Keep the poor in focus

30/08/2005

Keep the poor in focus After the Disaster Management Bill was introduced in parliament, field workers of the Ahmedabad, Gujarat based-All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (aidmi) sought opinions of victims of some recent calamities. People affected by the 1997 drought in north Gujarat, the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat's Kutch area, the 1998 cyclone in the state's Kandla port and the 2004 tsunami welcomed the bill. We queried them a bit more and they came up with their demands.

First, the focus has to be on the poor among victims, we were told. "The poor are the first to be affected and the last to recover,' our respondents pointed out. They had a point. All records show that two out of the three disaster victims are from the poorer sections of society. "The bill does propose a string of funds to mitigate disasters. But it should make it quite clear that the finances will go first to the poor among the disasters victims,' our interlocutors added.

Secondly, they wanted the authorities to ensure that damaged assets are replaced with durable ones. "Don't just give us a new shelter or a boat or a road or a shop but make these assets safe from earthquakes, floods or tsunamis,' the victims said. They have a point, again. The shelters built after floods in Gujarat last year were lost in floods this year. The bill must ensure that this does not happen. The reconstructed assets must be safer and sustainable. They should also be insured against all future calamities. aidmi's experience with victims of two recent tragedies

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