Major Problems in India

Poverty as a Major Problem in India
Introduction:-
Poverty is a significant problem in India considering the fact that India is the home of nearly 400 million poor people. Poverty is a root cause for many other problems including population explosion, child labor and crime proliferation. For India to prosper, the most important goal is to achieve poverty alleviation for millions of its citizens and poverty reduction would have a significant impact on reaching the other objectives for a modern state. However, poverty removal would require the partial solution to the other major problems, including illiteracy and gender bias.
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Factors Responsible for Poverty
Incidence of poverty is strongly dependent of various social, economic and natural factors. Being a nation of 1 billion people compacted in a region one-third the size of United States and heavy concentration of population in lands far from the access to sea, complicates the problem. The nation has a large variety of tribals, who do not have access to any of the gifts of modern world but suffer the negative aspects of modernization, including pollution and global warming.
Natural Factors
The natural factors responsible for poverty include:
Heavy concentration of population over a large area (the country houses more people than Europe, Africa, North America & South America).
Predominant dependence on seasonal rainfall for agriculture (agriculture employs nearly 70% of the people and majority of the cultivation depend solely upon rain and the rainfall pattern can vary significantly from year-to-year).
Majority of dense populated regions (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab) are far from the access to the sea (oceans and seas are very critical to the economic development of nations).
Social Factors
The social factors include:
Around 430 million people are illiterate (majority of them are poor) and illiteracy forces people to stick to ancestral jobs and prevents people from having job flexibility
Caste System prohibited access to lucrative jobs to a vast majority of the people. Though, such institutions have been dismantled in the last 50 years, its presence can still be seen in rural areas.
Causes of Poverty
Author and Page information
by Anup Shah
This Page Last Updated Saturday, December 27, 2008
Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.
Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).
— More Facts (and Sources) »
Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.
Behind the increasing interconnectedness promised by globalization are global decisions, policies, and practices. These are typically influenced, driven, or formulated by the rich and powerful. These can be leaders of rich countries or other global actors such as multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people.
In the face of such enormous external influence, the governments of poor nations and their people are often powerless. As a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle.
These next few articles and sections explore various poverty issues in more depth:
Articles on “Causes of Poverty”:
Poverty Facts and Stats
Last updated Wednesday, September 03, 2008.
Most of humanity lives on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nations in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality. The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty. By contrast, the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from economic or political policies. The amount the world spends on military, financial bailouts and other areas that benefit the wealthy, compared to the amount spent to address the daily crisis of poverty and related problems are often staggering. Some facts and figures on poverty are an eye-opener, to say the least.
Read “Poverty Facts and Stats” to learn more.
Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
Last updated Wednesday, October 29, 2008.
Cutbacks in health, education and other vital social services around the world have resulted from structural adjustment policies prescribed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as conditions for loans and repayment. In addition, developing nation governments are required to open their economies to compete with each other and with more powerful and established industrialized nations. To attract investment, poor countries enter a spiraling race to the bottom to see who can provide lower standards, reduced wages and cheaper resources. This has increased poverty and inequality for most people. It also forms a backbone to what we today call globalization. As a result, it maintains the historic unequal rules of trade.
Read “Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty” to learn more.
Poverty Around The World
Last updated Saturday, November 22, 2008.
Inequality is increasing around the world while the world appears to globalize. Even the wealthiest nation has the largest gap between rich and poor compared to other developed nations. In many cases, international politics and various interests have led to a diversion of available resources from domestic needs to western markets. Historically, politics and power play by the elite leaders and rulers have increased poverty and dependency. These have often manifested themselves in wars, hot and cold, which have often been trade- and resource-related. Mercantilist practices, while presented as free trade, still happen today. Poverty is therefore not just an economic issue, it is also an issue of political economics.
Today, over 26,500 children died around the world
Last updated Thursday, January 31, 2008.
Around the world, 27–30,000 children die every day. That is equivalent to 1 child dying every 3 seconds, 20 children dying every minute, a 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every week, or 10–11 million children dying every year. Over 50 million children died between 2000 and 2005. The silent killers are poverty, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. In spite of the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage.
Read “Today, over 26,500 children died around the world” to learn more.
World Hunger and Poverty
Last updated Sunday, July 06, 2008.
Read “World Hunger and Poverty” to learn more.
Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty
Last updated Monday, December 10, 2007.
Read “Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty” to learn more.
