Government response is slow

For some strange psychological reasons, it is always hoped during the initial stages of a flood that it won't turn that menacing. The result is that neither the government nor the people demonstrate the kind of preparedness that can minimise the losses when the flood assumes the character of a deluge. This time also the government gave the impression that it was in control of the situation from the beginning, but the ground reality seems otherwise.

The situation has worsened sharply over the last three days and a few crore people have been affected. It is extremely worrying to learn that the floods are being compared with the 1988 or '98 deluges. But the government has been pretty slow in responding to the challenge. Reports pouring in from the flood-affected areas indicate that the relief operations carried out so far have been, at best, fringe-touching.

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Obviously, well-organised efforts are needed to reach succour to a huge number of people in varying degrees of distress. Lack of planning, coordination and correct assessment of the victims' needs has to be overcome for the sake of effective distribution of relief. For example, distribution of rice and money in areas where people cannot arrange cooking won't help the people in dire need of food and fresh water. The need for medical relief is also being felt acutely in the places where water-borne diseases have broken out. These are aspects of relief operation which the members of the relief teams should not only be familiar with but also be able to execute efficiently. But their activities so far speak otherwise.

The NGOs are fairly active in their relief operations. What we have not seen yet is an all-out relief drive by the government which is of crucial importance. It is good to know though, the government has inducted a joint secretary in each relief committee with the minister from an affected district having been given the responsibility of overseeing relief operations in his area. Thus, the decision-makers have realised the gravity of the situation, albeit belatedly. Now, they must make sure that the activities related to relief distribution are well-directed and succour reaches out to all the needy people.