Course in Disaster Management
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however much we may know about the environment, there is still a great
deal more to learn about disasters -either natural or manmade. And even
more than knowledge, we need clear and practical strategies for
managing large-scale disasters -what to, how to chanelise help in the
aftermath, how to establish clear links of communication, etc. Teams
comprising health and social workers, engineers, administrators,
scientists and psychologists need to be directed and coordinated by
specially trained disaster management experts. Besides excellent
organizational and problem solving skills and domain expertise, the
jobs calls for a deep sense of commitment and the ability to work
swiftly under pressure.
Several universities, schools of public health and community medicine
in the US and Europe have been offering focused programs in disaster
response at the postgraduate level.
Although we have 30 different kinds of disasters in India, we still
need to get our act together as far as structured training programs are
concerned. The few institutes that we have only offer short-term
courses. Notable amongst them being the National Center for Disaster
Management set up by the Indian Institute of Public Administration and
the Centre for Disaster Management set up by Y S Chawan Academy of
Development Administration conduct workshops and seminars for civil
servants and government officials. NCDM is also the nodal agency for
coordinating relief and rehabilitation work during natural calamities.
Similarly, the Disaster Management Institute, Bhopal set up after the
gas tragedy conducts awareness programs for NGOs and the public at
large.
Some universities have recently taken the initiative to introduce a few
courses. For instance, IGNOU and the University of Pune offer 6-month
certificate courses. Any one who has completed 10+2 is eligible to
enroll. The Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment, New Delhi
offers another correspondence program in disaster mitigation in
affiliation with the Sikkim Manipal University. Spread over 2 years and
10 papers including a thesis this program is open to graduates in any
discipline. The PRT Institute of Postgraduate Environmental Education
and Research also offers a similar course in affiliation with the
Institute of Open and Distance Education, Barkatullah Vishwadyalaya,
Bhopal.
While these courses have started gaining in popularity, career
opportunities are still pretty limited. Openings are mainly found in
some government and non-government agencies. Large industrial
establishments, particularly those in the high-risk fields like
chemicals, mining, and petroleum have disaster management cells. The
International Red Cross and some UN organizations also empanel trained
professionals for working on humanitarian missions to handle major
calamities and emergencies.
As the lack of adequate trigger mechanisms or quick response
intervention that can be automatically activated in an emergency
becomes glaringly evident with each disaster, the need for well-trained
disaster management experts will only shoot upwards.
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