Food and Agriculture Issues
Last updated Sunday, July 06, 2008.
Read “Food and Agriculture Issues” to learn more.
Trade, Economy, & Related Issues
Last updated Thursday, January 15, 2009.
Read “Trade, Economy, & Related Issues” to learn more.
Corruption
Last updated Saturday, December 27, 2008.
We often hear leaders from rich countries telling poor countries that aid and loans will only be given when they show they are stamping out corruption. While that definitely needs to happen, the rich countries themselves are often active in the largest forms of corruption in those poor countries, and many economic policies they prescribe have exacerbated the problem. Corruption in developing countries definitely must be high on the priority lists, but so too must it be on the priority lists of rich countries.
Read “Corruption” to learn more.
US and Foreign Aid Assistance
Last updated Friday, January 02, 2009.
Since 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid. Since that time, billions have certainly been given, but rarely have these rich nations actually met their agreed target. For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but often ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target. Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. This article explores who has benefited most from this aid, the recipients or the donors.
United Nations World Summit 2005
Last updated Sunday, September 18, 2005.
The UN World Summit for September 2005 is supposed to review progress since the Millennium Declaration, adopted by all Member States in 2000. However, the US has proposed enormous changes to an outcome document that is to be signed by all members. There are changes on almost all accounts, including striking any mention of the Millennium Development Goals, that aim for example, to halve poverty and world hunger by 2015. This has led to concerns that the outcome document will be weakened. Developing countries are also worried about stronger text on human rights and about giving the UN Security Council more powers.
IMF & World Bank Protests, Washington D.C.
Last updated Friday, July 13, 2001.
To complement the public protests in Seattle, the week leading up to April 16th/17th 2000 saw the other two global institutions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, as the focus of renewed protests and criticisms in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the mass demonstrations was to protest against the current form of globalization, which is seen as unaccountable, corporate-led, and non-democratic, and to show the link between poverty and the various policies of the IMF and the World Bank.
Read “IMF & World Bank Protests, Washington D.C.” to learn more.
Economic Democracy
Posted Sunday, November 26, 2000.
This next page is a reposting of a flyer about a new book from J.W. Smith and the Institute for Economic Democracy, whom I thank for their kind permission. The book is called Economic Democracy: The Political Struggle Of The 21st Century. Typically on this site, I do not advertise books etc, (although I will cite from and link to some, where relevant). However, in this case, I found that the text in the flyer provides an excellent summary of poverty's historic roots, as well as of the multitude of issues that cause poverty. (Please also note that I do not make any proceeds from the sale of this book in any way.)
Poverty Links for More Information
Last updated Monday, April 28, 2003.
Links to other sites discussion issues on trade, the global economy, poverty and other related issues.
Trade, Economic Links For More Information
Last updated Wednesday, July 25, 2001.
Read “Trade, Economic Links For More Information” to learn more.
World hunger related links for more information
Last updated Monday, December 10, 2007.
Links to web sites and articles that discuss world hunger, the relationship between populations and hunger, of poverty and hunger, agricultural issues, land rights and so on.






Natural Disasters
Earthquake
Dengue
Flood
TSUNAMI


When earthquake hit Gujarat on 26 January 2001and more than 20000 people died, we thought as a society we would learn to cope with disaster better. It seems that 20000 lives were not enough of a price to pay for shaking the bureaucracy and civil society to learn to cope with disasters with greater efficiency. Most disasters after the first 24 hours assume more or less typical characteristics in which the problems can be anticipated and response system can be put in place. We had developed a year later a Disaster Management Information System (www.sristi.org/dmis_cms). The idea was that civil society volunteers will provide information about what kind of support they can extend (material, professional, financial, technological, infrastructural, etc.), within what range of distance from their residence, and whether they will like their details to be put on the website. For instance, about 118 ham radio operators in Gujarat had agreed to put their information through their associations in the database. They can be directly contacted and their services requested for the purpose. The question is, were they contacted in the recent disaster in the south India, perhaps not. Similarly, transporters, crane owners, hardware stockists who have concrete cutters or other devices to clear the debris, medical professionals, mobile x-ray machines, mobile clinics, etc., are well known equipments and services needed in the hour of emergency. We know that water bodies often get affected adversely and fresh water becomes a necessity. In some cases, the water storage structures were damaged. When electricity was resumed, the tubewells would work but where would one store the water.
