Though Cyclone Remal was managed well, there still exist gaps in planning and coordination that need to be plugged to tackle disaster better
GUWAHATI: Any kind of disaster is natural and unpredictable, but being prepared for it is what the city authorities are responsible for and the district disaster management authority, in coordination with other departments work accordingly. Recently, Cyclone Remal wreaked havoc in Guwahati besides in large swathes across the Northeast raising a pertinent question in its wake: How prepared and ready is Guwahati for disasters?
According to data acquired from the meteorological department, in the wee hours of May 28, Guwahati received 20 mm rain, which was the lowest in the entire Northeast because Sohra (Cherrapunjee) received 600 mm, Shillong 240mm, Agartala 200 mm and so on. Even Silchar received 150 mm while Cachar district witnessed large-scale destruction.
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The rain accompanied with storm felled 41 trees in Guwahati, besides hoardings and unipoles; landslides were reported in some while one life was lost.
The question remains that if there was so much destruction in Guwahati with only 20mm rain and a wind speed of just around 17 km per hour what would have happened if the city had received more rain and stronger winds like in some parts of the Northeast?
Ranel Das, a city-based architect and member of Architect Association, Assam, talking to GPlus said, “No one is above God and disasters are natural calamities. Man cannot be fully prepared for any disaster,” but adding that there will be less calamities if things are planned and designed well. He said that there are so many old buildings in Guwahati, which cannot be demolished, or the occupants evicted, but the repair work should be appropriately done.
He said, “A few days back I said that the hoardings on top of the buildings in Guwahati are 100 per cent risky and a huge hoarding fell in Maligaon on May 28,” adding that the Mumbai hoarding mishap happened because it was not well designed and also because of overloading. “In Guwahati the hoarding frames atop buildings are not connected with the frame or concrete construction of the building,” said Das adding that the advertising agencies somehow erect four posts and make a frame where advertisements are displayed. What is the load capacity of the hoarding frames, Das questioned saying that he wonders how the agencies get permission. He said that Guwahati falls under seismic zone V in India, making it highly vulnerable to earthquakes. The hoardings in Guwahati are risky during earthquakes and storms. He said that it also depends on the level of disaster; what will happen if there is an earthquake of 8 or 9 magnitude, he questioned adding that if such scenario occurs even well-designed structures will fall. According to him no one can be disaster-ready, but still whatever structure is created should be well-designed and planned.
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Talking about preparedness and response time, a senior official of Kamrup (Metro) district disaster management authority (DDMA), Project Officer Kaustav Talukdar talking to GPlus said, “This is the first time I noticed in Guwahati that during Cyclone Remal the response by all the departments was very quick,” adding that so many trees, electric polls and hoardings/unipoles fell but everything was cleared very fast. He said that the state disaster response force (SDRF) was active 24/7 and the city was prepared for disaster.
Regarding the safety concerns of hoardings and unipoles, Talukdar said, “GMC is the regulating body and they are working on it.”
Cyclone Remal has uncovered a major concern that outdoor advertising in Guwahati, including hoardings and unipoles, are not safe, and the regulation of the rules and norms for the advertisements are not stringent and are ad hoc in nature. A huge hoarding mounted atop a three-storey building collapsed in Maligaon on the morning of May 28, with a part of it hanging precariously over an adjacent building. Similarly, there were reports of a few unipoles collapsing in the city raising such concerns.
Regarding the hoarding which collapsed at the Maligaon building, GMC officials said that it was authorised and Delta Publicity had taken permission from GMC. On questioning why such mishap happened, the official said, “Structural design certificate, issued by an engineer, is provided by the agency, thereafter the permission is given," adding action will be initiated against the engineer who provided permission for this structure. Regarding the unipoles, the GMC officials were in a fix. A senior official said, “We are yet to identify the agency that installed the unipoles.” Another source in GMC said that the unipoles, which collapsed near Radisson Blu Hotel and Adabari, were installed by Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) and GMC cannot take action against the government department. But the GMC official said, “All advertising agencies are ordered to submit structural safety audit report of all the hoardings and unipoles,” adding that once the reports are submit the illegal hoardings and unipoles will be easily identified and action will be taken against them.
Another senior official of DDMA talking to GPlus on condition of anonymity said, “After Mumbai and Pune hoarding accidents the GMC has been asked many times to act against the illegal hoardings and unipoles,” adding that GMC has already started a survey and from June first week action against such structures will be rampant and visible to all. He also said that DIPR has installed around 100 unipoles which are not handed over to GMC yet so GMC will identify those too and regularise whatever can be according to the safety norms.
The fire and emergency department had to cut around 37 trees across Guwahati on May 28, rescue a woman stuck in a lift at directorate of fisheries, restore the site where the hoarding collapsed in Maligaon and also restore the unipoles which collapsed.
A source in the fire and emergency department said, “We were ready for the disaster but the challenge is to identify where to start the restoration work from,” adding that the public also had to be controlled in many areas because the falling trees and electric poles created traffic jams and other restrictions. The source said that infrastructure wise the department is doing well enough and the manpower is also sufficient, but getting the information on time is the major challenge.
In Maligaon, where the hoarding collapsed, the SDRF personnel reached in the morning, and prevented the hoarding from falling on an adjacent building. To remove the hoarding they waited for a hydro crane which was not helpful. Later the SDRF hydraulic vehicle was called which helped. Till 8 pm only 25 per cent of the work was done, and it was only later that the advertising agency, which had installed the hoarding, sent a team at night, and finally the hoarding was removed around midnight. The SDRF personnel were busy the entire day.
Like fire and emergency department, even the APDCL was busy restoring electricity.
A source in the APDCL said that there was around a 14- hour disruption in the power supply in Guwahati between the night of May 27 and the night of May 28. He said, “APDCL is the only department which displays phone numbers of all the senior officials in their website, and everybody received calls,” adding but the people have to understand that during disaster power cut has to be implemented for some time.
He said that there is precautionary power cut and compulsory power cuts. “When the storm starts power has to be cut as a precaution,” adding but when the tree falls on electric line or electric poll then the power has to be cut mandatorily. This is what happened on May 27 and 28. On 27th power was cut as the storm started and later trees fell across the city and everywhere power had to be restored after removing the trees. The team was in the field but they could start working only after the storm stopped on May 28 afternoon. Cutting trees takes time, he said adding that gradually power cut issue was resolved area wise. He claimed earlier in such situations power had to be cut for two-three days, but this time it was restored quickly.
He may claim that APDCL worked efficiently but many residents complained that the APDCL toll free number 191 was busy whole night and customers could not get through.
So, all departments claim they were ready and prepared for disasters.
City-based social activist, Padmashree awardee and former legislator Ajoy Kumar Dutta said, “I don’t think the preparedness was good enough during Remal because the first thing authority should have done is close all the schools,” adding in such a calamity schools were open and parents were sending the children to school. Remal was coming everybody knew, Dutta said adding that there is no contact number. “People did not know whom to call during emergency,” said Dutta adding the local police stations also do not have any phone number to reach and OCs do not receive calls. He said the authorities should be more available to the people during disaster. He also stressed on one thing, “There is no coordination between departments”. He said that there is confusion regarding who can help.
It is true that disasters are not predictable but planning, awareness and coordination should be improved in Guwahati.