Disaster management - Damage control

Brigadier (Dr) BK Khanna, senior specialist (training and capacity development), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says, “India has moved from the times when the Army was the chief responder in any disaster situation and the administration depended on it heavily.” Now all districts also have their own disaster management plans (DMP).

General awareness has also increased among the community. Quite a few know that prevention, mitigation and preparedness measures can minimize the effect of disasters. Hazards like earthquake, floods cannot be prevented, but hazards can definitely be prevented from turning into disasters. Hence, emphasis is on the mitigation and preparedness measures. India has to go a long way before it is called well prepared to face the disasters. A large number of disaster experts are required to spread the message. Every organization needs disaster management professionals. In future every department, organization and institution will require DM experts, as each and every building will need such plans. Therefore, the scope for a profession in disaster management is very good and is a futuristic area of employment. Some of the universities in India have started courses in Disaster Management.

One can join the academic and research institutions as teachers, be employed as safety and DM experts in industrial units, work as consultants on DM in schools/colleges/ malls/ institutions/ hotels/resorts/ golf courses etc. Besides they can work with NGOs, both national and international, and also can work in Government jobs. NGOs and international organizations such as World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Organizations (UNO), Red Cross, UNESCO also offer various opportunities. 

The courses are offered at certificate, undergraduate, postgraduate degree and diploma levels. The courses teach management of emergency situation, response to the needs of the people and the area, distribution of food and medical care etc. For certificate courses and UG programmes 10+2 is the minimum qualification, and for the PG courses a graduate degree in any field.Some of the institutes which provide courses in disaster management are:

Indira Gandhi National Open University (New Delhi), www.ignou.ac.in
University of North Bengal (Darjeeling), www.nbu.ac.in
International Centre of Madras University (University of Madras), www.unom.ac.in
Disaster Management Institute (Bhopal), www.dmibhopal.nic.in
The National Civil Defense College (Nagpur), ncdcnagpur.nic.in
National Institute Of Disaster Management, www.nidm.net