Many times, the difference between a person buried under the debris surviving or not depended upon the method of removing debris and the time taken to remove it. Some people survived for as many as five to six days without any support from outside. Therefore, the chances of finding survivors even now are high.
Why is it that the civil administration at all the levels in the government does not learn? While talking to the Army Officers after few months of disaster in Gujarat, I had mentioned that the efficiency of the army often masked the inefficiency of the civic administration. Even if immediate relief is provided well, in some cases, the problem of long term rehabilitation receive much less attention. The coastal fishing communities would come under the clutches of money lenders if fishing nets, boats and other such means of livelihood were not provided at extremely soft conditions. Any negligence of this function will mean imposing a second disaster on the people and this would be designed, deliberate and delivered with efficiency.
What can we do now:
1. Disaster Management Information System must be built in every district of the country linked with each other, available on the web and also in public libraries. We should know where are the inventories available of critical equipments, skills, resources and information and how can one access them on voluntary or payment basis. The database of various services and infrastructure in private, public and voluntary sectors should be updated regularly. Every college should take responsibility for collecting and updating information about certain categories of services or equipments. Simple information such as about ham radio operators can be put on the web without fail.
2. Just as we have national services scheme, we must now think of national disaster management volunteers who would receive training and be empowered to organize themselves as effective teams for helping local communities around them. No amount of state help can substitute for community based structures for self help. Supreme Court had passed judgments and given advice for starting courses on disaster management in various educational institutions. Have we ever monitored how many such courses exist and what quality of preparedness has been achieved?
3. The major tragedy will begin when the media will get interested in new issues, fight among some other politicians or corporate games. Resources would be required for repairing and building the primary school buildings, primary health centres, livestock, clinics, tree climbing devices for palm workers, herbal and other medicines, mat making machines, and machines which can use materials from damaged trees and bio waste, old bamboo scrap, processing machine for various edible and non-edible oilseeds, etc. A proper rehabilitation plan will have to be built for each village affected by the disaster with proper accountability structure. The accounts of every investment must be made public and people should be able to know how much funds were mobilized by which NGO or government agency and how were they used for the purpose.
4. In cases where fishing communities or island based indigenous / tribal communities have been affected very severely, long term rehabilitation plans have to be initiated. These plans must learn from the mistakes made in earlier rehabilitation projects.
5. There is very important need to document the experience of the damage caused and ensuing suffering along with the coping strategies of local communities and administration. Some novel lessons would emerge.
6. One of the major problems in relief is that what is needed where is often not known to the people who want to provide support. The result is that lot of materials get wasted or misdirected. We need to put a spreadsheet immediately on the web pointing out village wise needs, contact persons’ names and addresses so that civil society efforts can be targeted more efficiently. We had tried to put an inventory management system in place after Gujarat earthquake with the help of our students and faculty. The students had stacked the relief material received from all over the country in Kutchh and given assorted sheets to the Relief Commissioner. Where we failed was to link this system with GIS so that one could track the deliveries, collect the response and also avoid pilferages. It will be useful if some of the IT firms in Chennai would volunteer to create such a GIS so that people can update the demand and supply information and every unit of material is optimally utilized.
7. The psychological rehabilitation is no less important. The children affected the by the shock and tragedy are particularly vulnerable. The arrangements for adoption of orphan children with proper community care have to be put in place.
8. It is very disheartening to hear that in large number of cases of dead people, the Public Health authorities have been reportedly hesitant in maintaining proper records. It might save the state and central governments some money from the compensation fund but it would certainly inflict damage on the social conscience of the society. If the rehabilitation funds reach late, they are as good as not given. Unless central government ensures delivery of compensation through community control systems within next 24 hours, the fairness in the system will become more and more difficult to achieve with every passing day. While we still need immediate help, the long term rehabilitation must be simultaneously planned.
Large number of students in various academic institutions must learn to share the pain of those who have suffered in an extraordinary tragedy. Without finding fault with government or other agencies, the duty of every right thinking person at this moment is to take initiative and contribute one’s mite in alleviating suffering in whichever way we can.
