REVIEWING DISASTER MANAGEMENT CAPACITIES IN BIHAR - RedR India
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REVIEWING DISASTER MANAGEMENT CAPACITIES IN BIHAR
I N D IA Facilitating Humanitarianism This report has been compiled by Sheena Arora, Nishant Buragohain, Kaustubh Devale , Praveen Pawar and Aahna Srikanth of RedR India in March-April 2013, as a part of the review of Bihar’s Disaster Management capacities for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. RedR India is a member of the RedR International federation, providing training, recruitment and advisory services for emergencies. A humanitarian and non-profit organization, RedR India maintains a register of experienced humanitarian professionals who are available to assist governments and external support agencies working in the humanitarian sector. The RedRs have a global reputation for the development and presentation of high quality training for the humanitarian aid sector and have offices in Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. For more details on RedR India please visit www.redr.org.in Cover Photo: People in Khagaria district, Bihar, crossing the Bagmati River to reach Chheda Khera Panchayat. Layout: Ashok Nirgulkar Photo credits: RedR India October 2013
REVIEWING DISASTER MANAGEMENT CAPACITIES IN BIHAR
Responding to emergencies effectively and efficiently over eight percent prone to floods, and 2.25 percent of
requires strong national and local disaster management India’s Gross Domestic Product has been swept away by
systems and emergency responders with the knowledge disasters. The numbers are stark. Constrained
and information about the risks and hazards that they resources demand innovative thinking and risk-informed
potentially face, the existing capacities of all actors; and planning so as to preemptively avert huge losses.
the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders
in a time of disaster. The Emergency Response team at Within India, the State of Bihar is highly prone to multi-
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded this study in hazards including floods, earthquakes, drought,
an effort to support and assess emergency response monsoons, high wind velocity, cold waves and recurrent
capacity at State, District and local levels in the disaster fires during summer months. In this context, we believe
prone State of Bihar, India. Our aim is to share this that all actors in the region, both development and
report with stakeholders to ensure that disaster humanitarian, should have access to knowledge and
preparedness, response and management is efficient, concrete recommendations that will serve to increase
effective and sustainable – ultimately resulting in a capacity to mitigate, prepare for and respond to various
reduction of loss of lives and assets. threats and disasters across all levels.
There is a mounting body of evidence that the frequency We hope that all stakeholders in Bihar will consider the
and severity of disasters is increasing and leaving information in this report to ensure that planning efforts
greater numbers of people vulnerable to their effects. In are risk-informed- properly addressing and
2012, the estimated economic losses from natural contextualizing emergency risks, integrating prevention, I
disasters was USD $ 157 billion and surpassed the mitigation, preparedness, and response and recovery
annual average damages from 2001 to 2010 by almost strategies into programming from the outset.
ten percent (USD $ 143 billion) according to the Centre
for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED).
CRED also reports that when assessing geographical
distribution of disasters, Asia was the continent most Valerie Nkamgang Bemo
often hit by natural disasters in 2012 - accounting for Senior Program Officer, Emergency Response
40.7 percent. According to UNDP’s vulnerability profile Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
of India, over 70 percent of the nearly 7,500-kilometre
Amanda Lanzarone
long coastline is prone to cyclones, 70 percent of the
Associate Program Officer, Emergency Response
land under cultivation is prone to drought, 60 percent of
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
India’s landmass is susceptible to earthquakes,
FOREWORD
We would like to thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for commissioning the review of Bihar state’s disaster
management capacities and for publishing this review report.
This document has evolved due to the immense help and kind support extended by many individuals, organisations
and communities in Bihar.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Mr. Vyasji Mishra, Principal Secretary DMD and Mr Anil K Sinha, Vice
Chairperson BSDMA for their support and inputs towards the process. Dr. Gagan (OSD, Principal Secretary Health
and formerly OSD in the DMD), Mr Sanjay Pandey (Convener, BIAG) and Mr Banku Bihari Sarkar (Senior State
Coordinator- DRR, UNICEF Bihar) need special mention for their willingness to engage with our never ending
questions and provide crucial insights. We would also like to thank Dr. D.K Mishra for taking time out of his busy
schedule to share his invaluable experiences and counter perspective.
Interactions with members of the BIAG were crucial at both the formative as well as final stages of the review, helping
us understand their individual organisations as well as the disaster management community. Additionally, we would
like to thank the entire range of stakeholders (government departments, quasi-government institutions, INGOs,
NGOs, Civil Society and individuals) at the state, district and block levels who willingly engaged with us and whose
insights were key in informing the report.
iii
Dr. ELSN Bala Prasad (Director General, BIPARD), Mr. Vishal Vaswani (BSDMA) and Mr. Sarbjit Singh Sahota
(Emergency Specialist, DRR Section, UNICEF India) need special mention for their continued support and critical
inputs.
Th ‘Ananya’ teams in Delhi and Bihar helped us understand the project better, especially Indrajit Chaudhary in Patna
and Sharad Chaturvedi and his team in Saharsa.
We are grateful to the many communities and individuals in Begusarai, Darbhanga, Gaya, Gopalganj, Khagaria,
Patna, Saharsa, Samastipur, Supaul, and West Champaran districts for their bottomless cups of chai (tea), their
warm hospitality as well as their generous and honest sharing of experiences.
