Recently, the governor of Nagaland was reported in the newspapers throwing a challenge to the builders in the state not just to get development right but also safe. He had pointed to poor land-use planning, environmental mismanagement, and lack of regulatory mechanisms as the contributors to the increase in risk from disasters. After listing those causes, the governor had challenged infrastructure stakeholders in Nagaland to pursue best practices of building and to engage quality control mechanisms.
According to him, we need to introduce better/stronger building codes, sound land-use planning, better early warning systems, environmental management and evacuation plans and (above all) education to equip us better in event of earthquake, flood, heavy rain and forest fire. No community is immune from the threat of disaster, be it natural or man-made. But, the state of Nagaland, by virtue of being of mountainous terrain is more vulnerable to natural disaster. “Let us come together to promote best practices in our villages, town, cities and across all sectors to reduce disaster risk and disaster losses,” he had stated. The governor is spot-on in his assertion.
Because, the responsibility to mitigate disasters is a collective task and should involve everyone. We cannot leave it to the Disaster Management Authority alone, or the “builders” for that matter. Yes, there are guidelines and mechanism that should the strictly adhered to. These are for the professionals. But the responsibility to alleviate the wrath of Mother Nature, which over the years has become increasingly lethal in the face of global warming triggered by human behaviour, must be shared by everyone. From planting trees, and embracing practices that help check soil erosion such as terracing, to avoiding building homes on dangerous hillsides and in valleys, every citizen of the state of Nagaland has a role to play in ensuring that certain predictable disasters are kept at bay.
Education, as is the case in almost everything, is the key. It is indeed good to see how our Disaster Management Authority reacts swiftly with safety tips at the slightest hint of possible disasters. Such small things make the biggest difference, especially in times of disasters. But it must also take measures to ensure that all efforts designed to mitigate disasters are implemented to the letter, and everyone takes full ownership of all the intervention programmes. This includes the “builders” too.
As noted earlier, while our Disaster Management Authority has always responded with a sense of urgency in the wake of the slightest possibility of disasters, it goes without saying that we can and should be better as far as prevention is concerned.
