Disaster Management
A disaster is a sudden and great
calamity, which causes deep distress to passengers, staff, and their families.
In the context of railways, disaster management envisages expeditious, orderly,
effective, and adequate relief measures in the case of a disaster. The term
'disaster management' first came to be used on Indian Railways in 1986, and has
been in vogue ever since. In some respects, this term redefines an accident as
a disaster.
1 Classification of
Disasters
The following chart gives a broad classification of disasters
on the Railways.
2 Details
of Disaster Management
Disaster
management on railways may be broadly divided into the following stages.
Disaster
mitigation and prevention
This stage consists of strengthening the basic infrastructure
such as the track, bridges, rolling stock, and signalling equipment as well as
introducing systems and procedures to ensure that accidents are minimized, if
not prevented.
Disaster
management planning and preparedness
The successful management of a disaster depends on the ability
to foresee and control it in time. Planning is thus vital for minimizing
disaster effects, quick recovery, and resumption of work. The key to developing
an effective disaster plan is to anticipate every possible vulnerability and
taking the appropriate action to tackle the same effectively. In this context
it is necessary to identify the available resources and utilize them most
efficiently. The duties of various officials should be defined in detail so
that work can proceed as per the planned strategy. The management should be
fully prepared to face a disaster and should possess a proper action plan for
dealing with the same.
Post-disaster management including rescue
and relief arrangement
This comprises of all the work that is undertaken by the
railways following a train accident.
First responsibility of the railways The first
responsibility of the railways in the case of accidents is to reach and
extricate accident victims and organize effective trauma care. The basic
principle of trauma management is speed and expediency, as most trauma patients
can be saved within the first hour. This hour is called 'the golden hour'.
Accident relief measures The
Railways should have full-fledged arrangements for rescue and relief
operations in the case of railway accidents. Steps must be taken to provide
prompt and effective relief to the affected passengers in the event of train
accident.
Relief train Depending
upon the type of an accident, a relief train equipped with tool vans and
a medical van must be arranged, which proceeds to the site of accident within
stipulated time.
Restoration process After
rescue and relief arrangements have been made for the affected
passengers, and the necessary information has been collected from the site for
investigative purposes, immediate action must be taken to restore traffic on
the damaged track. This encompasses the following work.
(a) Mobilization
of adequate resources consisting of men, material, equipment, and specialized
machinery for restoration work. Apart from local assistance, the help of
adjoining divisions and zonal railways should also be taken. If necessary,
contact can also be established with villagers, local administration, civil
authorities, and defence establishments for the necessary aid.
(b) Restoration
work should be started immediately by way of removal of debris and
establishment of new track connections after the necessary earthwork has been
done. In case a bridge is affected, either a diversion or a temporary bridge
can also be planned. Once the damaged track has been repaired, trains are
allowed to traverse it at a restricted speed, which is slowly restored to the normal
speed in subsequent stages.
(c) All
efforts must be made to ensure that restoration work is done expeditiously and
that trains start using the affected section as soon as possible.
3 Actions Taken by Engineering Officials
The first engineering official to
arrive at the site of the accident should take the following actions.
(a) Take
steps to protect the train.
(b) Coordinate
first aid and rescue efforts.
(c) Carry out
a cursory examination of the entire site.
(d) Advice
the nearest station master.
(e) Carry out
a detailed examination of the site.
(f) Draw a
dimensional sketch of the site giving full details.
(g) Collect
and preserve any clues pertaining to the accident.
(h) Record
the track geometry.
(i) Measure
the vehicle after it has met with an accident.
(j) Examine
the operating features.
(k) Prepare a
preliminary report.
(l) Lay out
the follow up action to be taken with regard to repair.
4 Availability of Resources
The resources available in the case of a major accident may be
grouped into four different units, depending on the time frame within which
they can be made available after an accident. These groups are the following.
(a) Resource
unit-I-Railway and non-railway resources available on the train and in the
nearby surroundings
(b) Resources
unit-II-Railway resources available on the accident relief train with medical
van/accident relief train (ARMV/ART) depots and elsewhere within the division
(c) Resources
unit-III-Railway resources available at ARMV/ART depots and elsewhere on adjoining
zones and divisions
(d) Resources
unit-IV-Non-railway resources available within or outside the division
Unlifted Command
Centre/Combined Assistance and Relief Enclosure
There are two aspects of disaster management work carried out
at an accident site, as described below.
(a) Rescue,
relief, and restoration operations, which are carried out by one set of
functionaries. This work is done under the control of the Unified Command
Centre (UCC) on Indian Railways.
(b) The
second aspect pertains to the rehabilitation of the accident affected
passengers, taking care of dead bodies, dealing with relatives of the dead
victims, etc., for which a different set of functionaries is required. This
work is done by the Combined Assistance and Relief Enclosure (CARE) on Indian
Railways.
6
Review of Disaster Management
A high-level committee was constituted in September 2002 to
review disaster management on Indian Railways and to modernize it. The
committee presented its recommendations in a report in April 2003, which was
subsequently approved and accepted. The implementation of these recommendations
would require an estimated Rs 4000 million.
The various aspects that would help in the
modernization of disaster management are given below.
(a) Faster
response
(b) Better
facilities and equipment
(c) Expanding
resources to meet requirements in major accidents
(d) Better
customer focus
(e) Training
and preparedness
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