India – Floods Exacerbate Common Citizens Plight in Tamil Nadu

December 10, 2015

By Padmini Arhant

The unprecedented rainfall in the southern state Tamil Nadu with capital Chennai and other districts experiencing excess rise in water level face challenges in retaining regular activity.

In any natural hazards, the average citizens are worst affected due to authorities lack of preparedness and evacuation programs combined with poorly developed drainage and sewage systems contributing to the problem.

The residents in low lying areas unable to prevent water flow inside their homes could have benefitted from proper development to channel rainwater away from the residence with underground canal.

The building code incorporating construction and maintenance of appropriate trough would have eased the situation for people forced to leave their premise.

Cities marooned in heavy monsoon are at stake in the aftermath with the outbreak of disease and breakdown of essential supply chain exacerbating citizens suffering.

Again the Indian news report on the private hospital losing 14 patients in ICU in Chennai from power failure cutting off oxygen source is a tragedy that could have been avoided with alternative mechanism as constant energy provision.

Human tendency to react after mishap rather than making proper arrangements for untimely disasters is the revealing feature.

The readiness and safety measures is ongoing requirement to mitigate losses and cannot be differed or neglected clarifying miscalculated crisis management.

The hard lessons impose necessary tasks on government and private industry with real estate in particular to focus on town planning and development comprising robust structures and fall back options to alleviate environment woes and malfunction of critical facility.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy, Air Force and coastal guards’ relief operations efforts proved dependable.

The citizenry in Tamil Nadu – the youth volunteers outreach to stranded victims and families exemplify human spirit in the hour of needs and emergency worthy of emulation.

Collective actions reduce the burden on the vulnerable and economically deprived citizens at any time although the bulk of responsibility remains with government and political class in addressing acute to minor issues on public services and state governance that controls civic coordination.

The poor and marginalized sections in society sharing their disappointment in the political leadership and other members of establishment for having ignored them despite severe conditions is regrettable.

The grieving citizens account on political domain apathy is yet another dilemma. The routine gesture with voters remembered at the election onset and subsequently slighted as distraction from usual business prioritize personal and vested interests in the position of power.

Hopefully the fund allocation towards flood zones would be made available to the people and major cash distribution expended in the repair and restoration of towns and cities with protective and risk deterrent methods in place.

I offer my condolence to mournful and wish for recovery to normalcy in Tamil Nadu.

Peace to all!

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Featured, Humanitarian 

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