English FA-IV
GROUP ACTIVITY
TOPIC: SPIRIT OF UNITY
LADAKH FLASH FLOODS
X-C
GROUP MEMBERS
A.UJWAL-R.NO-18
SATVIK -R.NO-21
CH.SHASANK-R.NO-22
K.NIMISH-R.NO-29
M.VARUN-R.NO-32
RAUNAK SINGH-R.NO-35
Introduction
In the midnight of August 6, 2010, Leh in Ladakh
region
of North India received a heavy downpour. The cloud
burst occurred all of a sudden that caught everyone
unawares. Within a short span of about 2 h, it recorded
a rainfall of 14 inches. There were flash floods, and the
Indus River and its tributaries and waterways were
overflowing.
satvik
As many as 234 people were killed, 800
were injured, and many went missing, perhaps washed
away with the gorging rivers and waterways. There
was vast destruction all around. Over 1000 houses
collapsed. Men, women, and children were buried
under the debris. The local communication networks
and transport services were severely affected. The main
telephone exchange and mobile network system (BSNL),
which was the lifeline in the far-flung parts of the region,
was completely destroyed. Leh airport was flooded and
the runway was covered with debris, making it nonfunctional.
Road transport was badly disrupted as roads
were washed away and blocked with debris at many
places. The civil medical and health facilities were also
severely affected, as the lone district civil hospital was
flooded and filled with debris.
satvik
Rescue operations
Raunak Singh
Search and rescue operations were launched by the
Indian Army along with the State Government of Jammu
and Kashmir, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) immediately after
the disaster.
The injured and the dead were shifted to Army Hospital,
Leh, and mass casualty management was started by the
army doctors while relief work was mounted by the
army and civil administration.
The rescue efforts were hampered by gushing water and
mud which was 10 feet high in places. In addition many
of the roads and bridges leading to Leh were damaged
making it difficult to truck in relief supplies.
Four hundred critically wounded people were evacuated
and some were admitted to the army hospital in Leh.
Raunak Singh
xc
The Army's immediate search, rescue, and relief
operations and mass casualty management
effectively and efficiently mitigated the impact of
flash floods, and restored normal life.
By dawn, massive search operations were started
with the help of civil authorities and local people.
The patients admitted in the civil hospital were
evacuated to the Army Hospital, Leh in army
helicopters.
The runway of Leh airport was cleared up within a
few hours after the disaster so that speedy inflow of
supplies could be carried out along with the
evacuation of the casualties requiring tertiary level
healthcare to the Army Command Hospital in
Chandigarh. Raunak
GALLERY
Relief Operations
CH. Shasank
There were just two hospitals in the area: the
government
civil hospital (SNM Hospital) and Army Hospital.
During the flash floods, the government civil hospital
was flooded and rendered dysfunctional. Although
the National Disaster Management Act(1) was in place,
with the government civil hospital being under strain,
the applicability of the act was hampered. The Army
Hospital quickly responded through rescue and relief
operations and mass casualty management. By dawn,
massive search operations were started with the help of
civil authorities and local people. The patients admitted
in the civil hospital were evacuated to the Army
Hospital,
CH.Shasank
Leh in army helicopters .
Rehabilitation
Shelter and relief
Due to flash floods, several houses were destroyed. The
families were transferred to tents provided by the Indian
Army and government and non-government agencies.
The need for permanent shelter for these people emerged
as a major task. The Prime Minister of India announced
Rs. 100,000 as an ex-gratia to the next of kin of each of
those killed, and relief to the injured. Another Rs. 100,000
each would be paid to the next of kin of the deceased from
the Chief Ministers Relief Fund of the State Government.
M.varun
Supply of essential items
The Army maintains an inventory of essential
medicines
and supplies in readiness as a part of routing
emergency
preparedness. The essential non-food items were
airlifted
to the affected areas. These included blankets, tents,
gum
boots, and clothes. Gloves and masks were provided
for
the persons who were working to clear the debris from
the roads and near the affected buildings.
M.Varun
Water, sanitation, and hygiene
Public Health is seriously threatened in disasters,
especially due to lack of water supply and sanitation.
People having lost their homes and living in temporary
shelters (tents) puts a great strain on water and sanitation
facilities. The pumping station was washed away, thus
disrupting water supply in the Leh Township. A large
number of toilets became non-functional as they were
filled with silt, as houses were built at the foothills of
the Himalayan Mountains. Temporary arrangements of
deep trench latrines were made while the army engineers
made field flush latrines for use by the troops.
nimish
Food and nutrition
There was an impending high risk of food shortage
and crisis of hunger and malnutrition. The majority
of food supply came from the plains and low-lying
areas in North India through the major transport routes
LehSrinagar and LehManali national highways.
These routes are non-functional for most part of the
winter. The local agricultural and vegetable cultivation
has always been scanty due to extreme cold weather.
The food supplies took a further setback due to the
unpredicted heavy downpour. Food storage facilities
were also flooded and washed away. Government
agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the
Indian Army immediately established food supply anddistribution
system in the affected areas from their food
stores and airlifting food supplies from other parts of nimish
the country
UNITED WE SERVE
It is impossible to anticipate natural disasters such as flash floods.
However, disaster preparedness plans and protocols in the civil
administration and public health systems could be very helpful in
rescue and relief and in reducing casualties and adverse impact on the
human life and socio economic conditions. However, the health
systems in India lack such disaster preparedness plans and training. In
the present case, presence of the Indian Army that has standard
disaster management plans and protocols for planning, training, and
regular drills of the army personnel, logistics and supply, transport, and
communication made it possible to immediately mount search, rescue,
and relief operations and mass casualty management. Not only the
disaster management plans were in readiness, but continuous and
regular training and drills of the army personnel in rescue and relief
operations, and logistics and communication, could effectively
facilitate the disaster management operations.
A.ujwal
Emergency medical services and healthcare within few
hours of the disaster was critical to minimize deaths and
disabilities. Preparedness of the Army personnel,
especially the medical corps, readiness of inventory of
essential medicines and medical supplies, logistics and
supply chain, and evacuation of patients as a part of
disaster management protocols effectively launched the
search, rescue, and relief operations and mass casualty
reduction. Continuous and regular training and drills of
army personnel, health professionals, and the community
in emergency rescue and relief operations are important
measures. Emergency drill is a usual practice in the army,
which maintains the competence levels of the army
personnel. Similar training and drill in civil administration
and public health systems in emergency protocols for
rescue, relief, mass casualty management, and
communication would prove very useful in effective
disaster management to save lives and restore health of
the people
A.ujwal
