ASSESSMENT OF POST-EARTHQUAKE
ACTIONS IN GUJARAT IN THE EYES OF THE MEDIA
by Rohit Jigyasu, Doctoral Student Dept. of Town and Regional Planning,
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. 7th May, 2001
A Natural Disaster is very complex in its scope and
nature. Various socio-cultural, political and economic aspects are at play with each other
and thereby contribute to the disaster. Therefore one cannot focus on one aspect without
taking into account others that may have significant bearing on the aspect in focus. This
holds very true for the technical aspects that are often highlighted but have close
interrelationship to the local context. Thus one needs to take into account a holistic
perspective to the disaster in question.
Moreover disaster is a phenomenon that accrues both
preceding the natural hazard (as a setting for the disaster) and is carried further-on
following the event as a product of various decisions taken in the immediate aftermath and
in the long run (in this way it is no longer natural). Thus various aspects of a disaster
cannot be understood in a static way in a specific time period. Rather they need to be
studied in a time continuum to understand the various dynamics that are in play both in
the immediate aftermath of the natural hazard and in the long run. The changing attitudes
and perceptions of various stakeholders have a bearing on the consequences of both the
internal response of the communities and the external decisions, both concerning immediate
relief and rescue and long-term rehabilitation.
The 26th January earthquake that rocked the Kutch
region of Gujarat, a state in the western part of India, has been unprecedented both in
terms of its scale of destruction and its complexity. More than 3 months have now passed
since this natural hazard struck the region and it is time to have another look at the
sequence of events that has taken place in the immediate aftermath of this disaster during
these months.
I have been closely following these events through
Indian media, which can take pride in its freedom to express opinions and voice concerns.
In the following document, I have compiled a series of news articles from leading Indian
newspapers that I managed to collect while I was in India and the rest have been accessed
via the Internet. These are categorised under various aspects namely: socio-cultural &
political; economic; cultural heritage; physical; psychological/health; management; and
rehabilitation. Here it should be mentioned that there are no rigid boundaries that
separate these categories and often these overlap in one respect or another.
Go to: introduction | socio-cultural & political | economic |
cultural heritage | physical | psychological/health | management | rehabilitation
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