Union Minister for Jal Shakti Releases Disaster Management Plan Manual

• 25 Jul 2023

Recently, the Ministry of Jal Shakti unveiled the Manual for Disaster Management Plan (DMP) during a national conference of the Rural WASH Partners Forum in New Delhi. It has been developed by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Key Points:

• Aims: The Manual aims to ensure safety, uninterrupted supply, and minimal loss of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) assets and services.
• The Plan aligns with the Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen and adheres to the advisory issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• Objectives of the Plan: The Plan's objectives include immediate WASH response to disasters based on agreed standards, enhancing WASH resilience to reduce disaster vulnerability, and establishing a robust environment for coordination and funding.
• Comprehensive Approach: The Plan prioritizes disaster recovery and offers a holistic approach covering community preparedness, technology use, and international cooperation.
• Focus on Four Stages of Planning: These include preparedness, response, recovery & reconstruction, and mitigation.
• Assessment during Disasters: The Manual outlines three types of assessments to be conducted during disasters: Hazard-Vulnerability-Capacity mapping before the disaster, Rapid Needs Assessment during response, and Post-Disaster Needs Assessment during recovery & reconstruction.
• Inclusive Considerations: The disaster management plan includes addressing gender-based vulnerabilities, issues concerning Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST), elderly, children, and people with disabilities.