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SC approves NDMA’s disaster management policy for schools

The Supreme Court bench was dealing with a PIL filed one Avinash Mehrotra seeking safety guidelines for school after the Dabwali fire incident in Haryana and the Kumbakonam tragedy in Tamil Nadu

New Delhi The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday produced in the Supreme Court the draft communication on safety policy and adherence of guidelines on disaster management for schools, which would be sent by it to all state governments.

The NDMA placed the draft letter, which would be sent to the chief secretaries and the secretaries in charge of education departments of all states, before a bench comprising chief justice J S Khehar and justice DY Chandrachud, which approved it and expressed satisfaction on the steps taken.

The apex court directed that the guidelines and policy spelt out by the NDMA in the letter should be implemented by all the concerned authorities in the states.

“We are satisfied with the draft letter to be sent by the NDMA to all the chief secretaries and secretary in charge of the education department of all states. We hereby direct that the same will be implemented by all concerned authorities,” the bench said while disposing of the petition.

The bench was dealing with a PIL filed one Avinash Mehrotra seeking safety guidelines for school after the Dabwali fire incident in Haryana and the Kumbakonam tragedy in Tamil Nadu.

In the draft letter placed before the court, the NDMA has said that guidelines on school safety policy 2016 prepared by it were statutory in nature and statutorily required to be complied with “scrupulously without any deviation”.

“Special attention should be paid to fire safety. All the requirements to ensure safety of children in schools mentioned in the said policy of 2016 are statutory in nature and everyone involved in the process of ensuring safety of children are statutorily bound by the same,” the letter said.

It further asked the states that the district education officer of each district “shall be declared to be a nodal officer with responsibility, liability and obligation” as well as powers and functions to ensure strict compliance with the national disaster management guidelines (school safety policy) 2016 within the district of his jurisdiction.

“It is observed that the CBSE schools, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan do not fall within the jurisdiction of the state administration or district education officer of each district in a state. For the purpose of administration of these schools, the Central government can directly monitor them.

“However so far as the implementation of national disaster management guidelines (school safety policy) 2016 is concerned, it is imperative that a nodal officer is earmarked who can ensure adherence and compliance to the said policy by all above referred schools and who is functioning at local district level,” it said.

The NDMA has further said that it would be the duty of district disaster management authority to ensure compliance with the guidelines on the school safety policy and monitor its compliance.

“The chief secretary of each state will satisfy himself about the due discharge of functions by the district disaster management authority as well as district education officer as a nodal officer and would send a report containing compilation of quarterly reports received by him from the district level authorities/nodal officer to the department of school education and literacy, ministry of HRD as well as NDMA,” it said.

It said that department of school education and literacy, ministry of human resources and development and the NDMA would jointly monitor the implementation of the guidelines at the national level through periodical meetings for each state and periodical reviews.

The apex court had earlier pulled up the union government for not coming up with guidelines on disaster mangement to make schools safer even after the death of a large number of children in fire incidents in Dabwali and Kumbakonam. It had then asked NDMA to come up with comprehensive guidelines to prevent such incidents.

Sebagian Besar Wilayah NTB Tergolong Rentan Bencana

Ilustrasi.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MATARAM -- Wakil Gubernur Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) Muhammad Amin mengatakan sebagian besar wilayah NTB tergolong rentan bencana.

"Dari 14 jenis potensi bencana di Indonesia, 11 di antaranya terdapat di wilayah NTB. Penyebabnya kondisi geologis NTB terutama di wilayah pegunungan dan pesisir pantai, mulai dari barat sampai timur rawan bencana," ujar Amin saat membuka rapat koordinasi peningkatan kapasitas pemerintah dan masyarakat dalam penanganan bencana di Hotel Lombok Raya, Mataram, NTB, Selasa (8/8).

Amin menyampaikan mengantipasi kerentanan bencana tersebut, tidak hanya membutuhkan program penanganan secara komprehensif dan terintegrasi, tetapi juga menyiapkan masyarakat agar tangguh bencana.

Menurut Amin, kejadian bencana sudah pasti akan menurunkan bahkan melumpuhkan tingkat produktivitas masyarakat. "Misalnya, tidak sedikit lahan yang tadinya bisa ditanami ketika datang bencana banjir akan rusak, dan juga infrastrukturnya rusak," ucap Amin.

Merujuk pada Undang-Undang Nomor 24 Tahun 2007 tentang penanggulangan bencana, Amin mengingatkan, penyelenggaraan penanggulangan bencana merupakan tanggung jawab pemerintah pusat dan pemerintah Daerah.

Pria kelahiran Sumbawa, NTB, berharap dalam menjalankan amanah konstitusi tersebut, perlu disusun suatu konsep penangulangan bencana yang terencana, terkoordinasi dan menyeluruh, mulai dari tahap pra-bencana, saat tanggap darurat, dan pasca bencana.

Amin meminta pemerintah daerah dan semua pihak terkait untuk menyatukan langkah-langkah taktis yang cepat dan tepat untuk meminimalisir dampak bencana sekaligus mempersiapkan diri untuk menghadapi resiko bencana di masa depan.

"Sebagai langkah preventif, saya meminta BPBD NTB selaku leading sector penanggulangan bencana lebih mengintensifkan sosialisasi kepada masyarakat agar menjadi masyarakat tangguh bencana," kata Amin.

Asisten Seputi Tanggap Cepat Bencana Kementerian Koordinator Pemberdayaan Manusia dan Kebudayaan (Kemenko PMK) Joko Yuwono berharap hasil rakor ini memperoleh masukan-masukan dan pemikiran serta komitmen lebih jauh lagi agar dapat mengantisipasi berbagai permasalahan kebencanaan.

"Untuk selanjutnya dapat dirumuskan berbagai langkah upaya penanggulangan melalui keterpaduan kebijakan dan perencanaan khususnya dalam pengurangan resiko bencana," ucap Joko.

Asisten Deputi Pengurangan Resiko Bencana Kemenko PMK Herbin Manihuruk mengatakan berdasarkan hasil indeks resiko bencana 2014, dari 478 kabupaten/kota, 77 persen wilayah Indonesia merupakan risiko tinggi rawan bencana. Untuk NTB, lanjut Herbin, 88 persen wilayah di NTB menjadi lokasi prioritas.

Herbin melanjutkan, dalam mengantisipasi terjadinya bencana perlu ada sinkronisasi antara pemerintah pusat dan daerah. Herbin juga mengungkapkan gagasannya tentang upaya mewujudkan ketangguhan bencana di setiap desa. Artinya, ketika terjadi bencana, pihak pertama yang bisa menyelamatkan masyarakat, bukan BPBD atau Tim SAR tetapi masyarakat itu sendiri.

"25 persen bisa selamat karena diri sendiri, maka dari itu masyarakat harus kita internalisasikan bagaimana upaya-upaya penyelamatan diri. Jadi program pembentukan Desa Tangguh Bencana menjadi prioritas yang perlu kita sukseskan bersama," ungkap Herbin.

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