Finally, we are grateful to the entire RedR India team for not only critically appreciating this review process but also for
the logistics support and camaraderie throughout the nine months of this review.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
0
FOREWORD I
TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii
CONTENTS v
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES vi
ACRONYMS vii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ix
1
INTRODUCTION 1
BACKGROUND 2
THE REVIEW DESIGN 2
2
OVERVIEW OF THE STATE DISASTER MANAGEMENT PROFILE 7
STATE PROFILE 8
DISASTER RISK CONTEXT 10
3
FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 13
POLICY ENVIRONMENT 16
ANALYSIS OF POLICY ENVIRONMENT 18
PEOPLE – THE DM ECOSYSTEM 25
ANALYSIS OF DM ECOSYSTEM 27
PROGRAMMES 30
ANALYSIS OF PROGRAMMES IN THE DM ECO-SYSTEM 32
PERFORMANCE 34
CRITICAL ANALYSIS - CATALYSTS AND BARRIERS 40
4
RECOMMENDATIONS 43
Figure 1: Framework of Analysis 3 Figure 2: Sample Selection Criteria 4 Figure 3: Key-informants for the review 5 Figure 4: Multi-hazard zones in Bihar 10 Figure 5: Disaster Management Context Timeline 15 Figure 6: The DM Ecosystem 26 Figure 7: On-going DM Programmes in Bihar 31 Figure 8: Performance Analysis 37 Table 1: Key Demographic Indicators of Bihar 8 Table 2: Status of Policy Instruments in Bihar 18 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
AWC Anganwadi Centre (Nutrition & early education related service provision centre at the community level as part of
Integrated Child Development Scheme of Government of India)
AWW Anganwadi Worker (Nutrition related service provider at the community level as part of the Integrated Child
Development Scheme of Government of India)
ANM Auxiliary Nurse Mid-Wife (Community level trained health service provider)
ASHA Accredited Social Health Activist (Community level health animator)
APHC Additional Primary Health Centre (health facility at a cluster of villages)
BSDMA Bihar State Disaster Management Authority
B-IAG Bihar Inter Agency Group
BIPARD Bihar Institute for Public Administration and Rural Development (Government of Bihar, administrative training
institute)
BUDA Bihar Urban Development Agency
BAPEPS Bihar Aapda (Disaster) Punarvasan (Rehabilitation) Evam (And) Punarvikas (Reconstruction) Society (An
organization formed by the State government for the recovery work following the August 2008 'Kosi disaster')
BDO Block Development Officer
CBDRR Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction
CO Circle Officer
CDPO Child Development Project Officer (Block level official of the Social Welfare Department, Responsible for managing
the ICDS programme in the block)
vii
CMG Crisis Management Group
CP Contingency Plan
CS Civil Surgeon (District level official of the Health Department)
DAO District Agriculture Officer
DAHO District Animal Husbandry Officer
DDMA District Disaster Management Authority
DDMP District Disaster Management Plan
DHM District Health Manager
DM Act Disaster Management Act 2005
DM Disaster Management
DMD Disaster Management Department
DPO District Project Officer
DRR Disaster Risk Reduction
ACRONYMSEOC Emergency Operations Centre
EWS Early Warning System
FMIS Flood Management Information System
FMP Flood Management Plan
GIS Geographic Information System
GOB Government of Bihar
GOI Government of India
GP Gram Panchayat (decentralized governance unit of PRI at the village level)
HSC Health Sub-Centre
ICDS Integrated Child Development Scheme of Government of India (Flagship initiative of GOI since 1975 to ensure
nutrition, health and pre-school education related rights of children as well as health and nutrition support to the
mother)
ICS Incident Command System
IDSP Integrated Disease Surveillance Project
IFHI Integrated Family Health Initiative
IMD Indian Meteorological Department
INGO International Non-Government Organization
MOIC Medical Officer In-Charge (of the Primary Health Centre, block level health facility)
MIS Management of Information System
MNREGA Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Flagship initiative of GOI since 2005 to enhance
livelihood security of citizens through guaranteed 100 days of work per family in rural areas)
NDRF National Disaster Response Force
NGO Non-Government Organization
NPE Non Plan Expenditure
NRHM National Rural Health Mission
OSD Officer on Special Duty
PHC Primary Health Centre
PHED Public Health Engineering Department
PRI Panchayati Raj Institutions (3-tier decentralized governance system in India functioning within each state at village
level as GP, block level as PS and district level as ZP)
PS Panchayat Samiti (block level governance unit of PRI)
SDMP State Disaster Management Plan
SEC State Executive Committee
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
SSA Sarva Shikshya Abhiyan (Government of India, Universal Primary Education Scheme)
ULB Urban Local Bodies
ZP Zilla Parishad (district level governance unit of PRI)ix EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The National Disaster Management Act of 2005 has resulted in several initiatives on disaster management (DM) in
Bihar, however, how this has translated into disaster management capacities, is yet to be analyzed. The Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned RedR India to undertake this review of Bihar state’s disaster management
capacities.
Review design: This review, focused on assessing the DM-related policy environment, the DM ecosystem’s
capacities as well as examining the critical catalysts and barriers in the efficacy of the ecosystem’s functioning.
Adopting the appreciative enquiry approach, this review was guided by a “PPPPP” framework wherein enquiry and
analysis traced the DM landscape in Bihar from Policy to People to Programmes to Performance and Projected
recommendations for the DM ecosystem. The review was conducted through constructive engagement with DM
ecosystem actors at the state level and across 10 districts, which were selected based on their disaster proneness,
event history, disaster risk reduction initiatives, areas where the ‘Ananya’ programme is being implemented and
feasibility of access.
Key findings:
Policy environment: A clear progression of the disaster management framework in the state is discernible in line
with evolution of the national DM discourse, socio-political changes in the state, and the changing natural
x
environment. The evolution of the policy landscape in Bihar and the concomitant actions in the last 5 years
(development of policy instruments and establishment of DM institutions) are indicative of a conducive policy
environment for programs and partnerships for DM. Yet, the policy focus is primarily on preparedness for response, is
mono-hazard focussed and hardly addresses the prevalent significant urban disaster risks. Further, convergence
amongst related policies appears to be minimal, including the absence of a clear roadmap for mainstreaming and a
shared vision for capacity building for DM.
People: An ecosystem approach was adopted in this review to understand the role and presence of different actors in
order to account for their multiplicity, interconnectedness and dynamism. It was found that several actors are
operational at different stages of the DM cycle, with varying spheres of influence and many successful partnerships;
yet a collective envisioning of shared goalposts has not been done. Further, there is a need for enhancement of
technical capacities for disaster risk analysis, risk-informed planning and management of programs especially within
the government systems wherein the ethos of DM continues to be that of an ‘additional charge’.
