Context: December 26, 2024, marks the 20th year since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Disasters have always served as harsh reminders of nature’s overwhelming power and humanity’s vulnerability.
Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Disaster preparedness: Tsunami
The 2004 Tsunami
- The 2004 tsunami is the deadliest tsunami in recorded history, till date.
- The tsunami was generated by the earthquake of magnitude 9.1 which occurred 30 km below the ocean floor in the Sunda trench (where the Indo-Australian plate subducts beneath the Burma microplate, which is a part of the Eurasian plate).
- It impacted 17 countries lining the Indian Ocean, killing more than 227,000 people and displacing thousands.
- Regions impacted: India (particularly Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand etc.
Read more: Tsunami
Advancements since 2004
- Enactment of the Disaster Management Act, 2005:
- The 2004 tsunami exposed critical gaps in India’s disaster management framework, catalysing the enactment of the DM Act, 2005.
- Key institutional developments included setting up of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
- State and district authorities were empowered to implement disaster management plans tailored to local needs and covering all phases of the disaster management cycle.
- Resilience measures were embedded in urban planning, infrastructure projects, and development policies.
- Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre(ITEWC):
- established in 2007 by the Union Ministry of the Earth Sciences.
- Operates 24/7 from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) at Hyderabad.
- ITEWC operates seismological stations as well as bottom pressure recorders and tidal stations across the Indian Ocean basin. These systems can transmit offshore and deep ocean tsunami observations that enable early warnings.
- Real-time data sharing by Ocean monitoring systems:
- The Ocean monitoring systems, in about 10 minutes, can identify a potential tsunami-producing earthquake and issue tsunami alerts or warnings (depending on the expected severity) for countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
- India is the fifth country in the world, after the U.S., Japan, Chile, and Australia, to have such an advanced tsunami warning system.
Critical lessons from the 2004 Tsunami
1. Role of Natural ecosystems:
- Mangroves provide natural protection to coastal areas and serve as vital buffers against waves.
- Concerns:
- Significant destruction of mangroves in India and other countries — to promote shrimp farming, meet basic wood and fuel needs, and for tourism — has disrupted the natural ecosystem.
- Construction of artificial barriers (brick and mortar walls) may increase people’s susceptibility to the damaging effects of waves.
2. Importance of Public Commons:
- Coastal areas and common resources (such as beaches) should remain public to preserve livelihoods and promote community resilience.
- Concerns (case study of Thailand):
- In Thailand, the privatisation of coastlines (1980s &1990s) allowed private interests to develop hotels and leisure activities which displaced local communities. This led to a large section of the population transitioning to informal sector jobs.
3. Disasters exacerbate Economic Inequalities:
- The Tsunami was followed by an increase in the rents, the price of land, goods, and services that benefited only asset owners and service providers.
- It caused disruption of local markets & interdependent local economies, replacement of local products with externally sourced goods. This caused people to transition from traditional livelihoods to casual, low-paid labour.
4. Inequality in relief and rehabilitation:
- Evidence from tsunami-affected countries suggests a notable tendency to overlook the needs of vulnerable groups (including labourers, Dalits, tribes, immigrants, ethnic minorities, widows, and single women) in the distribution of relief and rehabilitation, unless some vocal groups advocated their cause.
- Asset-based damage assessment tended to favour better-off segments of the affected.
- Gender-insensitive relief and rehabilitation policies often accentuated the vulnerability of women.
- Widows from fish worker communities faced difficulties in receiving assistance, as they did not possess identity cards issued by the Fisheries Department.
5. Engagement with local structures:
- It is crucial for relief agencies to respect community-based local institutions and long-term engagement with local structures, especially in coastal communities. E.g., Fishing communities operate through democratic practices such as kuppams.
Way Forward
- Incorporating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures:
- Construction of multi-hazard-resistant homes, supported by integrated risk transfer via comprehensive insurance.
- Establish disaster-ready infrastructure (health-care facilities, anganwadi centres, schools, community halls) which can be transformed into multi-hazard shelters.
- Coastal defences should be fortified with seawalls, shelter belt plantations, and multi-hazard shelters.
- Utilising technology like GIS mapping, AI-driven risk assessments, and mobile applications to enhance preparedness.
- Post-Tsunami:
- Quick and dignified disposal of bodies should be prioritised to prevent disease outbreaks & coastal areas should be disinfected using microbial inoculants and chemicals.
- Revive livelihoods through self-help groups, empowering coastal communities with strengthened infrastructure, including modern ports, fishing harbours, and improved agricultural practices.
- Utilising non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide essential services such as medical aid, trauma counselling, sanitation, and livelihood restoration.
- Leveraging local knowledge and sharing regional expertise on disaster risk reduction can enhance community-level resilience.
Disaster management is no longer just about survival. It is about ensuring that the response system is well-rounded, looking at every aspect from natural systems to social structures. The learnings from disasters can be utilised for disaster preparedness and building a resilient future.