Impact of the 2019 Floods in the Public Libraries of .HUDOD$6WXG\ZLWK6SHFLDO5HIHUHQFHWR.DQQXU'LVWULFW
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Impact of the 2019 Floods in the Public Libraries of .HUDOD$6WXG\ZLWK6SHFLDO5HIHUHQFHWR.DQQXU'LVWULFW Ranjith Jose Librarian, National College of Pharmacy Manassery Post, Mukkam Calicut – 673 602 [email protected] Abstract 2FFXUUHQFHRIQDWXUDOGLVDVWHUVOLNHÀRRGVF\FORQHVWRUQDGRVKXUULFDQHVKHDY\UDLQVHDUWKTXDNHVODQGVOLGHV droughts, cloudbursts and tsunamis has increased over the years. While all types of disasters have the potential of damaging libraries, water is not only the most common but also the most potent factor. The extent of damage LQÀLFWHG E\ ÀRRGV FDQ UDQJH IURP PLQLPDO WR FRPSOHWHO\ GHVWUXFWLYH GHSHQGLQJ RQ WKH PDWHULDOV LQYROYHG DQG WKHDPRXQWRIZDWHUWKHFLUFXPVWDQFHVDQGWKHSXULW\RIWKHZDWHU6HYHUHÀRRGVD௺HFWHGWKHVRXWK,QGLDQVWDWH Kerala, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season in August 2019. While public libraries in some GLVWULFWVOLNH(UQDNXODP7KULVVXUZHUHZRUVWD௺HFWHGRWKHUGLVWLUFWVOLNH3DODNNDG3DWKDQDPWKLWWDDQG.DQQXUZHUH DOVRLPSDFWHG7KLVSDSHUDQDO\VHVWKHH[WHQWRIGDPDJHFDXVHGE\ÀRRGVLQWKHSXEOLFOLEUDULHVKRZWKHD௺HFWHG libraries coped with disaster and the level of disaster preparedness among libraries. It also throws light on the loss of service days, recovery measures taken by library, the range of progress achieved in recouping damages, sources RIFROOHFWLRQUHEXLOGLQJDQGWKHH[WHQWRIRFLDODQGFRPPXQLW\VXSSRUWUHFHLYHGE\WKHOLEUDULHVIRUWKHPLWLJDWLRQ RIGDPDJHV7KHSDSHUDOVRR௺HUVVXJJHVWLRQVWRHQFRXQWHUIXWXUHHYHQWXDOLWLHV Keywords: ,PSDFWRIQDWXUDOGLVDVWHUV'LVDVWHUPDQDJHPHQW3XEOLFOLEUDULHV.HUDOD(௺HFWRIÀRRGVRQOLEUDULHV 1. Introduction on the underlying cause - natural or man-made. Global warming, El-Nino effect and other environmental factors 'LVDVWHUDVGH¿QHGE\WKH8QLWHG1DWLRQVLVDVHULRXV have, in recent years, increased the occurrence of natural disruption of the functioning of a community or society, GLVDVWHUVOLNHÀRRGVF\FORQHVWRUQDGRV+XUULFDQHVKHDY\ which involve widespread human, material, economic rains, earthquakes, landslides, droughts, cloudbursts or environmental impacts that exceed the ability of the DQGWVXQDPLV0DQPDGHGLVDVWHUVDUHH[SORVLRQV¿UHV affected community or society to cope using its own accidents, spillage, building collapse, electricity failure, UHVRXUFHV 8QLWHG 1DWLRQV 2I¿FH IRU 'LVDVWHU 5LVN chemical and nuclear radiation, bomb blasts, terrorism, Reduction, n. d.) war, insurgency etc. A disaster is an occurrence arising with little or no Table 1 - Types of disasters warning. It happens with such a magnitude that it adversely affects the normal life for a long period. It Natural Disasters Manmade Disasters requires major effort from the community, region or country Earthquakes Terrorism to recoup or recover from its effects. Disasters lead to Floods Wars serious disruption of the functioning of a society, causing widespread human, material, or environmental losses Cyclones Vandalism leading to the interference of external bodies for assistance Tsunamis Fires in addition the government. Cambridge Dictionary (n. d.) Landslides Accidents GH¿QHVGLVDVWHUDVDQ³HYHQWWKDWUHVXOWVLQJUHDWKDUP Cloud burst System failure GDPDJHRUGHDWKRUVHULRXVGLI¿FXOW\´7KH\DUHHYHQWV of great