Programmes: An analysis of the programmes carried out by the ecosystem at different stages of the DM cycle, also
highlighted the primary focus on preparedness for response and an approach of mono-hazard focus in programming
and implementation as well. Further, it was found that the programme design for both government and non-
government programmes addresses principle risks but is yet to carry out differential planning that accounts for
contextual risks. This is highlighted in the review through an analysis of the flood control policy and it’s intended and
realized outcomes and implications for future programming.Performance: Analysis of the policy and programmatic performance against the expected outcomes as laid out in
the national and state policy framework point out the positive impact of the various policy instruments, a committed
political leadership and civil-society-government partnerships; while at the same time, delineating the need for
demand creation for disaster risk reduction (especially mitigation, prevention and mainstreaming), collective
envisioning, dynamic and differential risk analysis, data management and systematic capacity building.
Core recommendations:
It is recommended that the DM ecosystem engages in a collective envisioning exercise and set consensus-based
goalposts, identifying a role for every actor at different stages of the DM cycle. Further, this should be informed by a
multi-hazard approach, cognizance of urban risks and spaces for mainstreaming DM into existing frameworks.
Finally, it is recommended that technical capacity be enhanced through a number of suggested actions.
xi1 INTRODUCTION
Background
T
his document has evolved from a study conducted by RedR India for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
reviewing the Disaster Management capacities in the state of Bihar. The review was conceptualized in the
context of on-going developments for Disaster Management in Bihar, especially since the passing of the
National Disaster Management Act of 2005. Given the number of activities being carried out by the government and
various other stakeholders, it was thought important to analyse the impact these have had on the preparedness
levels of the state to respond to a disaster situation. Towards this end, the review was carried out with the following
key objectives:
• To research the existing and newly formed government institutions for disaster management at state and district
level in Bihar, their roles and responsibilities, and assess current levels of functioning
• To analyse the gaps and trends in capacities of the various stakeholders (Government, NGOs, Red Cross, UN
and communities) with regards to disaster management
• To identify the catalysts and barriers for effective functioning of the stakeholders, and recommend actions for
strengthening the stakeholders
2
In addition to the above-mentioned objectives, the review also explored the disaster risks to on-going programs of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the state. These findings, while not included in this document, are available in
the detailed report.
This document presents the key findings and recommendations emerging from the review process. This chapter
provides a background of the review, including details about the design, process and coverage. This is followed by an
overview of the disaster management profile of Bihar state. Thereafter, findings of this review are presented in four
sections viz. policy environment, people (DM ecosystem), programmes, and performance. Recommendations
emanating from these findings have been shared in the next chapter titled, ‘Recommendations’, and these have been
arranged in two sections viz. policy environment, and the DM ecosystem.
The Review Design
Approach: The review followed an approach of appreciative enquiry, consolidating a cohesive narrative of disaster
management capacities in Bihar through the shared experiences, opinions and perspectives of different
stakeholders in the state.
Framework of Analysis: Information collection and analysis were guided by a framework of analysis that traced the
Disaster Management scenario in Bihar from Policy, People, Programmes and Practices, Performance and finally
towards Projection of Recommendations. The matrix below provides indicative areas of enquiry and analysis under
each theme.Figure 1: Framework of Analysis
Framework of Analysis
POLICY PEOPLE PROGRAMMES & PRACTICES PERFORMANCE PROJECTION
Stakeholders /
Legal On-going and completed projects, Parameters Catalysts and
duty-bearers /
Framework schemes, activities of review Barriers
institutions
Mapping of DM actors
at different levels Analysis of status of Review of capacities Identifying
Analysis of policy
in Bihar, and capacities for DM against credible catalysts Recommendations
provisions for DM
their roles and at all levels benchmarks and barriers
responsibilities
DM Act, National DM Institutions, Knowledge Skills Attitude Measured against - As emerging
National Policy, Govt. Depts., legally mandated from the review
State Disaster NGOs, Resources: provisions and analysis
3 Management CBOs, E.g. Infrastructure, (DM Act, NDMA
State Guidelines,
Policy / Plan community Financial and
members Human Resources state SOPs)
efficiency and
District Systems: effectiveness of
E.g. Coordination, past responses,
EWS, EOC, current levels
Village/ Data Management, of preparedness
Planning
DRM Activities across
GP the DM Cycle:
E.g. Response,
Risk Assessment,
Preparedness,
Family Mitigation,
Traditional Practices
Application
The team perceives the state’s capacities as its ability to cope with disasters, emerging from a confluence of
capacities of all stakeholders, including communities, civil society and the government (administration and people’s
representatives) at all levels. At the same time, given that the government is the primary and largest actor for disaster
management, this review mainly focusses on the systems and processes within the government while reviewing the
actions and initiatives of other actors where possible.Coverage: This review was conducted through engagement with actors at the state level, 10 districts (out of total 38
in Bihar), 14 development blocks, 10 villages and 3 urban wards. Selection criteria for the districts, blocks and
villages/ wards included disaster proneness (including hazard exposure and socio-economic vulnerabilities), past
experience of disaster, disaster risk reduction actions undertaken (especially since 2007), areas with ongoing
‘Ananya’1 programme activities and feasibility of access (geographic, informants, time constraints). Selection of
villages in north Bihar was such that settlements both within and outside the embankments were explored. One of the
villages was selected for having experienced a recent fire incident for a better understanding of the ensuing relief and
response activities. The list of districts and rationale for their selection is presented in below:
Figure 2: Sample Selection Criteria
West Samastipur Darbhanga
Champaran
Flood prone; On-going Multi-hazard prone district in north
Multi-hazard prone DDMP formulation pilot; Bihar; second largest urban centre in
district in western ‘Ananya’ Priority district high risk zone; presence of socio-
boundary of state; On- economically vulnerable groups like Supaul
going DDMP Musahar; ongoing CBDRR and Kosi
recovery programs Multi-hazard
formulation pilot; prone district in
‘Ananya’ priority district north Bihar; site of
Kosi embankment
breach of 2008; 4
on-going recovery
project
Gopalganj
Multi-hazard prone
district in north-west
Bihar; large scale Saharsa
disaster-induced
displacement; ‘Ananya’ Multi-hazard prone
priority district B I H A R district in north Bihar;
on-going Kosi recovery
project; on-going
‘Ananya’ innovation on
real-time data
Patna
monitoring
Dense urban
area; multi-
hazard profile;
‘Ananya’ Khagaria
priority district
Flood prone, site of
confluence of seven
Gaya Begusarai rivers; planned ‘Ananya’
Drought prone district in south Multi hazard prone; innovation on referral
Bihar; affected by left wing ‘Ananya’ Priority district systems for remote /
extremism inaccessible areasThe Process: This review was conducted in three phases. Phase one included:
• Desk-Review - analysis of available secondary sources including national and state government documents,
data from line departments, program documentation and publications from non-governmental organizations,
academic articles on Bihar and its disaster context, print and web-based media reports;
Scoping Phase - Preliminary consultations and key informant interviews with key state government officials,
including the Principle Secretary of the Disaster Management Department and the Vice Chairperson of BSDMA,
UN agencies, INGOs, select quasi-government institutions and media agencies. These interviews helped in
understanding the policy framework, state level DM institutions, their roles and responsibilities and the current
levels of functioning of both state and humanitarian organizations. To understand the district level DM processes
and capacities, three districts namely Samastipur, Begusarai and Patna were selected for visits in the first leg and
key stakeholders at the district, block and village level were interviewed. Field visits to the communities were
organized with support from local NGOs and focus group discussions were conducted with community groups.
