During 2012, Nagaland with the rest of the northeast region witnessed countless number of earthquakes one after the other. Whether the concern people in government have been keeping a record of these, there is definitely a need to be more aware about past trends and prospect of future disasters. Given the past trend of earthquakes taking place in regular intervals during the last year, the latest which struck Nagaland on the morning of January 9, 2013 is something that should have come as a surprise. Perhaps we will be witnessing more of such earthquakes if past trend is an indicator. But what should be of concern is the magnitude of the latest quake which measured 5.9 on the Richter scale. This is by no means small and it would seem that the magnitude is not ebbing but getting stronger with time. Does it therefore also mean that the northeast region including Nagaland is braced for a major earthquake? Not just the scientists but even ordinary people have been talking about a major earthquake striking the region. Ours is a region that has a history and one of the biggest earthquakes in history was recorded on June, 1897 in Assam. Another one occurred in 1950 measuring 8.6 on the Richter scale. Perhaps many of our elders would have experienced this. Recent study by scientists have warned of more great earthquakes — of the magnitude 8 to 8.5 — in the Himalayas. They go on to say that the existence of such devastating quakes in the past means that quakes of the same magnitude could happen again in the region in future.
The point is not to create a doomsday scenario or fear psychosis among us but rather how we can be better prepared if at all such disasters strike us. No one can predict natural disasters and there is no point in thinking about such fears but there is a point to think about the state of our disaster management system and how well it is in tune to meet any exigencies. Now, what has been our governments doing to prepare people for such disaster like floods, landslides, earthquake, disease outbreaks etc. Also what do our elected representatives have to say on preventing future disasters? Because it is such an unfashionable issue, disaster management is unlikely to figure during the time of elections. No political party will even mention it in their manifestos because they may feel it will not buy them the votes they need to win. Perhaps it shows the collective failure to understand that this is in fact an issue of life and death. What could be more important?
We should also look at disaster management beyond natural calamity. It includes not just earthquakes or landslides but even accidents in the nature of forest fire, a deadly pandemic, road mishaps etc. While not all natural calamities can be predicted and prevented, a state of preparedness and ability to respond quickly can considerably mitigate loss of life and property and the human suffering and restore normalcy at the earliest. It is, therefore, of paramount importance that a plan of action for dealing with contingencies that arise in the wake of natural calamities or accidents is formulated and periodically updated. An earthquake has occurred and this has made some news not just in Nagaland but beyond. Yes there has been no casualty or damage done but in any case the concern authority should have given atleast an update. We should not be complacent, thinking that no damage has been done and that the next earthquake will also come and go without harming us. The need for preparedness must be underscored.