I have no hesitation in saying that adequate long term learning measures were not undertaken after Gujarat earthquake. And if these are not undertaken again, we will all have to blame ourselves for not equipping our country with better self help and more efficient information systems. We had issued an appeal given below three years ago:
Natural disasters impart lessons at a very high cost of life and property. But if those lessons do not lead to learning and knowledge generation, then the cost seems even heavier. At the time of disaster recurrence, the failure to learn from the past hurts the most. The earthquake in Gujarat and the subsequent chaos were indicators of how crucial prior planning is in managing relief and rehabilitation during disasters. The Kutchh region required massive and immediate assistance at that time, which came but was very poorly managed. This made the need for a proper disaster mitigation plan very apparent. Learning from experience is essential in building a knowledge resource which would help in being better prepared in the future.
SRISTI & IIMACORE have started an initiative for developing a society based “Disaster Management Information System” to be accessible to all in time of such emergencies. The system is accessible on SRISTI’s website. We call upon everyone to volunteer and participate in the initiative. You may volunteer your services and/ or resources, and share your experiences, research studies, publications etc at this website. This is an effort to pool resources towards better preparedness at the time of future disasters. www.sristi.org/dmis_cms
Let us wish that such calamities never happen again. But if they do then we must be prepared. (http://www.sristi.org/english/dmis/dmsmessage.html)
We must once again try to nudge the National Disaster Management Authority in supporting civil society initiatives to build a decentralized DMIS so that at least next time our response time is faster, quality of relief better and our preparedness much higher than what was in the last few days.

Disaster Mitigation & Emergency Preparedness
Emergency preparedness is crucial for coming out from disasters with least damage. Just the knowledge of what to do, may help save lives of you and your family. Here are collection of studies and links of documentation related to disasters preparedness also as per the type of disaster. Besides these, links to resources for forecasting disasters are also provided here. The source of the reference is also given along with them. Write to us at dmis@sristi.org
Trauma Management:
Disaster stress may revive memories of prior trauma, as well as possibly intensifying pre-existing social, economic, spiritual, psychological, or medical problems. Trauma management is crucial and rescue workers as well as family members should prepare themselves to handle trauma hit members in the family. For more go to Trauma Management
Disaster Preparedness: Preparedness Questionnaire, ask yourself how prepared you are in the event of a disaster. This is a step towards getting yourself ready to meet eventualities which might save your, your families life in the event of disasters. Also you may be able to help your community to come out better during disasters. After going through this questionnaire explore resources listed above for preparedness in event of disasters as mentioned.
1. Do you think that your family is relatively well-prepared for a disaster such as an earthquake, tornado, cyclones, winter storm, fire, flood and other such incidents?
This small step to understand and equip yourself about knowledge related to disaster preparedness would help you come out from a disaster unscathed. Your well-prepared family could help save the lives of others, not just yourselves. Are you and your family prepared, ask this question to yourself first?
2. Do you believe that the community you live in is relatively well- prepared for a disaster?
Do you know about your community/ Panchayat/District, Disaster Management Plan? Is there any source of community Information system that you know of? Are you aware of any source of information to prepare yourself for disasters?
Has your District / State DMA (Disaster Management Authority) coordinator worked with local hospitals, nursing homes, day care centers, shopping malls, schools, etc. to make sure they have a plan for what to do during an emergency?
3. Have you discussed disaster preparedness with your family?
If you have a plan of what you will do during a disaster but you haven't shared it with your family ahead of time, your plan may not work! Each family member needs to know how to phone for help, escape out of the house, and seek safe shelter in the house. Each family member needs to know how to be safe when they are out of the home (at work, school, play). Each family member needs to know how the family plans to reunite if it becomes impossible to return to the home.
4. Do all members of your family know how to call for help?
If you have kids, do they know how to phone for help? Do they know to dial 100 (if it is available where you live)? If you don't have 100, do you have the number of the Police, Fire, Ambulance, responsible friend/relative, etc. near the phone? Do your kids know what sort of information they will need to give over the phone (i.e., the address of the home, their last name, etc.)? Do they know to phone from outside of the house if the house is on fire? Do they know to stay off the phone during an electrical storm?
5. Have you conducted a home hazard hunt and fixed potential hazards?
Many disasters at home can be averted with a simple hazard hunt. Is the home fire-safe - no frayed electrical cords, no overloaded outlets, working smoke detectors, if any, working carbon monoxide detectors, no flammable liquids near sources of heat or flames? Are working fire extinguishers easily available? Is the home earthquake safe--no unsecured heavy objects (mirrors, bookshelves, etc.), the water heater bolted to the wall? If there is a water tank on the top of the house, then how much water should be stored in earthquake prone zones?