Patna district was selected to understand the urban risk context and disaster management capacities. This
scoping phase one concluded with the finalization of the review design
Detailed Review- In this phase, an additional 8 districts were visited. Overall, the team interacted with 145
5
stakeholders through key informant interviews, focus group discussions, structured interactions, and group
discussions at four levels - state, district, block and community (village and urban wards). Government officials
from the administration and key line departments (Disaster Management, Health, Agriculture, Public Health
Engineering, Water Resource Department, Animal Husbandry, and Social Welfare) were interviewed.
In addition to meetings, the team participated in the development of Figure 3: Key-informants for the review
two SOPs - Mass Casualty Management (MCM) and Drought;
visited the Kosi Barrage (Birpur) and the August 2008 embankment
15
breach site located in Nepal; and visited key DM structures like
newly-constructed EOC buildings, warehouses and flood shelters.
2
Upon the completion of the field visits, a consultation meeting with
B-IAG members and Government representatives was done to
share the impressions, corroborate factual aspects and to seek 20
their opinions on the emerging findings.
50
Focussed interactions with key representatives of Bill & Melinda 6 9 22 21
Gates Foundation India office and stakeholders of Ananya
programme were held in phase one as well as after completion of Government UN & Civil Society
Quasi-Government Communities
the field visits. The adjacent graph depicts the key informants
interacted with as part of the review: Block / Villages District StateIn August 2013, the team revisited Patna and one of the 10 selected districts, Saharsa, to carry out a real-time
analysis of the situation in the monsoon season. This included interactions with key government and non-
government stakeholders while they were dealing with the evolving flood situation in areas along the Ganga river as
well as visits to the settlements inside the Kosi embankments in Saharsa.
Principle of optimal ignorance and proportional accuracy: In order to meet the objectives of this review, in the
given time-frame the team sought key stakeholders and informants and collected only that data and information
which was relevant for the review. Thus, the findings and analysis are primarily based on the information shared by
these stakeholders as well as that available from secondary sources.
Challenges / limitations: During the process of the review, all the stakeholders shared their views, thoughts and
concerns generously. At the same time, the team encountered the following challenges and limitations:
• The government engineers from PHED and WRD were on strike and in most cases the team was unable to meet
them at office. Even though the team managed to meet most of these officials out of office, this limited access to
relevant documents and plans.
• The timing of the review coincided with the financial year end and the budget session of the state assembly,
impacting the availability of quality time from key government officials. 6
• The team could not visit few communities in Gaya district which is affected with Left Wing Extremism.
Chapter Endnotes
1: In May 2010, the Government of Bihar and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to accelerate
improvements in health, nutrition and sanitation in Bihar linked to MDGs 4, 5 and 6. The foundation is providing technical, management
and program design support towards this partnership via a program called ‘Ananya’. Most of the Ananya projects have initially been
implemented in eight innovation districts chosen by the GoB and the Foundation.2 OVERVIEW OF THE STATE
DISASTER MANAGEMENT PROFILEState Profile
T
he state of Bihar is situated in the northern part of the country sharing a long international boundary with Nepal.
It is the 12th largest state in the country with an area of 94,163 square kilometres2 and has the highest
population density at 1,102 persons per square kilometre. Bihar has a total of seven river basins with perennial
rivers, originating from the Himalayas, like the Saryu (Ghagrah), Gandak, Kosi, Burhi-Gandak, Bagmati, Kamala-
Balan and Mahananda flowing through the state to merge with the river Ganga, which divides the plains into two
parts. Other rivers of the state are Sone, Punpun, Phalgu, Kiul and Sakri that descend down the Chota-Nagpur
Plateau south of Bihar. The state is subject to the summer monsoons during the months of June to September.
Socio-economic profile
Human Development 3: Although Bihar is one of the fastest growing states of India (GDP growth rate of 9.56 percent
while the national rate is 8 percent), it faces immense development challenges. Key demographic indicators of the
state are presented in the following table:
Table 1: Key Demographic Indicators of Bihar 4
Particulars Census, 2011 Remarks 8
Population 10,38,04,637 3rd highest among states;
Male 5,41,85,347 Population has increased from 829.99 Lakh in 2001
Female 4,96,19,920 to 1038.05 Lakh in 2011.
