RTI reveals lack of Disability-inclusive Disaster Management in India

RTI reveals lack of Disability-inclusive Disaster Management in India

The results of the first-ever UN global survey 2013 of persons living with disabilities on how they cope with disasters reveals a disproportionate number suffer and die in disasters because their needs are ignored and neglected. They are often left totally reliant on the kindness of family, friends and neighbours for their survival and safety. Just 17% of respondents were aware of a disaster management plan in their city/town/ community and just 14% said they had been consulted on it. At the same time, 50% of respondents expressed a wish to participate in community disaster management.

India experienced 155 natural disasters in last 10 years PwDs mortality rate is two times higher than general population in disasters Blind cannot read the written message on the wall of evacuation shelters. Disabled people are real experts on matters pertaining to disability. Sirens alerting evacuation cannot reach to Deaf Disasters create a new generation of PwDs. DiDRR also helps elderly, small children, & foreigners who speak different languages.
International obligations	Key features of Disability inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction
UN Convention on the Rights of PwD	Empowerment & Participation of PwDs	House mapping of PwD with emergency management
Rio20+ SDGs	Universal Design	Mobile text message
Hyogo  Framework  for  Action 2	Inclusive early-warning systems & priority evacuation assistance	Indian Army used Twitter in JK floods
Sendai statement	Non-Discrimination	Portable solar battery
Yogyakarta Declaration	Coordination & collaboration	Manual electric generator

Yogyakarta Declaration 2012 stated that there is an urgent need to embrace the issue of disability as a crosscutting core theme within mainstream Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies and to include persons with disabilities within planning and response.

Sendai Statement on DiDRR

More recently, one of the core message of Sendai Statement (Apr 2014) “was engaging, on an equitable basis, girls and boys and women and men with disabilities, and their organizations, in all phases of DRR and in decision-making processes are prerequisites for everyone’s meaningful participation.”

Persons with disabilities, the world’s largest minority, are the first to be forgotten and the last to be remembered of all the marginalized groups in case of a disaster in India. An earlier report in Times of India (No policy to rescue disabled during emergency) based on the RTI filed by Abha Khetarpal highlighted the unpreparedness of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and my recent RTI reconfirms the fact. Disability inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) must be considered as a matter of human rights.

In my RTI, I asked NIDM the action taken on the previous TOI story. NIDM’s response was that “they are not yet directly involved except preparing TOT module for disabled person. However, the NIDM website states its mission as “to work as a think tank for the Government by providing assistance in policy formulation.” On asking about the details of all the disability organizations or PwDs consulted while preparing training modules on disaster management, authorities referred to NIDM website which doesnot have any list. NIDM did conduct few drills at blind schools but nothing at inclusive schools. NIDM is also in preparation of a 5 day TOT on “Personnel dealing with disabled people in disaster” but how much input comes from the real stakeholders-the disabled persons, remains to be seen. 

Dr Satendra Singh's RTI

Cross the Hurdles, the disability NGO by Ms Khetarpal met NIDM executive director in November to show their disaster management mobile app. Despite disabled people coming forward, the annual training calendar of NIDM till March 2015 has 86 national TOT courses without a single one on DiDRR. (http://nidm.gov.in/PDF/trgcal/trgcal_14_15.pdf)

The National progress report on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action on DRR (2013-2015) was prepared by Ministry of Home Affairs in Oct 2014 and it did not have DiDRR mentioned anywhere despite India ratifying UNCRPD.  The ‘future outlook’ statement in the report too remained conspicuous by the absence of DiDRR. 

The  Hyogo  Framework  for  Action 2  (HfA2) is  expected  to be updated in 2015 at the Third World Conference on DRR in March 2015. As a prequel to it many countries and organizations included disability in their discussions and action work. I asked NIDM in the RTI on the details of any sensitization program done on DiDRR on International Day of Disaster Reduction (13 Oct 2014). Their standard reply to this question was that NIDM celebrates Disaster Reduction Day every year in 2^nd week of October. One of the subtheme of International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2014 was ‘DRR and emergency responses’. On asking measures taken to celebrate the day in line with the theme, NIDM was silent. “Ironically, last year in the Post HFA Consultation in India, people debated extensively on integrating HFA into suitable UN Conventions but the actual neglect of Article 11 of UNCRPD is for everybody to see. Things are looking only on paper at present. On asking details of all the changes done in accordance with UNCRPD in National Policy of Disaster Management and National Plan of Disaster Management, NIDM replied that the National Policy of Disaster Management can be downloaded from their website.

  

“Last year too, a multi-stakeholder National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction was constituted in February 2013 which brought together the whole range of stakeholders from Government, Parliamentarians, Mayors, Media, International Organisations, NGOs, local community representatives, scientific and academic institutions and corporate businesses etc but not MSJE or Disabled organizations or people with disabilities. No wonder DiDRR was never a part of the proceedings.” Said Ms Khetarpal  (Government's Resolution No.47-31/2012-DM-III dated 26th February 2013.)

Stuck in Hudhud cyclone. Pic: Sai Padma

Prime Minister Modi (Also chairperson of National Disaster Management Authority) saluted the spirit of disabled persons, calling them 'heroes’ on International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 Dec 2014) day. However these ‘heroes’ may become ‘disabled’ in disasters because of disability exclusive disaster management. Sai Padma, founder of Gobal-Aid and a wheel chair user was stuck in her house for 20 days as a tree fell at their entrance in the recent Hud Hud cyclone at Vizag.  

Hudhud cyclone trapped Sai Padma, a disability activist in her own house

Being a doctor as well as a person with disability, I have seen mismatch in emergency care services. The rescue helpline numbers cannot be accessed by Deaf or those having speech impairment. To rub salts on the wounds, different cities have different numbers. The larger point which we are missing is that #DiDRR is beneficial not only for PwDs but also for elderly citizens, small children, & foreigners who speak different languages. The earlier it comes on the radar of Indian Government, the better it is. The sad part is that people with disabilities are themselves coming forward to provide solutions but there are no takers.

Dr Satendra Singh