WELCOME

To
The Presentation
on

Engineers Role
in
Disaster Management
- Conceptual Framework & Basic Issues
By: Eng. Kishan Solanki,
BE, AICWA, ACCA, MIE

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Introduction
Topics include:
What is Disaster
What is Disaster Management
Purpose of Disaster Management
Conceptual Framework for Disaster Management
Developing Disaster Management Plan
Role of Engineers in Disaster Management
Conclusion
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What is DISASTER
Dictionary Meaning:
Tragedy, ruin, blow, Adversity, Catastrophe, Calamity, Serious Failure,
Debacle, Misfortune, mess

Definition:
It can be defined as an Event that causes serious loss, destruction,
hardship, unhappiness or death caused by natural or other reasons

Classification of Disaster :
Disasters can be broadly classified as

Natural or Manmade
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Natural Disaster
This is some times called as Acts of God and may be caused by
one or more of the following Natural Events:
Earthquakes
Floods
Cyclones & Storms
Tsunami
Drought
Fog
Lightning
Heat & Cold waves
Natural Fires
River & Sea Erosion
Land Slides. etc

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Manmade Disaster:
This is caused due to activities undertaken by Man or Group
of People ranging from one or more of the following:

Terrorist Activities
Fire
Wars & Riots
Vehicular Accidents
Pollution Air, Water, Noise, etc
Sabotage Activities
Many of similar activities

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What is Disaster Management

Like any other Management activity or process,
Disaster Management is also a Management
Activities or process undertaken by various
segments of the Society - Public,
Governmental, NGOs, etc with an aim to
minimize or avoid occurrence of Disaster and to
provide relief to the affected people and
rehabilitate them.

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Classification of Disaster Management

According to Stages

of Occurrence:

Pre-event
While Disastrous situation prevailing
Immediately after Disaster
Long-Term Works
According to the Management
Planning
Organizing
Controlling
Feedback & Corrective Action
According to the Level
Individual
Family
Community
Town / City
District
State
National
Regional
Global

Process:

of Study:

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Purpose of Disaster Management

To avoid or minimize occurrence of event of Disaster
Anticipate the possibility of Disaster and is magnitude
Incorporate the warning points into the design of various structures
Buildings, Infrastructures & services
Prepare contingency plans for immediate relief for the following:
How to reach the Disaster Site Road, Rails, Water or Air route
Communication System
Health care
Food
Clothes
Fire Prevention
Traffic Control
Maintenance of essential services

Improving Civil Defense mechanism

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Conceptual Framework
For developing any Disaster management Plan for any area, it is
essential to understand basic conceptual framework for the same.
Following are the areas of such conceptual framework
Understanding the Hazards of Disaster: Before developing any plan for
any area, it is very essential to understand the type of Disaster and possible
hazard and impact of the same. It can be any major type as described
earlier or for combination of various disastrous situations.
Vulnerability of Regions / Areas: After the Hazards of Disasters are
identified, vulnerability of the Region / Area under consideration should be
analyzed. This refers to estimation of probability of occurrence of disastrous
situation based on various methods Past observations, mathematical
model, Astronomical forecasting, simulation models etc.
The Local Context: Though Global methods are adopted for determining
vulnerability of Regions / Area under consideration, one should consider
local context of disastrous situation. For example, Many areas of Gujarat,
Maharashtra are prone to high flood and water logging, whereas, many
areas of Andhra Pradesh & Orissa are prone for Cyclone.
Risk, Hazard & Vulnerability Profile: This is the next step in Disaster
Management Plan to prepare profile of Risk & Vulnerability for identified
Hazard of Disaster for the area under consideration.

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Conceptual Framework (contd)

Preparedness, mitigation & prevention in Disaster Management: These
are very essential terms to be understood clearly by the one interested for
study of Disaster Management.
Preparedness refers to be in readiness to take appropriate actions in
response to Disastrous situation. For example, accumulation of
essential commodities & consumable like water, food grains, clothes,
booking for alternative place of accommodation at short notice are few
Examples of Preparedness for Disaster Management.
Mitigation refers to measures initiated to mitigate or minimize the impact
due to disastrous situation. For example, distribution of vaccines &
medicines to prevent spread of waterborne disease in Flood affected
areas are measures of mitigation.
Prevention refers to measures initiated to prevent occurrence of
disastrous situation. Construction of Dams across many Rivers is
measures to prevent occurrence of Flood & Draught in many areas.

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Conceptual Framework (contd)

Relief: It is generally observed that persons affected by disastrous situation
like Cyclone, Earthquake, Flood etc. loose their source of income and
essential supplies like water, food, clothes, shelter etc for a short period of
time. In such situation, aid or assistance provided by Governmental or NonGovernmental (NGOs) and general Public are called Relief. Timely relief
provided to needy persons save them from immediate grieves of disastrous
situation and comeback to normal life at the earliest. Essentially, these are
short-term measures.
Recovery: After relief measures are initiated for the affected persons, it is
expected that they are coming up from the traumatic situation of disaster
and regaining their strength to come back to normal life and work place.
This process is called Recovery. Some time aid or financial assistance is
provided in terms of ex-gratis grants, soft loans, and waiver of interests for
some periods, etc. Essentially, these are medium term measures.
Rehabilitation: Many a times, it is observed that the impact of disaster is
such that its effect continues for long term. For example, washing away of
many villages and mass destruction of houses in earthquake affected areas,
it is not possible to construct houses at short period for large number of
people. In such situations, large scale projects are undertaken to provide
long term support to affected persons mostly by establishing them at
alternative locations. This is called Rehabilitation measures. Essentially,
these are long-term measures.

