1 Bheem Everything 2 Bheem Everything 3 Bheem Everything 4 Bheem Everything 5 Bheem Everything Page 1 of 197 Introduction The increase in the frequency of disasters and their associated damages in the region ispart of a worldwide trend, which results from growing vulnerability and may reflect changingclimate patterns. These trends make it all the more necessary for the regions to break the cycle of destruction and reconstruction and address the root causes of vulnerability, rather than merely treating its symptoms when disasters happen. The principal causes of vulnerability in the region include rapid and uncontrolled urbanization, the persistence of widespread urban and rural poverty, the degradation of the region's environment resulting from the mismanagement of natural resources, inefficient public policies, and lagging and misguided investments in infrastructure. Development and disaster-related policies have largely focused on emergency response, leaving a serious under- investment in natural hazard prevention and mitigation. The lack of preparedness and the lack of safety measure also increase the vulnerability and add to the human and property loss. India is also one such country whose great vulnerability to natural disasters is not unknown. With 65% of its land area vulnerable to earthquakes, 8% to cyclones, 12% to floods and 70% to droughts, more than 1 million houses are damaged annually in India and above them are the human and social losses that go unaccounted. The super cyclone in Orissa killed 10,000 people and destroyed 18 lakh houses, Rohtak floods of Aug-Sept 1995 left 55% of land area submerged resulting in huge economic losses conservatively estimated as Rs. 2000/- Crores. Gujarat Earthquake of 2002 measuring 6.9 on Richter scale shook the very edifice of our system. More than 3.5 lakh houses collapsed across 7633 villages and cities, causing unprecedented damage. Death and destruction it caused was never seen ever before. These and many more paint the picture of a cycle of destruction that affects our country and over and again leave us bereft of the small and yet so significant development strides we make with so lots of effort. It is thus imperative that we must move in the direction of a proactive stance to reduce the toll of disasters in the region. It requires a more comprehensive approach that encompasses both pre-disaster risk reduction and post-disaster recovery. ❖ To promote a culture of disaster preparedness within the district. ❖ Initiate policy level change as per demand of the district for ensuring safe environment. ❖ Sensidise the community on disaster preparedness and safety measures. ❖ Motivate direct participation of stakeholders in activities that would help building towards a disaster resilient community. ❖ Promote capacity building of officials & the community. ❖ Carry out IEC activities to each individuals ❖ Impliment structural/non-structural mitigation measures after hazard hunt. ❖ Saving human lives/lifestocks in North Tripura district as the highest priority along with minimum loss of property & environment. Like other District of the State, more than 60% area is hilly and has good forest coverage. The important hill ranges are Jampui in the South-East of the District in Kanchanpur Sub-Division. It is the highest range in the State, which is approximately 3000 ft. high from Mean Sea level. The other hill is Sakhan which divides the Kanchanpur Sub-Division of the District and Longtharai Valley Sub-Division of Dhalai District located in the South-West of the District. The another hill is Shakan which divides the Kanchanpur Sub-Division of the District and Longtharai Valley range is Unokoti which is located in between Kailashahar and Dharmanagar Sub-Division and in Central-Northern part of the District. This hill range is famous for locating less than 1 (one) Crore engraved picture of gods & goddess on the stone, Page 2 of 197 which is a famous tourist spot. All the hill ranges run from South to North. In the extreme South the hilly region can be said the foothills of the Chittagaong hill tracts of Bangladesh. The river Deo that subsequently meets the Manu river at Kumarghat area starts from the Chittagaong hill tracts and flows through the Kanchanpur Sub-Division towards North. The main river Longai and Juri flows from South to North. As for other parts of the State, though there are good habitations on the tilla land, maximum habitations are on plain and on the riverbanks. It is fact that before 30/40 years, back the river Deo, Juri and Longai used to play vital role for transportation of different goods by locally made boats. Even for few years back the Longai river was used for transportation of main commodities under PDS from Damcherra to Khedacherra. Undulating hilly terrain and uneven plains characterize the topography of the District. The soil condition of these hilly ranges is same and composed of gravel mixed with loose soil and laterite type and alluvial in the river valleys and fat lands. Hot and humid summer with sufficient rainfall between June & October and dry winter