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Culture of risk: on safety and a mass gathering
Culture of risk: on safety and a mass gathering

The Hindu

time3 days ago

  • The Hindu

Culture of risk: on safety and a mass gathering

A day apart, two pilgrimages in North India have endured chaos. Eight people died on the steep stairway to Haridwar's Mansa Devi shrine on July 27 after a rumour spread that a snapped power line was live. The next day, at Avsaaneshwar temple in Barabanki, monkeys reportedly damaged an overhead cable, sparking panic that killed two persons. Both incidents were triggered by fears of electrocution. Such hazards at temples are not new: makeshift wiring draped over stalls and overloaded transformers are common sights at melas. However, neither shrine had an automatic power cutoff or a public-address system capable of debunking misinformation. The Haridwar probe will almost certainly reiterate older recommendations such as underground cabling and real-time voltage monitoring. However, the threat is incidental. Except for two major stampedes in recent memory (in Bengaluru and Hyderabad), all such tragedies have occurred at religious mass gatherings or in the course of attending them. They occur despite multiple guidelines and court orders due to authorities' collective desensitisation to risk. On paper, Uttarakhand has a crowd-management manual for the Char Dham and the NDMA's guidelines say that every event must calculate carrying capacity, stagger entry, maintain redundant escape routes, and hold drills. Yet, at Mansa Devi, the stairway that doubles as entry and exit was used without scheduling, and the only alternative route had much lower carrying capacity. In Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the response centred on compensation rather than structural reform. The NDMA norms need to be legally binding, with severe consequences for persons, enterprises or businesses that fail to protect lives. At present, States choose provisions from the norms and temple trusts often treat them as optional because pilgrim facilities fall under charitable exemptions in many building codes. Routine 'darshan' does not require safety certification even when daily footfall exceeds that of a sports stadium. States also bank on ad hoc volunteers and under-trained guards to manage surges. However, annual drills mandated under the Disaster Management Act are rarely held for regular worship, while funds earmarked for permanent infrastructure are often diverted to festivals. The time has come to eradicate the notion of a simply planned or cheap mass gathering event, religious or otherwise. When footfall exceeds a preset threshold, a single incident-command structure must come into effect. Authorities must deploy overhead LiDAR and AI cameras to calculate crowd density, with real-time alerts to help divert or throttle traffic. Finally, States must ensure that venues publish capacity charts at entrances, conduct and livestream quarterly drills to normalise a safety culture, and certify volunteers in basic life support and crowd psychology.

Kerala HC accepts proposal to set up interim committee to curb stray dog attacks
Kerala HC accepts proposal to set up interim committee to curb stray dog attacks

Hans India

time3 days ago

  • Health
  • Hans India

Kerala HC accepts proposal to set up interim committee to curb stray dog attacks

The Kerala High Court on Monday accepted the state government's suggestion for the formation of an interim committee by the high court to look into and curb stray dog attacks. The state government suggested the Constitution of a Committee consisting Secretary of the District Legal Service Authority, the District Medical Officer and the Joint Director of the Local Self Government Department (LSGDN) for dealing with the issue. The response came on a petition filed by a law student, seeking implementation of Animal Birth Control Rules to tackle the multiple incidents of stray dog attacks that have taken place in the state in recent times. The court further directed the state government to file an affidavit on the number of stray dog attacks in the state for the last year, including the compensation paid to the victims. During the hearing, the court orally observed: "We have to find a solution to the problem. Both humans and animals should co-exist." It noted that exhaustive guidelines have been laid down on this issue from time to time, but the number of stray dogs is increasing day by day and directed that sterilisation and vaccinations must be done by the authorities concerned regularly. In another oral observation, the court said: "If a human attacks an animal, it is an offence; similarly, when an animal attacks the human, the custodian is charged with an offence, and for the stray dogs, the Local Self Government Department can be considered as the custodian." Apart from accepting the suggestion by the state for the constitution of an interim committee, the court has urged the state to come out with legislation for a permanent body to deal with the issue. "Euthanasia is not a remedy. Euthanasia is allowed only when they are terminally ill," it said. Amid observations on the payment of compensation for the victims of stray dog attacks, the court wondered whether stray dog attacks can be brought within the ambit of the Disaster Management Act. It then asked the authorities concerned and the state to file an affidavit on the statistics of the number of stray dog attacks in the state in the previous year, and added that this should include the number of deaths and the compensation paid for the victims. The case has now been posted for hearing after 10 days.

More than two dozen children have starved to death in Nelson Mandela Bay in the past year
More than two dozen children have starved to death in Nelson Mandela Bay in the past year

Daily Maverick

time4 days ago

  • Health
  • Daily Maverick

More than two dozen children have starved to death in Nelson Mandela Bay in the past year

