I.    Tsunami: Some follow-up stories (on tribals in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and mangroves)

Tsunami and after
Over the past few days, many friends from the media have called us and asked for names and contact details of resource people who can help with information on various stories linked to the recent disaster. A few interesting leads and details of some resource persons are as follows:

a. What is India's state of preparedness for earthquakes and tsunami-borne disasters? Are we doing all we can with the lessons of Latur and Bhuj?

b. What is India doing with its coastal zone regulations to ensure that disasters such as these are mitigated in future? What is the role of mangroves in mitigating the impact of disasters?

c. What is the present situation and condition of the indigenous peoples of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands?

Some key resource people for earthquakes and the science of predictions and monitoring:

a. Harsh K. Gupta
Renowned seismologist and secretary, Department of Ocean Development (DOD),
Government of India, Maha Sagar Bhavan, Block 12, CGO Complex,
New Delhi-110003, Ph: 011-23460874, E-mail: dodsec@dod.delhi.nic.in

b. Professor A.S. Arya
Advisor-earthquakes, Government of India; faculty member of IITRoorke,
Ph: 01332-272349, 272631

c. Professor Sudhir Jain
Faculty member of IIT-Kanpur (is an engineer; has studied the post-Bhuj disaster scenario very closely; very knowledgeable on the building and management code for disaster areas),
Ph: 0512-2597867, E-mail: sujain@iitk.ac.in, nicee@iitk.ac.in

Some key resource people for mangroves and coastal zone regulations:

a. P.C. Kesavan
Expert on mangroves, MS Swaminathan Foundation,
Chennai, Ph: 044-2541229, 2541698, E-mail: msswami@mssrf.res.in

b. K. Soman
Scientist, Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram (has worked extensively on coastal zone regulations), E-mail: cess@hub.nic.in

c. Satish R. Shetye, Director,
National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, expert on physical oceanography,
Ph: 0832-2450201, E-mail: shetye@darya.nio.org

d. Debi Goenka
The Bombay Environmental Action Group, Mumbai (is working on mangroves),
Ph: 91 98200 86404, E-mail: debi@beag.net

Some key resource people for tribals in the A&N Islands:

a. Pankaj Seksaria
Kalpavriksha (coordinates an active network of people knowledgeable about the Islands),
Ph: 020-25654239/25675450, E-mail: pankaj@leadindia.org

b. Samir Acharya
Society for Andaman and Nicober Ecology,
E-mail: sane@andamanisles.com

c. Survival International's Andamans campaigner, Sophie Grig,
Ph: 01780-460991, 0775-2520813 (mobile), 020-76878735 (office), Email: sg@survival-international.org

Appeared in Media Alert 1, January 5, 2005

II. Continuing to track the killer tsunami: on issues such as earthquake-resistant construction in India and the forthcoming report of the Central committee on coastal zone regulations

Post-tsunami issues continue to haunt us. Some of these we had mentioned in our last alert. We still need to focus on the disaster and particularly, on the state of disaster preparedness in the country. The key issues are:

a. Report of the committee on coastal zone regulations (CZRs): The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) had constituted a committee under noted agricultural scientist Dr M S Swaminathan to review its existing regulations. The last meeting of the committee was held in early January and its report is expected by the end of the month. The key issue this committee will clearly need to review is if the CZRs should be changed to accommodate the interests of industry, tourism or mining. It also needs to examine if the existing institutions for the management of coastal zones are adequate to ensure their protection.

You can check our last mail for names of experts. For further information, you can also see a brief backgrounder on CZRs in our latest issue of Down To Earth (January 31, 2005) or catch it on our website.

b. It is often said that earthquakes do not kill, buildings do. After Bhuj, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has revised the guidelines for earthquake-resistant building codes. But even the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority accepts that less than 20 per cent of the new buildings in earthquake-affected areas of Gujarat meet the guidelines. What is happening in other parts of the country - Assam, Delhi or Uttaranchal - which are known to be vulnerable to earthquakes?

Some key resource people who could help:

a. Professor A S Arya, advisor-earthquakes, Government of India; faculty member of IIT-Roorkee; and seismic advisor to Gujarat state government,
Ph: 01332-272349, 272631(R)

b. R N Aiyangar, expert on building technology and earthquakes; former director of the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee; professor, IIS-Bangalore,
Ph: 080-3601492, 3600411, 3340985, 3092303, Fax: 080-3341683

c. Dr V K Mathur, director, CBRI, Roorkee,
Ph: 01332-72103, 72243, 72391, Fax: 01332-72272, 72543, E-mail: vkm@cscbri.ren.nic.in

d. Dr B Lal, assistant director general, Indian Meteorological Department,
New Delhi, Ph: 011-24615815, 24654710, Fax: 011-24615815.

Appeared in Media Alert 2, January 24, 2005

III. Post-tsunami

Post-tsunami, latest government report says that India's coastal regulation zone rules are unscientific. But are the state governments listening?

Following the havoc wreaked by the tsunami, the Indian government had set up an expert committee headed by Dr M S Swaminathan, chairperson of the Chennai-based M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), to review the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 1991. The committee has tabled its report -- and has come down heavily on the CRZ rules, branding them unscientific and badly structured. It has especially criticised the 17 amendments made to the notification in the last 14 years due to pressures of developmental, recreational and housing activities. In the light of this, it is interesting to note what some coastal states are doing. Tamil Nadu, for instance, has ordered the relocation of houses within 500 metres of the High Tide Line (HTL); but the order has kept beach resorts, hotels and farmhouses outside its purview. The Swaminathan committee report has recommended replacing the system of demarcating HTL with a more distinct natural boundary.

Resource persons who can be contacted for details are:

a. Dr M S Swaminathan, chairperson, MSSRF, Chennai;
Ph 044-22542790, Email: msswami@vsnl.net

b. John Kurien
Fellow of Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram; an expert on pollution problems in coastal Kerala;
Ph 0471-2448881, Email: john.kurien@vsnl.com/john@cds.ac.in

c. R Shakthivadivel (see alert no 3)

d. S Janakarajan, professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai; has worked on issues related to ocean topography and coastal development;
Ph 044-24411574, 9444026533, Email: janak@mids.ac.in

Appeared in Media Alert 5, March 26, 2005