characterize the climate of North Tripura District. Rainfall is usually high in the District compared to other Districts in the State. But since 2008 the amount of rainfall has decreased somewhat. Temperature is generally moderate and mild variations are noticed in various places of North Tripura District. The North Tripura District is situated in intense seismic region, which is placed in the category of Zone – ‘V’. A major part of Kanchanpur Sub-Division having Land Slide prone area, specially the Jampui Hills RD Block & Dasda RD Block. Also a part of Panisagar Sub-Division specially Damcherra & Khedacherra area having Land-Slide prone area. Jaithang in Bagbassa area & Balidum in Ananda Bazar area under Dharmanagar Sub-Division are also Land Slide prone areas. -: Scope of the plan :- The emergency planning process has evolved significantly and taken more importance in the last decade as a result of emergencies and disasters having a greater impact on government property and agriculture. Today, organizations have an abundance of emergency planning resources and training options available to them. Cooperation between government and public in the planning process is also high. Consequently, there presently exists an excellent opportunity for organizations to increase their level of preparedness & mitigation. Most experts today advocate a comprehensive "all hazards" approach to emergency preparedness. A comprehensive emergency response plan that takes into account potential natural and manmade threats and involves key personnel in the planning process can assist an organization to systematically manage emergencies in an effective and efficient manner. The planning process is a key element that forces District Magistrates and staff to explore viable options that can be employed in the event of an emergency or disaster. These contingencies can ultimately help to save lives, reduce property loss, as well as lessen an organization's potential liability. Page 3 of 197 -: Need of Plan:- Being prepared for critical incidents DM Plan involves four important components: planning, reviewing, training, and testing. These are the cornerstones of any emergency response plan and it should be noted that it is a circular rather than linear process. Effective emergency response planning begins with the following: • Defining an emergency in terms relevant to the organization doing the planning • Establishing an organization with specific tasks to function immediately before, during, and after an emergency • Establishing a method for utilizing resources and for obtaining additional resources during the emergency. • Providing a recognizable means of moving from normal operations into and out of the emergency mode of operation Regardless of the type of crisis, there are a series of common requirements that must be taken into account for an organization to be successful when a critical incident occurs. These include: • Deciding policy • Assessing threat • Identifying resources • Selecting crisis team personnel • Locating the crisis management center • Equipping the crisis center • Training crisis team personnel • Testing contingency plans and emergency procedures • Dealing with the media • Dealing with victims and their families • Dealing with other affected persons (such as employees) • Getting the organization's normal work done during the crisis • Returning to normal after the crisis (both operationally and in human terms) Authority for the DDMP: Disaster Management ACT- 2005 As per Section 25 (1) of the DM Act 2005, there shall be a plan for disaster management for every district of the State. The District Authority shall prepare the District Plan and the District Disaster Management Authority shall review and update the district plan annually after consultation with the local authorities and having regard to the National Plan and the State Plan, to be approved by the State Authority. Page 4 of 197 Roles and Responsibility of DDMA 1. Ensure that the areas in the district vulnerable to disasters are indentified and measure forthe prevention of disaster and the mitigation of its effects are undertaken by the departments of the Government at the district level as well as by the local authorities. 2. Ensure that the guidelines for prevention of disaster, mitigation of its effects preparedness and response measures as load down by the National Authority and the State Authority are followed by all departments of the Government at the district level and the local authority in the district. 3. The capacity-building and preparedness measures required to be taken by the Departments of the Government at the district level and the local authorities in the district to respond to any threatening disaster situation or disaster. 4. Measures to be taken, for prevention and mitigation of disaster, by the Departments of the Government at the district level and local authorities in the district. 5. Give directions to different authorities at the district level and local authorities to take such other measures for the prevention or mitigation of disaster as may be necessary.