Alarmingly, the numbers have almost doubled since 2023, when 14 children under the age of five starved to death in Nelson Mandela Bay. Twenty-five children under the age of five died of severe acute malnutrition in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro in the past 12 months, and hundreds more had to be treated for less severe conditions triggered by starvation. Statistics released by the Eastern Cape Department of Health reveal that in the past 12 months, 237 children under five were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition and 501 with moderately severe and acute malnutrition, with more than 100 children being diagnosed in March alone. Alarmingly, the numbers have almost doubled since 2023, when 14 children under the age of five starved to death in Nelson Mandela Bay and another 216 new cases of severe acute malnutrition were confirmed over 18 months between 2022 and 2023. Read more: A silent killer is stalking babies in Nelson Mandela Bay Nelson Mandela Bay is widely regarded as the most prosperous metro in the province. Despite being the largest metro in the province, it has been allocated only R855,283 for its Social Relief of Distress programme by the provincial Department of Social Development. Between August 2024 and March 2025, only 241 food parcels were distributed by the department in the metro. The Human Sciences Research Council's National Food and Nutrition Security Survey, which was published last year, showed that in the metro 40% of children were stunted to some degree, with 14% being diagnosed with severe stunting, and 1.5% diagnosed as 'wasting', meaning their weight is lower than average for their height. According to the survey, 20% of households in the metro were experiencing severe food insecurity. In September 2024, the Eastern Cape Social Economic Council unpacked a provincial strategy to address hunger in the Eastern Cape. This followed the release of a report on hunger in the province by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), which said child malnutrition in the Eastern Cape should be declared a disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act, compelling the government to intervene immediately and decisively. It found that a substantial percentage of children in the Eastern Cape were suffering from malnutrition. The SAHRC suggested that the government should increase the Child Support Grant (it was R480 at the time and is now R520) and extend the school nutrition programme to early childhood development centres. The Eastern Cape head of the SAHRC, Dr Eileen Carter, said the data that was provided to them had shown that from 2021 to 2022, more than 1,000 children in the province were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, and 120 of them had died. The data also showed that 25% of the province's children were stunted. This has now increased to 40%. With the automotive sector being the heartbeat of the province's metros, the Automotive Business Council of SA's CEO, Mikel Mabasa, this month warned that the Eastern Cape was facing a humanitarian crisis because of high export tariffs imposed by the US that will probably come into effect on Friday. The tariffs have put a potential 100,000 jobs on the line. DM

Collector orders demolition of 30 school buildings in Malappuram
Collector orders demolition of 30 school buildings in Malappuram

The Hindu

time5 days ago

  • Health
  • The Hindu

Collector orders demolition of 30 school buildings in Malappuram

District Collector V.R. Vinod has ordered the demolition of 30 school buildings, which are in precarious condition. The demolition has been ordered under the Disaster Management Act on the basis of a report by the Deputy Director of Education (DDE). Mr. Vinod told a District Development Committee (DDC) meeting here on Saturday (July 26) that he would hold discussions with the DDE and Public Works department officials soon. The buildings have to be demolished within a month after completing the evaluation and tender processes. MLAs P. Ubaidullah, T.V. Ibrahim, Kurukkoli Moideen, P. Abdul Hameed, Abid Husain Thangal, Additional District Magistrate N.M. Meharali, District Planning Officer P.D. Joseph, and representatives of MPs attended the meeting. Mr. Ibrahim presented a resolution against the alleged diversion of the Calicut International Airport's corporate environmental responsibility (CER) funds for purposes other than the mitigation of local environmental issues. A good chunk of the airport's CER funds were diverted to a senior citizen model village in Dharmadom, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's constituency, he alleged. Mr. Ubaidullah seconded the resolution. The Collector assured that he would take up the matter with the Airports Authority of India. District Medical Officer R. Renuka said that infectious diseases, including dengue, were on the rise in the district. However, bolstered preventive measures could check the death rate, she said. Mr. Vinod said that caterers would be advised to discontinue serving iced welcome drinks at events to help prevent the spread of jaundice. Mr. Hameed said that the district should have healthcare facilities proportionate to its population. He pointed out that owing to lack of adequate facilities at the Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri, patients were being referred to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. The KSEB will hold a meeting on July 29 as part of its drive to reduce power-related accidents in the district. KSEB officials will also conduct inspections to ensure that safety measures are in place, particularly on school premises.

16 drowning hotspots identified in dist
16 drowning hotspots identified in dist

Time of India

time6 days ago

  • Time of India

16 drowning hotspots identified in dist

T'puram: With a sharp rise in drowning deaths reported across the district in recent years, the district disaster management authority and the district administration identified 16 drowning-prone zones in Thiruvananthapuram. The administration also stepped-up efforts to implement preventive measures and raise awareness about water safety. According to statistics released by fire and rescue department, 352 people, including children and foreign nationals, died due to drowning in various parts of Thiruvananthapuram between 2019 and 2025. The data reveals that 315 of the victims were men, while 37 were women. In response, the district administration, in coordination with fire and rescue department, tourism department and local self-govt institutions, initiated steps to officially declare several drowning hotspots as disaster-prone areas under the provisions of Disaster Management Act. Sixteen locations were identified for this designation based on the frequency and severity of past incidents including Kallar, Aruvippuram and Aruvikkara Dam. As part of the initiative, authorities launched a year-long campaign titled 'Jeevanam – A War of Vigilance for Life' aimed at educating the public on the importance of water safety and taking pre-emptive steps to avoid further loss of life. The district-level inauguration of the campaign was carried out by district collector Anu Kumari. The newly launched campaign includes initiatives designed to strengthen safety protocols around these water bodies. Warning signs will be installed at all the designated danger zones, while targeted awareness campaigns will be conducted across schools and rural communities. Plans are also under way to deploy trained lifeguards at all identified danger zones and to establish first-aid posts nearby to ensure an immediate response in case of emergencies. These measures are part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce fatalities and enhance public preparedness. In addition to awareness drives, fire and safety department will conduct live demonstrations and training sessions throughout the district. These will be held in schools and for people working near water bodies to improve their understanding of drowning prevention and rescue techniques.

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