Child Population (0-6 yrs.) 1,85,82,229
Male child 96,15,280
Female Child 89,66,949
Sex Ratio (females per 1000 males) 916 5th lowest in India (national sex ratio 940)
Literacy Rate 63.82 percent Lowest among the states
Density (population per sq. Km.) 1,102 Most densely populated state of the country
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) 48 (as of 2010) Reduced from 60 in 2003
The state has high levels of intra-state disparity with north Bihar lagging behind due to low agricultural productivity,
poor irrigation facilities and high vulnerability to floods. The state is also often referred to as one of the most under-
developed state in the country5. According to the Tendulkar Committee Report 2009, nearly 54.4 percent of the
population lives below the poverty line, which is much higher than the national average of 37.2 percent. However, if
factors beyond income are considered (Multi-dimensional Poverty Index), about 79.3 percent of the state’s
population lives below the poverty line. In fact, the poverty ratio of the state is the second highest in the country.Rural poverty at 55.7 percent is also much higher than the urban poverty at 43.7 percent. Poverty in Bihar is a function
of low per capita land holding, very low industrialization base and limited opportunities in the service sector. Low Bihar has the
human endowment and poor infrastructure compound the problem. Due to limited opportunities in the state, there is second highest
large scale out migration from the state both in lean and peak agriculture seasons of the country.
poverty ratio in
Land and its people: Predominantly an agrarian society where 88.70 percent of the population belongs to the rural
areas, Bihar’s soil conditions are conducive for agricultural practices. The average land holding size in the state is
the country
0.58 hectare, which is half the all-India average of 1.57 hectare. Over 80 percent farms are very small (average size despite being
0.30 hectare), whereas small and marginal farms together constitute 91 percent of the total land holdings. The
uncertainty of the monsoons, the impact of floods and droughts on agriculture clubbed with the low investments rates
one of the
brings about low crop productivity in the state. fastest growing
Migration: “The incidence of out migration from rural Bihar is probably greater than anywhere else in India” (ODI, states in India
London, 2006). Seasonal and long term migration has been the trend of the workforce of the state. The workforce, (Tendulkar Committee
especially from poorer households and relatively from poorer regions migrates in search of better employment Report 2009/ UNDP -
opportunities and to access better labour markets. Of a sample survey conducted, it was found that around 80 Bihar Economic and
percent of migrant people are male and between 15 and 40 years6 . Human Development
9 Indicators)
Rural Urban Composition: The total area of the state is 94,163.00 Sq.km. out of which 92,257.51 Sq.km (97.98
percent) are rural areas and 1,095.41.Sq.km. (2.02 percent) are urban areas7. There are 14 urban agglomerations
and 199 towns in Bihar with 11.30 percent people live in urban regions. This has increased drastically by 35.11
percent8 in the last 10 years. This significant increase has been mainly due to the development of towns such as
Patna and Muzaffarpur as commercial hubs and Darbhanga emerging as an educational hub in the state.Disaster Risk Context
Multiple hazards and related zones: The geographical composition of Bihar, its boundary, land, water bodies,
climate and above all its location makes it vulnerable to multiple hazards. Almost all the districts are prone to most of
the major hazards viz. earthquake, floods, cyclone, drought, fire and heat and cold wave. The following map9 depicts
the multi-hazard zones in Bihar:
Figure 4: Multi-hazard zones in Bihar
10Earthquakes: Bihar is located in the high seismic zone that falls on the boundary of the tectonic plate joining the
Himalayan tectonic plate near the Bihar-Nepal Border and has six sub-surface fault lines moving towards the A large part of
Gangetic planes in four directions. Of the 38 districts, 11 districts fall in seismic zone V of which 2 districts (Madhubani Bihar is located
and Supaul) fall entirely in seismic zone V while 30 districts fall in seismic zone IV and 13 districts in seismic zone III
with most districts falling under multiple seismic zones (i.e. either seismic zone V & IV or seismic zone IV & III). The in the high
state has in the past experienced major earthquakes; the worst was the 1934 earthquake in which more than 25,000 seismic zone
people lost their lives. Recent earthquake was the Sikkim earthquake in September 2011.
and 28 districts
Earthquakes are a major threat to cities, especially the new and growing urban centres in the state where building
codes and control mechanisms are not strictly enforced. This could result in social infrastructures such as schools
experience
and hospitals that are not built to be earthquake resistant could lead to severe damage and loss of lives as well. flooding every
Floods: Bihar’s topography is marked by a number of perennial and non-perennial rivers of which, those originating year (National
from Nepal are known to carry high sediment loads that are then deposited on the plains of Bihar. A majority of the Consortium of Civil
rainfall in this region is concentrated in the 3 months of monsoon during which the flow of rivers increases up to 50 Society Organizations on
times causing floods in Bihar. According to the Bihar Government’s Flood Management Information Systems Cell, MGNREGA, 2001)
floods of Bihar can be divided into 4 categories10 namely:
11
1. Class I: Flash floods– floods occurring due to rainfall in Nepal, lead time is short (8 hours) in Kamla-Balan,
receding of flood waters is fast;
2. Class II: River floods– lead time 24 hours, receding of flood waters is 1 week or more;
3. Class III: Drainage congestion in river confluence- lead time more than 24 hours, lasting full monsoon season (i.e.
receding of flood waters takes 3 months), and no Kharif season agriculture;
4. Class IV: Permanent water logging- shrinkage in area only in February, local rainfall, micro-relief aspects.
As such, 73.63 percent of the geographical area of North Bihar is considered to be flood prone. Every year, 28
districts get flooded (of which 15 districts are worst affected) causing huge loss of property, lives, farmlands and
infrastructure. During the 2008 Kosi floods, over 350,000 acres of paddy, 18,000 acres of maize and 240,000 acres of
other crops were adversely affected, impacting close to 500,000 farmers11.
