 2001 financial assistance of IRS 500.00 Crores

equaling USD 1 billion by Central govt. was commited.
In addition, 95,000 MT of food, other materials like clothing and tents,

medical supplies and personnel, fuel and communication equipment were made
available.
Health initiatives
The army colonel whose unit was airlifted for emergency medical
operations due to their experience of handling the cyclone in Orissa and
earthquake in Latur stated that he hadnt had a bath for 4 days.
He could predict a pattern in the inflow of patients in disasters who start

trickling in after the first 24 hrs and the flow becoming a deluge after 48 hrs and
tapering off after nearly 7 days.
Indian doctors worked as a team with foreign health teams.
Foreign mobile hospitals were operational within 24 hrs of their arrival.
Financial arrangements
25
Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) in each state.
The CRF allocation during the period 2000-05 has been increased to Rs
11007.56 crore as compared with Rs 6304.27 crore during 1995-2000.
The efforts are supplemented by provision of additional assistance

from National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) during severe calamities.
Calamity Relief Fund (CRF)
Came into force from April 1990.
Set up by each state for financing natural calamity relief assistance

(earthquake, cyclone, flood etc.).
Financial share of 3:1 between the Government of India and states.
The government of Indias share comes in as grant-in-aid.
A state-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary of the state

administers the Fund.
National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF)
Came into force from 2000-01.
Aims to assist natural calamities (earthquake, flood, drought etc.) when

the magnitude of the disasters require more support than what the state can
provide.
The initial corpus of NCCF was Rs 500 crore.

26
The National Centre for Calamity Management (NCCM) under the M/o
Home Affairs administers the Fund.
Assistance provided by the Centre to States from NCCF is financed by

levy of special surcharge on Central taxes for a limited period.
Expenditure norms under NCCF and CRF
Ex-gratia payment to families of deceased persons: Rs 50,000/- per

person.
Ex-gratia payment for loss of limbs/eyes: Rs 25,000/- per person.
Injury leading to hospitalisation for more than one week: Rs 5,000/ per
person.
Relief for old, infirm and destitute children: Adults- Rs 20/- per day;
children- Rs 10/- per day.
Repair/restoration of damaged houses: Fully damaged Rs 10,000/- (Rs

6,000/- for kuccha); severely damaged Rs 2,000/- (Rs. 1,000/- for kuccha)
Assistance to artisans (as subsidy) for repair/replacement of damaged

equipment : Traditional craft Rs 1,000/- per person; Handloom weavers Rs
1,000/- per loom.
Gujarat : Assistance provided
Immediate relief of Rs 500 crore from the NCCF.
NCCF augmented by imposing a 2% surcharge on personal and corporate

income tax in Union Budget (2001-02) for assisting Gujarat.
27
Rs 110 crore provided from PMs Relief Fund.
Assistance was provided under various centrally sponsored schemes for

reconstruction of social and physical infrastructure.
Arrangements were tied up with ADB and World Bank for credit
worth US $800 million.
NHB and HUDCO set apart adequate funds for housing reconstruction.
RBI instructed banks to freeze recoveries and extend liberal loans.
Gujarat government was enabled to float tax-free earthquake bonds
Rescue Operations
Involved Personas:
firefighters
paramedics
rescue specialists
emergency room physicians
structural engineers,
heavy equipment specialists,
hazardous materials technicians,
communications specialists
28
logistics specialists.
A Participatory Approach
Disaster management is primarily responsibility of State Governments.
The Government of India supplements state through policy and

administrative response.
Policy response comprises of activating administrative machinery for

assisting relief measures and monitoring progress.
Administrative response comprises of primary and secondary relief

functions.
Reconstruction Activities
The reconstruction process involves a wide range of activities. For the
purpose of this paper, these activities have been grouped under the following
titles.
The next sections analyze the mitigation aspect of each of these activities.
Key activities:
Mapping and property database
Preparation of a city-level development plan
The development of urban infrastructure
Town planning schemes to redevelop the walled city
29
Experiments in community planning, institution building and supporting

civil society initiatives.
Gujarat Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme

IIT Bombay played a proactive role in providing technology support and expert
advice for reconstruction and disaster mitigation following the Bhuj earthquake
in January 2001. Advice was provided to Government of Gujarat as well as
several multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and Asian Development
Bank. The Institute provided immediate support in the following areas:
Rapid post earthquake reconnaissance to assess impact, and development of
retrofitting techniques for damaged structures
Evaluation of earthquake ground motions data, seismic hazard and
vulnerability, and causes of damage
Development of design guidelines for new constructions and evaluation of
structural designs
Training of government and private sector engineers in repairs and
rehabilitation of damaged buildings
Providing technical inputs to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank
for framing their emergency loan packages
Assisting the government of Gujarat with framing of rehabilitation policy of
the state
Preparation of re-development plan for the town of Anjar in Gujarat to ensure
seismic safety as well as sustainable development
Assisting in design and construction of earthquake memorial in Anjar in
memory of the school children and their teachers who died during Republic Day
parade
30
CHAPTER-3
CONCLUSION
The message being put across is that, in order to move towards safer and
sustainable national development, development projects should be sensitive
towards disaster mitigation.
Our mission is vulnerability reduction to all types of hazards, be it natural
or manmade. This is not an easy task to achieve, keeping in view the vast
population, and the multiple natural hazards to which this country is exposed.
Earthquake is a sudden motion and at present its perfect prediction is not
possible, but the some abnormal incidents shown above can be helpful to
predict an earthquake. China has also concentrated on the common country side
events and has developed a network to collect information which is linked with
regional centers. From the observed indicators before the Bhuj earthquake 2001,
we can conclude that thermal anomaly situation and difference of temperature
of main cities are required to be monitored so that we may have prior
information of any impending earthquake. Untimely growth of flowers on
Neem trees can also be another indicator to predict earthquake. However these
abnormal incidents and homely signals have their limitations. On the basis of
31
said information we cannot know about the exact place and time of earthquake,
but if these indications linked with other prediction tools, i.e. satellite data
(NOAA/AVHRR, MODIS) and NCEP data for studying thermal anomaly then it
may be possible to know about the exact place and time of an earthquake. Other
indicators are to be similarly taken unless proved otherwise. The above
abnormal incidents and homely signals noticed during the Bhuj Earthquake can
become helpful while formulating mitigation and preparedness strategy for
earthquake disasters.
CHAPTER-4
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WEDSITES
www.economictimes.com
www.investopedia.com
www.gisdevelopment.net
JOURNALS , REFERENCES & BOOKS
Planning Commission (2002); "Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007) Vol.1"; Planning Commission, Government of India; New Delhi.
Gupta A; "Information Technology and Natural Disaster Management
in India"; www.gisdevelopment.net
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(2001); "World Disaster Report - Focus on reducing risk"; IFRCRCS;
Geneva
Relation of tree with Earthquake-Gujarat samachar Daily July 2003
32
33

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