Has the handling of two back-to-back floods and landslides in Kodagu aided the administrative machinery to deal with the situation resulting from COVID-19 pandemic?
Kodagu reported its first COVID-19 positive case on March 19 and there had been no cases after that. The lone patient was also discharged recently after he successfully recovered. Kodagu is now technically free from COVID-19.
Locals lauded the district administration for its handling of the current crisis, which reminded them of the situation arising from the worst-ever floods and landslides Kodagu witnessed in its history.
Perhaps, the experience the authorities had and the lessons learnt from 2018 and 2019 disasters could have come in handy to deal with the state of affairs ensuing from the lockdown to combat the pandemic.
Floods and landslides had been unprecedented and the people of Kodagu haven’t fully overcome from the consecutive tragedies. The mayhem and loss caused was humungous and beyond imagination, affecting the livelihood of scores of people.
The lessons learnt from the disaster management could be many. This was evident when Kodagu was hit by calamity in 2019. Though last year’s devastation was as bad as that of 2018, the authorities claimed they were better prepared to handle the tragedy as they could correct themselves wherever necessary based on the past situation.
From the office of Deputy Commissioner in Madikeri to the village panchayats even in the remotest corners, the message was loud and clear – to provide rescue and relief and rehabilitation to the flood victim at all costs.
The coordination displayed in handling the crisis last year was notable with the elected representatives, elected bodies and the officials working together as teams.
Importantly, the district administration came up with the District Disaster Management Plan for bringing into effect preventive and mitigation measures whenever deemed necessary, and chalked out an action plan for the reconstruction and rebuilding of Kodagu.
The template came in handy for handling the COVID pandemic, with the district administration working and coordinating with the Police, Health and other key departments for halting the contagion.
Assistant Commissioner Jaware Gowda, who was part of relief and rescue operations, said: “Two calamities in 2018 and 2019 were effectively handled and we knew how to respond during emergencies. Now there is a health emergency and we made use of the past experience for handling the current pandemic situation. The coordination among all departments was very good and this was useful for enforcing the lockdown besides reaching out essentials to the needy.”
Mr. Gowda added, “Since the deluge, the teams that worked from the district level to panchayat level continue to serve the district. The lessons learnt from floods and the rapport among the key departments, besides the database of volunteers, helped us in enforcing the guidelines required for the present situation.”
The same teams aided the health authorities in tracing and placing the people in quarantine and ensuring supplies of essentials to the remotest corners of the district, complying with the orders passed by the Deputy Commissioner as and when required.
