A lesson learnt well

KOCHI: An international symposium organised by the Teresian International - St Teresa’s College in association with the Graduate School of Global Environment Studies - Sophia University, Japan, saw students from both the institutions presenting their research work on disaster management. However, the main topic of the symposium was based on the joint research project undertaken by the college and Japanese university.

According to Nirmala Padmanabhan, head of the department, Department of Economics, St Teresa’s College, the title of the research was ‘Evaluation of Kerala Model Disaster Relief Camps: Integrating an equitable, inclusive and gender-sensitive disaster management plan’. “We selected North Paravur as the point area for the study since it was the most affected by the floods of August 2018 in Ernakulam district,” she said. North Paravur was also the place which saw a lot of people getting displaced and forced to live in relief camps, she added.

“Our study brought to light various facts regarding the setting up and running of relief camps. The lessons learnt from the study, which we will be sharing with the authorities, will help us in planning and preparing for the next disaster,” she said. Well, since the back to back calamities, that have shaken the state to its very core, has made one thing very clear for us - Kerala is no longer safe contrary to popular belief, she added.

Nirmala said the study brought to light various negative and positive aspects. “One of the positive aspects we were able to identify was the part played by women in the relief activities. They played a significant role in leading and managing the relief camps. Many women also have been on the forefront, volunteering at the camps,” she said. According to her, it came as a surprise to see the camps which were managed by women had a better structure. 

“Also, it was found that unlike in other places the number of deaths among males was more compared to females. It showed that the men saw to it that the women and children were sent to safety first. Also, it was seen that the deaths among the men have been mainly due to drowning which occurred during rescue operations they were engaged in,” she said. This shows that the local bodies need to come up with a dedicated group of volunteers who have been trained in disaster management, she said. “It also came to fore that 90 per cent of camp managers didn’t have prior experience in disaster management. The most active age group during the relief and rescue operations was between 26 and 35 years. The lessons learnt from 2018 floods will only be a success if they are implemented properly and effectively,”   she said.