The Sonsodo fire which sparked off a health scare in the surrounding areas has exposed the hollowness of our disaster management. It took nearly a week’s time to finally get the situation under control, but the startling part is it took four days for authorities to realize the intensity of damage it could cause. An absolutely lax attitude followed by sheer panic on remedial action was the hallmark.
How does one explain the silence of the bureaucracy even after huge clouds of black smoke filled the air with toxic fumes? How could an incident of this magnitude go unnoticed? Why did pleas from nearby residents fall on deaf years? Time and again, Goa’s disaster management has failed. This is not the first time. Perhaps, our entire system is so sluggish, that authorities need a serious jolt to shake them out of their slumber. In such situations, who holds responsibility for the affected people?
Right from day-one it was clear that this is going to be a long haul for the firemen. The flames were spreading thick and fast and the windy condition was only making it worse. Initial indications were that it’s going to take around eight days to bring the fire under control. The thick black smoke threw a blanket of haze around neighbouring areas, including Curtorim. Efforts of the fire-fighting teams had failed, so did the fire-controlling enzymes imported from Mumbai. People came to the streets fearing a health scare. And yet, nobody moved.
It was only when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant intervened after five days that government machinery swung into action. Surprisingly, the Collector who spearheads disaster management plans took four days to visit the site and ascertain the seriousness of the issue. It is absurd that the chief minister had to summon a high-level meeting in Panaji and tell the Collector what he is supposed to do. By normal protocol, Collector has the powers to move machinery in disasters situations. Why did he not act? Isn’t the government duty-bound to prioritize disasters affecting its people?
Mumbai fire chief Dr Prabhat Rahandale, who is down in Goa, has further exposed the ignorance of the authorities in handling fire incidents. The irony is that without any scientific reasoning, the Margao Municipal Council went ahead and bought enzymes to douse the fumes at a whopping cost of Rs 20 lakh, only to be told that the enzymes-spraying is an exercise in futility.
Exploring options is fine, but it’s stupid to do a trial and error in the midst of a catastrophe. When the MMC was successful in controlling a similar fire incident around 10 years back using mud, why did it not follow the same formula this time around? It clearly indicates that even the MMC had underestimated the fire initially and only panicked later.
The lack of coordination and the complete failure of disaster management are clearly visible. Despite all meetings and the belated urgency shown by the government, the medical teams didn’t reach the area as promised. Quick-response system has been a failure. Perhaps, it would make better sense if the government sends a team on a junket to study disaster management in countries like Japan or the United States.