6. Do you have a Family Disaster Supply Kit?
In your supply kit you will need ALL of the things it will take to survive 72 hours. This will include food and water of course, but also medicines, blankets, flashlights, etc. Even if you don't put together an actual kit (although we encourage you to do so), think about having at least enough food, water and medicine at home with you to last 72 hours. (Check out this Kit)
7. Do you have a Disaster Supply Kit for each car?
A small box in the trunk of your car, other vehicle with blankets, a first-aid kit, cash, food, flashlight, radio, etc. could literally mean the difference between life and death. Every car should have a kit (atleast a first aid kit). You might want to change the contents of the kit for the different seasons of the year.
8. Are you trained in First-Aid (within the last 3 years)?
Basic first-aid, for example how to stop bleeding by applying pressure, can be crucial, even life saving knowledge. First-aid courses are often offered by and local hospitals and charitable hospital for nominal charges. Think how happy you (and the victim) will be if you are able to make use of current training in an emergency situation.
9. Are all responsible family members current in First-Aid?
Unfortunately, there is the possibility that YOU might be the victim! Does everyone in your family know basic first-aid?
10. Are you current in CPR (trained in the last 3 years)?
CPR - Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation is a simple technique that has saved many folks who would have otherwise been choking, drowning, smoke inhalation, or heart attack victims. When you think about a few hours of training saving a loved one's life, isn't it worth it?
11. Are all responsible family members current in CPR?
Again, there is the possibility that YOU might be the victim! Or, you might not be home when the incident occurs. Be sure that everyone in your family is trained.
12. Do you have operational smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors?
Having a smoke detector and/or a carbon monoxide detector in your home is NOT good enough! You need to make sure they are operational, that is, they must have working batteries. An operational smoke detector more than doubles your chance of escaping from your home alive. Two good rules of thumb are check your detectors once a month (pick a day of the month, say the 1st, and make a habit of checking the detectors every month on the 1st); when you change your clock for daylight savings/standard time, change the batteries of detectors too.
13. Do you have a charged ABC fire extinguisher?
There are three basic classes of fires. All fire extinguishers are labeled using standard symbols for the classes of fires they can put out. A red slash through any of the symbols tells you the extinguisher cannot be used on that class of fire. A missing symbol tells you only that the extinguisher has not been tested for a given class of fire.
Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber and many plastics.
Class B: Flammable liquids such as gasoline, oil, grease, tar, oil-based paint, lacquer, and flammable gas.
Class C: Energized electrical equipment - including wiring, fuse boxes, circuit breakers, machinery, and appliances
Many household fire extinguishers are "multipurpose" A-B-C models, labeled for use on all three classes of fire. If you are ever faced with a Class A fire and don't have an extinguisher with an "A" symbol, don't hesitate to use one with the "B:C" symbol.
WARNING: It is very dangerous to use water or an extinguisher labeled only for Class A fires on a Class B or Class C fire.
Do you know where your fire extinguisher is? Do you know if it is still fully charged (they can lose their charge over time)?
14. Do you know how to use the fire extinguisher?
Using a fire extinguisher is not completely straightforward and the time to learn how to operate one is NOT during a fire. Follow the four-step PASS procedure. Pull the pin: This unlocks the operating lever and allows you to discharge the extinguisher. Aim low: Point the extinguisher nozzle (or hose) at the base of the fire. Squeeze the lever above the handle: This discharges the extinguishing agent. (Some extinguishers have a button instead of a lever.) Sweep from side-to-side: Moving carefully toward the fire, keep the extinguisher aimed at the base of the fire and sweep back and forth until the flames appear to be out. A good practice might be to purchase two fire extinguishers--one to keep and one to let each family member practice on.
15. Do you know how to turn off all utilities (gas, electricity, water, etc.)?
For a variety of reasons, it may be necessary to turn off the utilities in your home. Do you know where the water main is? Do you know where the circuit breaker box or main switch is? Does everyone in your family know NOT to turn off the electricity if you have to stand in water to do so?
16. Do you know where your family records are?
If your house burned down today would your insurance papers, household inventory, receipts, other important papers etc. burn too? A great place to keep your valuable papers (marriage certificate, birth certificates, passports, insurance papers, household inventory, etc.) is in a safe deposit box. It is probably not wise to keep your will in a safe deposit box though. A will is best kept with your lawyer or a close friend (if you die it will become difficult for others to access your safe deposit box, making it difficult for them to find your will).
