Innovative Use of Technology (GIS) for Disaster Risk Reduction: A Case Study

Abstract

India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disasters on account of its unique geo-climatic conditions. An earthquake of severe intensity (magnitude 7.6 on the Richter scale) occurred on 8thOctober 2005 at 8.50.38 AM (Indian time) in the Muzaffarabad Region of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The tremor, which lasted for 6 minutes, caused widespread death and destruction to property and communication network. This was one of the deadliest earthquake in the recent history of the sub-continent, with more than 80,000 fatalities, 200,000 people injured, and more than 4 million people left homeless. In India Administered Kashmir, the worst effected districts were Poonch, Baramulla, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban Kathua, Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag, Pulwamaand Kupwara

The paper highlights the existing scenario of Disaster Vulnerability in the State of J&K. A detailed survey was carried out in the earthquake affected villages of J&K. Data has also been obtained from the Government of J&K to arrive at the closest figure in monetary terms of the total losses incurred in terms of casualties, availability of medical aid, claims and government compensation etc. The paper also estimates the number of victims which could have been saved if an effective GIS would have been in place in the effected areas.

The paper calls for adopting a multi -dimensional endeavour involving Government and Corporate Sectors to use the ICT facility specially GIS and Remote Sensing effectively and efficiently to tackle one of the most alarming problem in highly disaster prone States. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a technological tool for comprehending geography and making intelligent decisions. A good GIS program is able to process geographic data from a variety of sources and integrate it into a map project. Thus, a GIS can use combinations of mapped variables to build and analyze new variables. The application of two popular GIS Tools, generally used in Disaster Management Applications (ArcGIS and ITRIS) have been also studied.

The GIS System once in place can help in evolving models of the earthquake in the region within fractions of minutes. A good GIS tool can be used to present the information in an intuitive way where the decision maker has a bird’s eye view and can drill down to the exact details of the impact in any geographical area of concern.