1 DISTRICT DISASTER MANAMENT PLAN OF EAST CHAMPARAN Volume-I – District Disaster Response Plan of East Champaran Prepared by: District Disaster Management Authority, East Champaran In Association with: Bihar State Disaster Management Authority, Patna 2 3 Content Section – I: PERSPECTIVE ................................................................................. 5 1. Introduction: .......................................................................................... 5 1.1. Vision: ......................................................................................... 5 1.2. Objectives of the Plan: .................................................................. 6 1.3. Approach: .................................................................................... 6 1.4. Strategy: ...................................................................................... 7 1.5. Methodology ................................................................................ 7 1.6. Scope and Ownership of District Disaster Management Plan: ...........10 1.7. Monitoring, evaluation and update of the Plan ................................10 1.8. Emergency Inter Communication between different Stakeholders: ....15 2. District Profile........................................................................................18 2.1. Administrative Set-up:............................................................................. 19 2.2. Demography .......................................................................................... 21 2.3. Sociology ............................................................................................... 21 3. Hazard and Risk Profile of the District ......................................................26 3.1. Hazard Records ..................................................................................... 26 3.2. Hazards Timeline ................................................................................... 26 3.3. Block and Panchayat-Wise Hazard Mapping ............................................. 26 3.4. Flood: .................................................................................................. 37 3.5. Earthquake ........................................................................................... 45 3.6. Drought ................................................................................................ 48 3.7. Key Actions to strengthen the functioning of East Champaran District Administration and Departments in Disaster Management ......................... 50 3.8. School Safety Audit in East Champaran ................................................... 53 3.9. Hospital-Fire Safety Audit in East Champaran .......................................... 56 4. Capacity and Gap Analysis ......................................................................60 4 Section – I: PERSPECTIVE 1. Introduction: Introduction An effective and realistic District Disaster Management Plan with full proof communication, authentic and accurate data base, documented and rehearsed to be activated in the shortest possible time with minimum simple orders and procedures ensuring active participation both by Government, Community and Volunteers at all levels making optimum utilisation of men, material and available resources with no gaps or no over laps to prevent loss to lives and minimise loss to property ensuring fastest approach for rescue, rehabilitation and to avert further miseries of the calamity stricken people. There is a saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed. The DDMP like a true friend will obviously guide the entire machinery engaged for relief operation and input courage among the community to face the eventuality boldly. Prepare Respond Rebuild Recover India in general is one of the most hazard prone countries in the world. 60% of the country is prone to earthquakes of moderate to high intensity, 40 million hectares is prone to floods, 5,700 km long coast is prone to cyclones and tsunamis and the whole of Himalayas are prone to landslides. The district of East Champaran in particular is one of the multi-hazard prone districts in India. As a result, it was important to develop a plan that improves district’s response to disasters while improving its ability to mitigate the disaster risks and increasing community’s resilience by implementing the preparedness plan. It was deemed important to put a plan in place for dealing with disasters in an organized way with all the stakeholders well-aware of their role in responding to or preparing for disasters, as the district is responsible for responding to disasters through its Incident Response Team in the disaster site, while the State and the Centre is responsible for providing extended support, guidance, external resources or additional help as required in case of any major disasters and upon the request of support from the district. 1.1. Vision: The vision of District Disaster Management Plan is to enable disaster resilient development in East Champaran district and continuity of services essential for life and dignity of citizens during disaster and non-disaster situations. 5 A safer community that effectuate a pragmatic and holistic mechanism to prevent, mitigate and respond to any event of disaster and consistently advance in all aspects of disaster risk reduction. 1.2. Objectives of the Plan: • Identify areas in the district that are prone to natural and manmade disasters; • Understand the existing vulnerabilities and coping mechanisms of the community by conducting panchayat level assessment exercise; • Identify the measures that ought to be taken by the district administration for prevention and mitigation of disasters; • Build awareness among different stakeholders both at the administrative as well as the community level by directly engaging them in the process of district disaster management planning; • Identify various existing development schemes that could be implemented for mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in development; • Specify key areas for improving disaster resilience by awareness, training and capacity-building of the stakeholders; • Highlight preparedness measures required to be undertaken by the district administration so as to be able to better respond to any threatening disaster situation; • Prepare the response plan for quick and effective response; and • Establish the reconstruction, rehabilitation and recovery plan in order to restore the vital life support systems to minimum operating standards at a first moment and work towards rehabilitating them to at least the original standards. 1.3. Approach: The aim of the plan is to establish necessary systems, structures, programs, resources, capabilities and guiding principles for reducing disaster risks and preparing for and responding to disasters and threats of disasters in respective district, in order to save lives and property, avoid disruption of economic activity and damage to environment and to ensure the continuity and sustainability of development. The district disaster management plan has a holistic and integrated approach with emphasis on prevention, mitigation and preparedness by ensuring that Disaster Management receives the highest priority at all levels in the district. It has a paradigm shift, similar to the lines of national and state level, from reactive and relief centric approach to disasters. The approach is aimed to conserve developmental gains and also minimize losses to lives, livelihood and property. For efficient execution of the District Disaster Management Plan, the Plan has been organized as per these four stages of the Disaster Cycle. Normal Befor Time Disaster After During Disaster Disaster 6 Non disaster stage: Activities include disaster mitigation, leading to prevention & risk reduction. Before disaster stage: Activities include preparedness to face likely disasters, dissemination of early warnings. During disaster stage: Activities include quick response, relief, mobilization of search &rescue, damage assessment. After disaster stage: Activities include recovery & rehabilitation programs in disaster affected areas. 1.4. Strategy: District Disaster Management Planning has often been criticized to be comprising of guidelines rather than actionable plans. It has also been criticized to be incomplete in its very approach for either non-involvement of communities (the victims of disasters) or completing mere formality by extrapolating the findings of too small a sample size to the entire district. District Disaster Management Authority, East Champaran with technical inputs of All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), had work together to make the plan one of its kinds with the objective of making this DDMP more inclusive. The term ‘inclusive’ points to a wider community outreach, greater ownership by district’s administrative officers and institution based focus to address safety issues. District Disaster Management Authority, East Champaran owned the DDMP process thereby bringing legitimacy to the entire process. The process was divided in two phases. Phase-I mainly comprised of consultations with various stakeholders such as Line departments, Block Development Officers, members of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Local NGOs, Community Based Organisations, Local Business Communities and Vulnerable Communities such as poorest of the poor, women, children, elderly, physically challenged, dalits and minorities. It also comprised of meetings with DDMA to discuss and improve the District Disaster