17. Do you know where your family will meet outside your home in case of an emergency?
If your family is separated during an emergency you should have two contingency plans in place. The first plan should be a place to meet near your home (such as across the street at a neighbor's) if the emergency is something like your house burning down. The second plan should be a place to meet in your community, away from your home, (such as a local business or friend's house) if the emergency is something like your neighborhood being evacuated. By knowing ahead of time where to rendezvous, family members can avoid needlessly worrying about members that are fine and concentrate on family members that are unaccounted for.
18. Do you know at least two exits from every room in your house in case of a fire?
Most rooms have a door and a window. If the window is a second story window, do you have a way to escape safely (i.e., a fire ladder)?
19. Have you practiced an emergency drill in your home within the past year?
Drills are a terrific way of making sure that everyone in the family (kids and adults) understands and has the physical/mental ability to carry out the plan your family has developed. If kids get confused about whether to stay inside or leave the house during a fire for example, the time to get them straight about it is BEFORE anything happens.
20. Do you have an out-of-area phone contact?
Believe it or not, long distance phone calls are often easier to make immediately following a disaster than are local phone calls. Does everyone in your family knows to phone the contact to inform about there safety.
21. Do you know about disaster plans at your workplace, at your children's school or day care, etc.?
Few of us spend 100 percent of our time at home, so we need to know about the disaster plans at the other places we (and our loved ones) spend time. Be sure that you know what the plan is and that it is a sound plan.
22. Can you list the actual cash value of EVERY item in your home?
You may be asked to create such a list after a fire, cyclone or flood! Obviously, a wise choice is to make that list (often times called a household inventory) well before a disaster occurs. A household inventory can provide you with some excellent information for deciding how much insurance to purchase as well.
23. Some family members have special needs, for example the elderly, mobility impaired or sick. Do you have a plan for making sure these members will be safe during a disaster?
Check your family disaster plan and make sure it will work for everyone. For example, if the family plan is to seek shelter in the basement or community shelter during a cyclone warning, be sure everyone in the family is able to negotiate the stairs to the basement/shelter. If some members are unable to go to the basement/shelter, make sure you have a second plan in place for them (i.e., seek shelter in an interior room, under a heavy piece of furniture).
24. Do you have a plan for your pets?
A simple sign on your door, alerting the fire department to the fact that you have pets inside, could save your pets' lives. Bringing a pet to a temporary shelter may pose health risks that the local shelter may not be willing to cope with. It's a good idea to arrange for a place ahead of time (maybe a friend or relative) where your pets could stay temporarily in case of an emergency.
There are lots of places to go for more information about disaster preparation and planning:
Rescue International:
Formed in 1985 Rescue International (RI) is a nonprofit organization of people and companies that provide special search, rescue, and recovery services and products to requesting agencies free of charge. RI's educational programs are based on a foundation of experienced instructors teaching students skills and providing information derived from hands on experience and backed up with a written program guide and/or manual. Go to http://www.keyinternet.com/rescueintl/
RESCUE Training Resource and Guide:
Free rescue training site with a wealth of information including reference articles, online quiz's, links database, photo galleries, slideshows and much more. Created by a volunteer rescuer in Australia. Go to http://www.techrescue.org/
EPIX - Emergency Preparedness Information eXchange:
The purpose of EPIX is to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information among Canadian and international public and private sector organizations about the prevention of, preparation for, recovery from and/or mitigation of risk associated with natural and socio-technological disasters. Go to http://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca/~anderson/index.html
Search and Rescue Institute:
The Search and Rescue Institute offers search and rescue, first aid and disaster preparedness and operations training. Go to http://www.sarinstitute.org
Stanford University Disaster Preparedness & Response:
Disaster preparedness and response resources from various parts of the world with things organized by organization/author, disaster plans, bibliographic resources, etc. Very useful links to a lot of information. Go to http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/
Safety for Everyone: Natural Disasters
This is a very useful instructional website on the basics of safety associated with day-to-day life scenes such as at home, or on the road, industry, office, etc with a special page on natural disaster. Although very fundamental, sometimes people lack even the most fundamental knowledge and hence this website can be very handy to teach kids and adults.

