Dears, Please read the Editorial in the oHERALDo [ 9/10/2009], reports of flood relief in every newspaper and the Goenchea Xetkaramcho Ekvott [Goa Farmers Union] Press Note [published in the Navhind Times page 2 on 9/10/2009 in the light of the National Institute of Disaster Management [Ministry of Home, Government of India]. If there is a *CALAMITY RELIEF FUND* and a *State-level COMMITTEE * [with the Goa State's Chief Secretary as the ex-officio Chairman] to adminster it, it will be news to many who have only seen the CM and sundry Ministers and politicians making promises or distributing cheques ...as if the money was from their pockets. Placed below are some clippings. Please check the websites for details.
*Constitution and Administration of the Calamity Relief Fund http://nidm.gov.in/Calamity%20Relief%20Fund4.asp* *National Institute of Disaster Management [NIDM], GoI Ministry of Home Affairs.* *Funding mechanisms *The policy and the funding mechanism for provision of relief assistance to those affected by natural calamities is clearly laid down. These are reviewed by the Finance Commission appointed by the Government of India every five years. The Finance Commission makes recommendation regarding the division of tax and non-tax revenues between the Central and the State Governments and also regarding policy for provision of relief assistance and their share of expenditure thereon. *A* *Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) has been set up in each State as per the recommendations of the Eleventh Finance Commission.* The size of the Calamity Relief Fund has been fixed by the Finance Commission after taking into account the expenditure on relief and rehabilitation over the past 10 years. *The Government of India contributes 75% of the corpus of the Calamity Relief Fund in each State. 25% is contributed to by the State. Relief assistance to those affected by natural calamities is granted from the CRF*. oHERALDo Editorial 09 October, 2009 *Relief drive a disaster? * Disaster management is not Goa’s strong suit. This is clear from the *yawning gaps in the relief effort underway in Canacona*, despite the best intentions and sincerity shown by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. Elected representatives can only give the lead, set an example and take decisions. Implementation has to be done by government officials. It is here that the lack of any kind of disaster management expertise is so evident. While the first steps taken after the downpour were mostly adequate, these were mainly in the realm of *evacuating people to safer places* and making sure they had *food to eat*. *The government did its bit here, but a much larger effort was put in by local communities and by NGOs.* Now that the flood waters have receded and the danger has passed, the real work should start. But there are many complaints. *Flood relief needs to be ‘immediate’*. People have lost everything, and need cash and materials to rebuild their lives and achieve normalcy. The usual way to achieve this is to give as much relief as possible in kind. But *there are complaints that several families whose houses are totally destroyed have got neither any ration quota nor preliminary relief cheques/cash from the government authorities. This is unacceptable*, and the officials in charge of the relief operation must ensure that all the affected at least get the minimum wherewithal to start living normal lives again. An important aspect of any flood relief operation is *to ensure that there is no spread of disease*. Epidemics can easily take place because the flood water inundates all *traditional drinking water sources*, making them unsafe. In some cases, carcasses of dead animals are in the wells, spreading pathogenic bacteria. In others, debris of all kinds is washed into the well, making the water unfit for drinking. In these circumstances, the first thing to do is to provide the affected people drinking water from tankers, until the wells in question can be dewatered, cleared of debris and then disinfected. In Canacona, residents say, *water tankers have not yet been deployed to provide safe drinking water*. Instead, government officials are going around giving flood-affected residents a few handfuls of bleaching powder and asking them to put it in their wells to ‘purify’ the water. This is a most unscientific and incorrect method, and it will not make the well water safe. If people start consuming their well water thinking it is safe, thanks to misinformation from government officials, we might just have an epidemic on our hands. Urgent action is needed here. Most shocking of all is the revelation, by none other than District Collector and District Magistrate G P Naik, the man in charge of the entire relief operation, that the *maximum compensation* the government can give as per existing norms to those whose *houses *have been completely destroyed *is Rs89,000*. This is a pittance. Even if one adds to it the Rs25,000 in aid that Panchayats Minister Babu Azgaonkar has announced under the Indira Awas Yojana, the grand total of compensation goes up to Rs1.14 lakh, grossly inadequate for the construction of a house. The government must ensure that somehow, each family whose house has been completely destroyed, gets at least Rs2 lakh in compensation. If not, let the government rebuild their houses. *Claims on damaged houses rise to 687* Written by NT Network Thursday, 08 October 2009 01:29 • MARGAO: The claims of damaged houses from the unprecedented floods in Canacona taluka has risen to 687, informed collectorate sources on Wednesday. The earlier official figure was 416. Relief amounts based on the earlier figure have already been disbursed, informed the South Goa collector, Mr G P Naik. “We are sending another team from Margao to verify these new claims,” the collector told media. The new team is in addition to the one already in the field and will be headed by the deputy collector, Mr Deepak Dessai and have a mamlatdar as well as other officers under him. IMA docs take stock of health situation in Canacona HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, OCT 8 A team of doctors affiliated to the *Indian Medical Association (IMA*) visited Canacona taluka’s flood-ravaged areas, even as several groups continued to distribute food and other essentials to the affected residents on Thursday. The team has reportedly decided to open a medical centre at Galliem and carry out immunization of the people as a precautionary measure against vector-borne diseases. *Pilerne Citizens Forum* group went to Canacona taluka with *2.5 tonnes of rice, about 100 litres of oil,* besides biscuits collected by the villagers of Pilerne and Marra in north Goa distributing it to several locations razed by last Friday floods. *Rotary Club of Panjim, Budhwar Pet Vyepari Sangatna, Ponda, Visionary Association of Margao, Nirankari Shish Parivar Mandal (Goa Branch), Brameshanand Swami Shish Parivar* were some of the groups which distributed food and other essential items to the affected people of Canacona on Thursday. Goa to seek Rs 131 cr relief from Centre HERALD REPORTER • Ministers contribute two months’ salary • Urban Dev Ministry offers Rs 50 lakh • Additional funds for house repairs PANJIM, OCT 8 The State government will on Friday submit a plea for maximum aid of Rs 131 crore to *Home Minister P Chidambaram* and the Congress party chief, Sonia Gandhi following an assessment made by various departments on the total loss caused due to floods in Canacona. The loss has been quantified based on calculations done by various departments, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told press persons on Thursday here. The chief minister left for New Delhi on Thursday evening . A special meeting was held to review measures taken in Canacona, he had informed. He said the cabinet has also appealed to industries, philanthropists and corporate houses to contribute towards the *Chief Minister’s Relief Fund*. Help under *Rajiv Aawas Yojna*: The panchayat minister Manohar (Babu) Azgaonkar has decide to grant Rs 25000 as aid to the people who lost houses in floods Tsunami: *Goa Science and Technology Minister Churchill Alemao *Thursday said that the floods that ravaged Canacona were caused by a ‘mini tsunami’. “*It was a mini tsunami*. There was so much underwater current and there was sudden swelling of rivers ….. water levels rose to 6 meters and soon the water subsided” Alemao said while replying to a question during a post cabinet briefing here. -- -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Miguel Braganza, S1 Gracinda Apts, Rajvaddo, Mhapsa 403507 Goa Ph 9822982676 [email protected] -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