According to an IGC report12, Bihar has had four major flood events in 1954, 1974, 1987, and 2004. In addition, in the
years 1978, 1987, 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2008 Bihar witnessed high magnitudes of floods. The total area affected by
floods has also increased during these years. Bihar’s strategy to tackle these floods over the years has been to
construct embankments so as to control the flow of rivers. Even though there has been significant increase in the
funds allocated to the building of embankments through the 5 year plans of the state, frequency and intensity of floods
has not reduced13.Drought: Bihar also faces drought situations primarily in South and South-West parts of Bihar however increasingly
even North Bihar, which has a high concentration of rivers and receives ample rainfall, has also started experiencing
Bihar is droughts. Districts of Munger, Nawada, Rohtas, Bhojpur, Aurangabad and Gaya are the known drought prone areas
increasingly of the state. In just the last decade, drought was declared in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013.
witnessing Conflict: It is evident that there is a growing extremism situation in Bihar. The fatalities in the Naxal (left wing
extremism) violence in Bihar were 586 victims between 2004 and 2013 out of which 271 were civilians14. One of the
adverse impacts worst Naxal affected districts is Gaya in South Bihar.
of drought,
Other Hazards: Apart from the above hazards, the state is also prone to cold and heat waves, Cyclonic storms (high
climate change, speed winds) and other human-induced hazards like fire, epidemics, industrial and road / boat accidents. Incidences
human-induced of fire are mainly local in nature but have a severe impact on villages. Since a majority of Kucha houses have thatch
roofs and wooden structures, in the summer months when winds are high, fires from the traditional stoves spreads
hazards and the damage to the entire village.
conflicts Climate change: Uncertain weather patterns, changes in temperature and precipitation15, and an increase in
extreme weather events is increasingly a reality in Bihar, as with the rest of the country. It has been seen that these
changes have led to alterations in agricultural produce16 as well as increased incidents of localised drought and floods
within the same year in the region.
12
Chapter Endnotes
2: Source: 2011 Census of India
3: UNDP - Bihar Economic and Human Development Indicators (Factsheet)
4: Source: 2011 census of India
5: GoI (2013) Report of the committee for evolving a composite development index of states
6: Journal of Social and Economic studies, A N Sinha Institute for Social Studies, Patna
7: GOB site: http://www.brandbihar.com/english/geography_of_bihar.html
8: Extracted from the census 2011 (Bihar)
9: Department of Disaster Management, Government of Bihar, http://disastermgmt.bih.nic.in/Map/Maps.htm
10: NFMISC , “Flood Report 2009”
11: National Consortium of Civil Society Organizations on MGNREGA, 2001, “Leveraging MNREGA for Flood Control: A case study for
Policy Reform in Bihar”ational Consortium of Civil Society Organizations on MGNREGA, 2001, “Leveraging MNREGA for Flood
Control: A case study for Policy Reform in Bihar”
12: International Growth Centre, 2012, “Strengthening the Institutional Framework for Flood and Water Resources Management in Bihar:
Developing a Strategy for Reform (Phase One)”
13: ibid
14: Fatalities in the left wing extremist violence in Bihar. SATP, as accessed on 12/07/13
(http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/bihar/data_sheets/annual_casualties.asp)
15: Effect of climate change on River Kosi and its basin, Rama Mani, India Water Portal, as accessed on 20/09/13
(http://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/effect-climate-change-river-kosi-and-its-basin)
16: Impact of climate change on wheat and winter maize over a sub-humid climatic environment, A.V.A Haris et al., Current Science,
Volume104, NO. 2, January 20133 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
14
T
he disaster management context in Bihar has been shaped by a history of frequent small-scale and key large-
scale disasters spread across the state. While communities facing these disasters have continued to respond
and adapt to these risks, the institutional origins of disaster management have been reactive, and in some
ways, continue to be so. Yet, a clear progression of the disaster management framework in the state is discernible in
line with evolution of the national DM discourse, socio-political changes in the state, and the changing natural
environment. This progression, as represented in the timeline (Figure 2) below, provides a good starting point for
reviewing the state’s disaster management capacities and enables an analysis of the contributing factors to the
same.
This section (in accordance with the framework of analysis) explores the different elements of the disaster
management context and its progression – policy, people, programmes and their performance. At the outset, the
policy context and its progression are presented with an analysis of the existing framework and its implications on
disaster management in Bihar. This is followed by an analysis of the DM ecosystem, its constituent actors and the
linkages between them. The programmatic activities and initiatives being undertaken within the DM ecosystem are
then analysed for their focus and intended impact. Finally, the performance of the policies and programmes is
examined on the basis of responses of the key informants, observations of the team, parameters existing in the
international and national DM discourse, and the real-time monsoon analysis undertaken in the month of August
2013.Figure 5: DM Context Timeline
Norms of assistance passed SOP
for Flood Disaster Management approved
Bihar State Disaster International attention Directives regarding fire, cold wave, hail storm and
Management Act; towards the disaster lightening related losses issued
Dept. of DM constituted scenario in Bihar
First Joint
National DM Act Assessment SOPs for MCM
Separate Department IAG Informally FMISC BSDMA and Drought
adopted by between IAG
for Disaster Relief Constituted Constituted Constituted being formulated
Bihar state and Govt.
Change in SDRF
state government Constituted
15
1934 1978 1987/88 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Large-scale
floods in
Munger Earthquake Large-Scale Floods Drought Large-Scale Kosi Breach Drought Drought
18 districts,
& Earthquake Floods
drought in 20
Large-Scale Floods 434 houses were
Unmanageable by destroyed in fire
Single Actors incidences across
the stateThe evolution of Policy Environment
the DM The Disaster Management Department (DMD) is the nodal department for DM in Bihar. The DM institutions in the
state have evolved from a relief-oriented set-up wherein disaster relief was as an additional charge with the
framework in Department of Revenue and Land Development. In 1977-78, a separate Department of Relief and Rehabilitation
was established for better management of relief operations and distribution of relief packages received from the
Bihar has been central government. In 2004, the name and focus of this department changed from relief and rehabilitation to disaster
management based on recommendations from a High Powered Committee. This department is currently headed by
influenced by a Principle Secretary on additional charge and comprises Secretary, Additional Secretary, three Officers on Special
Duty (Finance, SDRF and Administration), support staff and with no personnel (rank and file) at the sub-state level.