Fact Sheet 06: Seismic Zonation Map of India
Seismic Zonation map of a country is a guide to the seismic status of a region and its susceptibility to earthquakes. India has been divided into five zones with respect to severity of earthquakes. Of these, zone v is seismically the most active where earthquakes of magnitude 8 or more could occur recent strong motion observations around the world have revolutionized thinking on the design of engineering structures, placing emphasis also on the characteristics of the structures themselves it should be realized that in the case of shield type earthquakes, historic data are insufficient to define zones because recurrence intervals are much longer than the recorded human history this may often give a false sense of security. Occurrence of the damaging earthquake at Latur, falling in zone I is a typical example of this situation.

Dengue
Dengue is caused by a virus spread by Aedes (Stegomyia) mosquitoes. Over the past two decades there has been a dramatic global increase in the frequency of dengue fever (DF) dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) and their epidemics, with a concomitant increase in disease incidence. The World Health Report 1996 stated, that the "re-emergence of infectious diseases is a warning that progress achieved so far towards global security in health and prosperity may be wasted." The report further indicated that "infectious diseases range from those occurring in tropical areas (such as malaria and DHF which are most common in developing countries) to diseases found worldwide (such as hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS) and food-borne illnesses that affect large numbers of people in both the richer and poorer nations."
Dengue epidemics are known to have occurred over the last three centuries in tropical, subtropical and temperate areas of the world. The first epidemic of dengue was recorded in 1635 in the French West Indies, although a disease compatible with dengue had been reported in China as early as 992 AD. During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, epidemics of dengue-like diseases were described globally in the tropics as well as in some temperate regions. Rush was probably describing dengue when he wrote of "break-bone fever" occurring in Philadelphia in 1780. Most of these epidemics were clinical dengue fever, although some were associated with the severe haemorrhagic form of the disease. Efforts to control Aedes aegypti and economic development have markedly reduced the threat of epidemic dengue in temperate countries during the past 50 years.
The first recorded outbreak of a dengue disease compatible with DHF occurred in Australia in 1897. A similar haemorrhagic disease was recorded in 1928 during an epidemic in Greece and again in Taiwan in 1931. The first confirmed epidemic of DHF was recorded in the Philippines in 1953-1954. Since then, major outbreaks of DHF with significant mortality have occurred in most countries of the South-East Asia Region, including India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, as well as in Singapore, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Palau, Philippines, Tahiti and Vietnam in the Western Pacific Region. Over the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in the incidence and geographical distribution of DHF, and epidemics now occur each year in some South-East Asian countries.
Clinical Perspective
Clinical Symptoms
Dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome
Complications and Unusual Manifestations of DF / DHF in Childhood
Prevention And Control Measures
Long Term Prevention Strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
Fact Sheets On Dengue
Dengue News

Flood

The Flood Update
The Resource Material
The emergency contact details
Technologies useful in flood affected area

The Flood Update
The recent floods in Gujarat have claimed at least 56 people and left 65, 000 people homeless. The flood has affected around 10, 000 villages in 117 talukas in the 18 districts of the state. The most affected districts include Kheda, Vadodara, Surendra Nagar, Navsari, Surat, Ahmedabad, Valsad, Anand, Amreli and Bhavnagar. Till the last available information, power supply was affected in 4547 villages and 31 town, where as 1800 electricity feeder and 667 electricity distribution transformer have been affected. In total 1, 97, 276 people have been evacuated from various flood affected districts.

Rescue & Evacuation
The first step involved in any disaster like the current flood in Gujarat is the rescue and evacuation. Though quite a lot of things go under the caption of disaster prepared ness, evacuation and a tentative blue print for dealing with the calamity are the basic ingredients of any pre-disaster preparedness plan. Evacuation is a pre-emptive move to protect life and property, where as rescue is a post-disaster phenomenon of helping people to move from areas that have been hit by disaster to a safer place. However, the situation of evacuation and rescue comes along with numerous unanswered queries in mind. Very often, due to lack of information or in haste, living during evacuation and rescue becomes difficult and painful. However, during such the situations, following precautionary norms should be kept in mind.
Preparing for a Flood
Here are some basic steps to take to prepare for the flood:
Contact the local geologist or town planning department or meteorology department to find out if your home is located in a flash-flood-prone area or landslide-prone area.
Learn about your community's emergency plans, warning signals, evacuation routes, and locations of emergency shelters.