magnitude which cause loss and disruption. They Tornados Bomb blasts usually occur suddenly and their impact is experienced Droughts Digital over a long period. Avalanches Biological & chemical Disasters can be categorized in various ways. The Some authors classify disasters into three types: most common way of categorizing disasters is based naturals, man mades, and hybrid disasters (Shaluf, 50 KLA Journal of Information Science & Technology, Vol.2 (1-2) Ranjith Jose 2007). As India is a very large country, different regions (Kerala State Library Council, 2019b). On this basis, are vulnerable to different natural disasters. Of these, it can be calculated that each panchayat in Kerala on an ÀRRGVF\FORQHVDQGGURXJKWVDUHWKHPRVWIUHTXHQW average has more than six libraries. In other words, there For example, during rainy season the peninsular regions is one library for every 6000 population of Kerala. RI6RXWK,QGLDDUHPRVWO\DIIHFWHGE\F\FORQHVÀRRGV 3. and states of West India experience severe drought .HUDODÀRRGV during summer. The disaster management activities are Kerala’s once-in-a-lifetime rainfall was 2,378 mm over undertaken as per the norms and rules of the Disaster 88 days, four times more than normal–but 30 percent less Management Act (2005). and spread over 61 days more than the deluge of 1924, WKHPRVWLQWHQVHÀRRGLQWKHVWDWH¶VUHFRUGHGKLVWRU\ While all types of disasters have the potential of submerging as it did almost the entire coastline. In 1924 damaging libraries, water is not only the most common considered to be a landmark moment in Kerala’s history but also the most potent factor. Damage can be caused .That year the much endeared season of rains in the state. WKURXJKDWVXQDPLRUÀRRGVIURPDQHDUE\ZDWHUERG\VXFK Transformed into a disaster of monstrous dimensions .The as an ocean or river. Heavy rains, or wind driven hurricanes, current state of deluge in Kerala is reminiscent of the cyclones and tornados also destroy collections. In all these monsoon, almost century back, when god’s own country natural disasters water is a key damaging factor. WUDQVIRUPHGLQWRDFDODPLW\]RQH7KHVLJQL¿FDQFHRIWKH 2. Public Library scenario in Kerala ÀRRGZDVVXFKWKDWPDQ\ROGSHRSOHLQ7UDYDQFRUHXVHG Kerala, the southernmost state of India with highest WRDQFKRUWKHLUPHPRULHVLQUHODWLRQWRWKHÀRRG KWWSV literacy in the country has a long tradition of public libraries. HQZLNLSHGLDRUJZLNL.HUDODÀRRGV ,WFDQERDVWRIWKH¿UVWSXEOLFOLEUDU\LQWKHFRXQWU\ZLWK 3.1 Flood in 2018 the formation of Trivandrum Public Library in 1829 which 2Q$XJXVWVHYHUHÀRRGVDIIHFWHGWKHVRXWK emerged as the State Central Library in 1958. The public Indian state Kerala, due to unusually high rainfall during library development in Kerala has an older history than WKHPRQVRRQVHDVRQ,WZDVWKHZRUVWÀRRGLQ.HUDOD that of any other state. The library development occurred in nearly a century. Over 483 people died, and 140 are at different periods in the three erstwhile constituent missing.. All 14 districts of the state were placed on red areas of Kerala, i.e. Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. alert. According to the Kerala government, one-sixth of the Ernakulam Public Library, Thrissur Public Library and a total population of Kerala had been directly affected by the number of smaller libraries came up in Travancore and ÀRRGVDQGUHODWHGLQFLGHQWV7KH,QGLDQJRYHUQPHQWKDG Cochin states in the 19th century. There also emerged declared it a Level 3 Calamity, or “calamity of a severe public libraries in Kozhikode and Thalassery by the QDWXUH´,WLVWKHZRUVWÀRRGLQ.HUDODDIWHUWKHJUHDWÀRRG beginning of 20th century in the Malabar region which that took place in 1924. was under the control of the British. The functioning of hundreds of libraries led to the formation of Travancore 7KLUW\IRXURXWRIWKH¿IW\¿YHGDPVZLWKLQWKHVWDWH *UDQWKDVDOD6DQJDPLQZKLFKVWDUWHGDI¿OLDWLQJWKH ZHUHRSHQHGIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHLQKLVWRU\$OO¿YHRYHUÀRZ existing libraries and establishing new ones in all villages. gates of the Idukki Dam were opened at the same time, With the formation of the state of Kerala in 1956, the Tiru- DQGIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHLQ\HDUVJDWHVRIWKH0DODPSX]KD Kochi Granthasala Sangham became Kerala Granthasala dam of Palakkad were opened. Heavy rains in Wayanad Sangham. Thanks to the incessant activities of the and Idukki have caused severe landslides and have left Sangham, thousands of libraries were established by the hilly districts isolated. The situation was regularly 1960s throughout Kerala. The Public Library Act, 1989 monitored by the National Crisis Management Committee, is more democratic in structure compared to other library which also coordinated the rescue and relief operations. acts in India. The library administration is categorized as KWWSVHQZLNLSHGLDRUJZLNL.HUDODÀRRGV State Library Council, District Library Council and Taluk 3.2 Flood in 2019 Library Council (Kerala State Library Council, 2019a) On 8 August 2019, due to heavy and severe rainfall %\0DUFKPRUHWKDQOLEUDULHVZHUHDI¿OLDWHG LQWKH0RQVRRQVHDVRQVHYHUHÀRRGDIIHFWHG.HUDOD$V WR.HUDOD6WDWH/LEUDU\&RXQFLO .6/& 7KHDI¿OLDWHG a security measure in the prevailing situation of heavy OLEUDULHV DUH TXDOL¿HG WR DYDLO JUDQWV DQG OLEUDULDQ¶V rains, the Government of Kerala had issued Red alert allowances after the gradation process are categorized in the 9 districts in Northern and Central Kerala, orange into seven grades viz. A+, A, B, C, D, E, and F. According alert in 3 districts of Central Kerala, and yellow alert in to Kerala State Library Council Annual Report 2018- 19, the 2 districts of southern Kerala. Thousands of people a total of 6198 libraries availed grants from the Council. have been evacuated to safer places and relief camps. A KLA Journal of Information Science & Technology, Vol.2 (1-2) 51 +ORCEVQHVJG(NQQFUKPVJG2WDNKE.KDTCTKGUQH-GTCNC#5VWF[YKVJ5RGEKCN4GHGTGPEGVQ-CPPWT&KUVTKEV total of 101 people have died due to rain-related incidents 5.1 Kannur district since 14 August 2019. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019 Kannur is one of the districts along the west coast .HUDODÀRRGV in the state of Kerala, India. The town of Kannur is the 4. Previous studies district headquarters and gives the district its name. The old name, Cannanore is the Anglicized form of the Literature is abound with examples related to library Malayalam name “Kannur”. Kannur district is bounded by GLVDVWHUVGXHWRÀRRGV2QO\DIHZDH[DPLQHGKHUH Kasaragod District to the north, Kozhikode district to the %DU\DOD KDVGHVFULEHGWKHLPSDFWRIÀRRGVLQ