changes in the
Bihar passed its state DM Act in 2004, even prior to the national DM Act of 2005. In 2007, the state Act was repealed
national DM and the National DM Act was adopted. In line with the DM Act, the state DM Policy was developed with the stated
goal of making a shift from the traditional relief-centric approach towards developing a ‘Culture of DRR’ in Bihar17. In
discourse, the last six years, DM institutions have been established and policy instruments developed towards the fulfilment of
socio-political the objectives set out by this policy. These are discussed below, followed by an analysis of the policy framework for
DM in Bihar.
changes in the Policy-mandated institutions and status: The DM policy environment in Bihar has evolved through the
16
state as well as establishment and strengthening of institutions for implementation and action. In 2007, Bihar State Disaster
Management Authority (BSDMA) was constituted as the strategic institution for informing and shaping DM policy.
the intensified BSDMA is headed by the Chief Minister as the Chairperson, with a senior retired IAS official in-charge of operational
leadership as the Vice-Chairperson. The DMD is the nodal government department responsible for DM while
disaster events BSDMA is mandated to inform policy and focus on DRR. In practice, the DMD focuses on preparedness and
response aspects while BSDMA focuses on planning, knowledge-building and DRR measures. Operationally, the
in recent history BSDMA functions independently, while its budget is routed through the DMD.
In addition to the BSDMA, the Crisis Management Group (CMG), State Executive Committee (SEC), State Disaster
Response Force and State Disaster Response Fund have been specifically constituted for DM at the state-level,
while the District Disaster Management Authorities have been created at district-level. The CMG is the apex state
government institution, headed by the Chief Secretary and comprising representatives (Principal Secretaries) from
21 DM-related Departments, which is mandated to direct the management of any crisis in the state.
Typically, the CMG approves and recommends financial measures for preparedness and mitigation as well as inter-
departmental coordination; and in case of an event, meets on a weekly basis for taking stock of the severity of the
crisis. Constituted in 2008, the SEC is the highest level body which monitors disasters, plans and sanctions
guidelines, sanctions expending of funds (non plan expenditure of DMD), reviews progress and is empowered to
authorize DMD to withdraw funds from State Disaster Response Fund for preparedness and mitigation actionsunder different heads of Non Plan Expenditure. The SEC is headed by Chief Secretary with Principal Secretaries of
DMD, WRD, Finance and Development Commissioner as members and special invitees from related Departments In Bihar,
as per the nature of event (for e.g. in case of drought, representatives from Agriculture and Animal Husbandry the DM policy
departments are invited). Typically, the SEC meets on a monthly basis with the Chief Secretary chairing the
proceedings. mandated
In accordance with NDRF (fund) mandated by the DM Act, Bihar has created a State Disaster Relief Fund in 2010 for institutional
providing relief and compensation in case of natural hazards. Guidelines for the same have been developed; the architecture is
DMD is the nodal Department in the state government that manages the SDRF through its Non Plan Expenditure,
and the same is sanctioned by SEC. A decision has been taken to create the State Disaster Mitigation Fund with an in place with
initial corpus of INR 10 Crore in the BSDMA, directives for which are still under formulation. In line with NDRF (force)
mandated by the DM Act, Bihar has constituted the State Disaster Response Force in 2010 for search and rescue
clarity in its
operations. Operational norms and functioning guidelines for this force have been developed and approved by the objectives and
State Cabinet. Selection of State Disaster Response Force personnel has started since 2011 from amongst the State
Police Cadre as well as from the armed forces and civilians. A battalion has been created, which is being commanded
operations
by an OSD from within the DMD with plans to recruit a commander from the Police Services of the rank of Inspector
General. Training of recruited State Disaster Response Force personnel has commenced with experienced NDRF
personnel acting as trainers. District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA) have been constituted at the district
17
level across all 38 districts, as mandated by the DM Act. DDMA is chaired by the District Magistrate, with the
president of the ZP as co-chair and the SP, Civil Surgeon, Chief Engineer of WRD and Executive Engineer-PHED
being the members. DDMA is mandated to sanction measures for preparedness and relief / response as well as to
assess and monitor the disaster events. The DDMA is also mandated to plan for and undertake DM related planning
and mitigation actions.
Policy Instruments and Operational Tools: The shift in focus of the state machinery towards strengthening
preparedness for response has been accompanied by the development of norms, procedures, guidelines and
directives for operational clarity at multiple levels, especially since 2008. In early 2012, Norms of Assistance18 were
approved for relief and response through the national and state disaster response funds in Bihar. Two19 Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been developed and four are under development for aiding consistent and swift
action before, during, and after disasters. Typically, SOPs are developed in a consultative process led by the DMD
with inputs from related Departments and members of the civil society (through the B-IAG), UN agencies and NDMA.