Plan and practice a flood evacuation route with your family. Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to be the "family contact" in case your family is separated during a flood. Make sure everyone in your family knows the name, address, and phone number of this contact person.
Post emergency phone numbers at every phone.
Inform local authorities about any special needs, i.e., elderly or bedridden people, or anyone with a disability.
Identify potential home hazards and know how to secure or protect them before the flood strikes. Be prepared to turn off electrical power when there is standing water, fallen power lines etc. Turn off gas and water supplies before you evacuate. Secure structurally unstable building materials.
Buy a fire extinguisher and make sure your family knows where it is and how to use it.
Buy and install sump pumps with back-up power.
Have a licensed electrician to raise electric components (switches, sockets, circuit breakers and wiring) at least 12" above your home's projected flood elevation.
For drains, toilets, and other sewer connections, install backflow valves or plugs to prevent floodwaters from entering.
Anchor fuel tanks which can contaminate your basement if torn free. An unanchored tank outside can be swept downstream and damage other houses.
If you are under a flood watch or warning:
Gather the emergency supplies you previously stocked in your home and stay tuned to local radio or television station for updates.
Turn off all utilities at the main power switch and close the main gas valve if evacuation appears necessary.
Have your immunization records handy or be aware of your last tetanus shot, in case you should receive a puncture wound or a wound becomes contaminated during or after the flood.
Fill bathtubs, sinks and plastic soda bottles with clean water. Sanitize the sinks and tubs first by using bleach. Rinse and fill with clean water.
Bring outdoor possessions, such as lawn furniture, grills and trash cans inside or tie them down securely.
Emergency Supplies You Will Need
You should stock your home with supplies that may be needed during the emergency period. At a minimum, these supplies should include:
Several clean containers for water, large enough for a 3-5 day supply of water (about five gallons for each person).
A 3-5 day supply of non-perishable food and a non-electric can opener.
A first aid kit and manual and prescription medicines and special medical needs.
A battery-powered radio, flashlights, and extra batteries.
Sleeping bags or extra blankets.
Water-purifying supplies, such as chlorine or iodine tablets or unscented, ordinary household chlorine bleach.
Baby food and/or prepared formula, diapers, and other baby supplies.
Disposable cleaning cloths, such as "baby wipes" for the whole family to use in case bathing facilities are not available.
Personal hygiene supplies, such as soap, toothpaste, sanitary napkins, etc.
An emergency kit for your car with food, flares, booster cables, maps, tools, a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, sleeping bags, etc.
Rubber boots, sturdy shoes, and waterproof gloves.
Insect repellent containing DEET, screens, or long-sleeved and long-legged clothing for protection from mosquitoes which may gather in pooled water remaining after the flood.
Preparing to Evacuate
Expect the need to evacuate and prepare for it. When a flood watch is issued, you should:
Fill your vehicle's gas tank and make sure the emergency kit for your car is ready.
If no vehicle is available, make arrangements with friends or family for transportation.
Fill your clean water containers.
Review your emergency plans and supplies, checking to see if any items are missing.
Tune in the radio or television for weather updates.
Listen for disaster sirens and warning signals.
Put livestock and family pets in a safe area. Due to food and sanitation requirements, emergency shelters cannot accept animals.
Adjust the thermostat on refrigerators and freezers to the coolest possible temperature.
If You Are Ordered to Evacuate
You should never ignore an evacuation order. Authorities will direct you to leave if you are in a low-lying area, or within the greatest potential path of the rising waters. If a flood warning is issued for your area or you are directed by authorities to evacuate the area, follow the below mentioned checklists:
Take only essential items with you.
If you have time, turn off the gas, electricity, and water.
Disconnect appliances to prevent electrical shock when power is restored.
Follow the designated evacuation routes and expect heavy traffic.
Do not attempt to drive or walk across creeks or flooded roads.
If You Are Ordered NOT to Evacuate
To get through the storm in the safest possible manner:
Monitor the radio or television for weather updates.
Prepare to evacuate to a shelter or to a neighbour's home if your home is damaged, or if you are instructed to do so by emergency personnel.

What is Tsunami?
A tsunami (pronounced su-nah-me) is a wave train, or series of waves, generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance that vertically displaces the water column. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, explosions, and even the impact of cosmic bodies, such as meteorites, can generate tsunamis. Tsunamis can savagely attack coastlines, causing devastating property damage and loss of life.