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Developing Disaster Management Plan for any Area

Developing effective Plan for Disaster Management is very complex and challenging task. It involves
various processes and initiatives from various sections of Society. Following is the basic process for
Developing Disaster Management Plan for any Area.

Assessment of Infrastructure:
Physical
Socio-Cultural
Economic

Risk Analysis:
Assess the Risk
Vulnerability & Capability Assessment
Quality and Quantification of the Risk
Prioritizes the Actions

Awareness creation
Developing Prevention & Mitigation measures
Preparedness
Assessing Response Capability and improving the same on continuous
basis
Public, Governmental & Non-Governmental (NGO) Participation at various levels
is very essential for developing effective Disaster Management Plans.

Laws & Regulations: relating to Construction, Safety, Operation & maintenance of various
services are also important components of any Disaster Management Plan .

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Role of Engineers
Now we have seen various issues & broad framework of Disaster
Management, we can see a larger role expected from Engineers from
various disciplines to contribute for Disaster Management. Following are the
broad areas in which Engineers can contribute significantly for the noble
cause of Disaster Management

Awareness Creation
Planning for Various Buildings, Infrastructures
& Services
Developing & Operations of Early Detection &
Warning Systems
Relief Measures
Importance to Safety while construction /
Operations
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Role of Engineers (contd.)

Awareness Creation:
Engineers are dynamic force of any Society in the sense that
they command control over building and operations of
Economy.
Engineers can play significant role for awareness creation
about the Disaster Management issues as highlighted
above.
Various activities relating to awareness creation can be
undertaken by Engineers organizing seminars, writing
articles to various media, training public on various Hazards,
Safety issues and what should be done and what should not
be done during disastrous situations
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Role of Engineers (contd.)

Planning for Various Buildings, Infrastructures & Services:
Engineers play significant role during planning for various Buildings,
infrastructural facilities Roads, Rail, Drainage, Water Supply,
irrigation Dams & Canal, Communication network, Oil & Gas
network, etc.
While planning for such projects, Engineers should consider
comprehensive process of vulnerability and Risk Analysis.
Engineers should endeavor to follow the National Building Codes
provisions in true spirit. This will help to minimize the losses &
damages of Disaster.
Since, natural disasters are natural phenomena, one can not prevent
them but it is possible to anticipate such events and possible effects.
This can be converted to appropriate design parameters &
performance requirements.
IT Engineers / GIS Engineers can contribute for preparing &
maintaining database of Land use, building, communication network,
Road linkages & other topographical details relevant for local areas
Climatic conditions, weather conditions, .

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Role of Engineers (contd.)

Developing & Operations of Early Detection
& Warning Systems:
Since, many disasters like Earthquake, Flood, Tsunami,
Terrorist attacks etc. are occurring at a short notice and give
very less time to initiate and take responsive actions.
Here it is very essential to have effective systems for early
detections and communication of warning signals to
probable affected people. It is a challenge for all Engineers
to strive for developing & operations of early Detection &
warning systems.

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Role of Engineers (contd.)

Relief Measures:
Since, one can not prevent all disasters, but, one can
contribute for providing relief to affected people.
Engineers are relatively higher earning members of the
Society and they can contribute monetarily for such relief
measures.
I am happy to note that Members of Qatar chapter of
Institution of Engineers (India) are monetarily contributing to
such relief measures whether it is for Tsunami victims,
Flood affected people, Earthquake affected or other such
people, Members contribute generously to Prime Ministers
Relief Fund and donations to various bodies. Further,
Engineers can contribute by way of assistance for quick
repairs of affected building & quick restoration of essential
services communication links, Road/Rail linkage, Food &
water supply, etc.
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Conclusion
In this presentation, I have highlighted and briefly described basic issues
relating to Disaster Management.
Engineers are dynamic part of the Society and they can contribute in various
ways for the noble cause of Disaster Management.

Remember: One can not prevent Disaster, but one

surely contribute for one or more aspects of
Disaster Management to minimise its effects
It is challenge for all Engineers to fight for the
same. It is my humble request to all fellow
Engineers to rise to the occasion and appeal them
to contribute in one or more areas of Disaster
Management described above.

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Further References
Disaster Management Planning for Rohtak District available on
website www.rohtak.nic.in
Disaster Preparedness Article on website
www.vandenberg.af.mil
Report on Disaster Management Workshop held on 22
December 2005 at Times of India Office, Mumbai
Foolproof Technology Article by K. Balaveera Reddy
published in The Hindu dated 3rd February, 2006
Salient Features of NBC published by Bureau of Indian
Standards
Civil Defense Handbook, Government of India
Various Articles & Papers relating to Disaster Management
available on website of www.karmyog.com

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Thank You
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