After approval from the Cabinet, these are shared with the districts for implementation and are mandatory for
implementation by the concerned officials. In addition to these, the DMD sends Directives to guide DM processes at
district and block / circle levels, for e.g. in January 2012, a directive was sent regarding the actions to be taken by
districts in response to the cold wave. A similar process is facilitated by the DMD for other departments like Health
Department. Apart from the operational tools developed by the DMD, Technical Guidelines20 are developed by
BSDMA, for e.g. the recently released guidelines for earthquake resilient construction. The following table depicts
the status of the various policy instruments in Bihar as of April 2013:Table 2: Status of Policy Instruments in Bihar
The
Instrument Status (as of April 2013)
development of State Disaster Relief Fund Norms Approved and issued in 2012
instruments and Flood SOP
Approved and operational – used for preparedness planning at
district level
operational Earthquake SOP At preparatory stage
Process of draft finalization
tools to Mass Casualty Management SOP
Hospital and Fire Safety SOP Awaiting cabinet approval
translate the Drought SOP Process of draft finalization
Drinking Water Scarcity SOP Approved
DM policy into Cold Wave/ Fire/ Hail Storm Directives Issued by DMD in 2012
practice has Health Department Directives Issued pre-floods since 2007-08
Retrofitting Guidelines Released in 2012
gained traction Earthquake Resilient Construction
Released in 2012
and momentum Guidelines and Circular 18
State Flood Management Plan Draft awaiting approval
since 2012 D a i l y R e p o r t i n g F o r m / We e k l y Daily/ weekly reporting during disaster-annual form consolidated
Reporting Form IX at district level and shared with DMD by October
Analysis of Policy Environment
o Conducive policy environment: The evolution of the policy landscape in Bihar and the concomitant actions in
the last 5 years are indicative of a conducive policy environment for programs and partnerships (both between
the government and civil society; and intra-government) for DM. This can be attributed in a large part to the
frequency and scale of damage by disaster events in the state, especially floods. It has been argued elsewhere21
that a ‘focusing event’ (disaster of a significant scale) leads to policy and programmatic initiatives pertaining to
DM by the State. In line with this argument, it can be said that Bihar witnessed a ‘focusing event’ (Kosi 2008) at
least from the governmental perspective leading to policy reform and capacity building in the state. This was
evident from the multi-hazard risk perception and orientation towards DM found in discussions with state level
officials who reflected upon the state’s increasing focus on strengthening preparedness and response. Many
highlighted the role of the current centralized political leadership in the state in pushing the DM agenda in
accordance with the national discourse. The state’s commitment has been articulated in the Approach Paper to
the 12th Five Year Plan which recognizes the shift in national priorities towards DM and highlights the intended
goal of “Safer Development in Bihar” through DM.o Policy focus:
A conducive
o Primary focus on preparedness for response: It is evident from the nature of policy instruments being
developed and budgetary allocation by the government that the current focus for DM is primarily on
policy
preparedness for response. The SOPs and directives are geared towards strengthening response capacities environment for
at different levels of the government. Further, all the planned expenditure22 of the DMD in 2012-13 had been
proposed for preparedness activities. This includes the budget head for awareness generation and capacity
DM has evolved
building, under which, search and rescue training was conducted with communities, divers and boat drivers. over the past
95.3 percent of the non plan expenditure23 was for relief and response, while 3.9 percent was for
preparedness. Only 0.7 percent was, then, proposed towards mitigation and prevention activities as the few years in
amount allotted to BSDMA. Bihar primarily
o Mono-hazard approach: In line with Bihar’s DM policy, which seeks to bring about ‘a culture of safety’, most due to
policy documents including the State Disaster Management Plan and Approach Paper to 12th Five Year Plan
recognize the multi-hazard nature of risks and event history in the state. However, this does not get translated
increasing
into a multi-hazard approach in policy and programmatic actions. Almost 14 districts in Northern-Bihar are in disaster events,
seismic zone IV or V, are at high risk of flooding, and are at medium to high risk of high wind, cyclones and fire
events. Yet, there is no policy document developed for this region addressing all the risks (across all stages of heightened
19
the DM cycle) in a collective manner. Different line departments, during the summer months, take sensitivity of
preparedness related actions towards flooding but there is negligible focus on preparedness for earthquake
or secondary hazards like fire. This lack of multi-hazard approach is also evident in policies and programs of officials and the
the non-governmental actors. political
leadership
A large part of DM
expenditure in the state is
currently on preparedness
measures.
Photo: Newly constructed
warehouse for DM in West
Champaran district.o Urban risks: With 35.11 percent rate of urbanisation (decadal growth for 2011-2001), Bihar currently has 7
Currently, urban Municipal Corporations, 42 Nagar Parishads, and 75 Nagar Panchayats24 of which several urban areas lie in high
multi-hazard risk zones. Yet, there is marginal recognition of urban disaster risks in the DM policy framework
risks feature apart from risks identified to the capital city, Patna. The state policy takes peripheral cognisance of the risks and
measures to reduce them, which is further reflected in the absence of urban analysis and planning in the District
only marginally Disaster Management Plans. While there are on-going efforts for reviewing and adapting the building bye-laws
in the DM policy with a DM focus, this has not been incorporated in town planning yet and no roles have been defined for Urban
Local Bodies in DM. For e.g., one of the biggest municipal corporations in the state, Darbhanga, doesn’t have a
framework town planning department. This results in not only unplanned and unregulated growth of private housing without
any audits of structures, but also in congestion, sewage mismanagement and ultimately in worsening the
dynamic risk factors to the town. Even in the case of Patna, disaster management actions are limited to
prevention of water from entering the city in the monsoon season, as was seen in 2013. Due to heavy rainfall in
Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the River Ganga was flowing above the danger mark this season, threatening
floods in the city after 38 years. Several blocks, including Danapur, Bakhtiyarpur, Maner, Fatuha, Patna Sadar,
Barh, Athmalgola and Mokama, along the banks of the Ganga in Patna district were flooded for over a month.
While actions were taken to ensure the safety of the of the 24 km long protection wall, which was created along
the right bank of the Ganga river after the flooding of the city in 1975, risk reduction actions have not been planned
20
for or implemented in this regard. This is evident by the fact that unregulated construction of private and public
infrastructure has been allowed inside the protection wall.
• Policy Convergence: As in other contexts, disasters impact different facets of life in Bihar as well. Therefore, in
addition to the DM policy, the policies developed by various Departments, including but not limited to Agriculture,
Health and Water Resources have implications for DM. However, a comprehensive and collective envisioning on
DM is yet to be undertaken in the state, resulting in a lack of convergence between different policies and resultant
actions. For e.g., the State is in the second phase of implementing its Agricultural Roadmap25, yet this roadmap is
still not informed by the differential disaster risks across the state. This lack of analysis also translates into sub-
optimal strategies proposed by the roadmap; for e.g. despite 15 districts of north Bihar being in a high flood-risk
zone, efforts for developing flood-resistant crops have not been included in this roadmap. Further, despite the
expanse and diversity of river systems in Bihar, the state’s high dependence on water bodies26, prevalent
hydrological disaster risks, and the state’s changing patterns of water usage and availability27, Bihar does not
have a comprehensive Water Management Policy. Different departments have drafted water management
policies for the state, but none of these have been approved yet. Such a policy will not only have implications for
management of disaster risks, but also prevent the creation of future risks. Similarly, the Flood Control Policy of
the state (as explained below) does not have convergence with the various DM related policies.You can also read
