Synthesis of monitoring
studies: Findings and Recommendations
National Dalit Watch – NCDHR
Studies undertaken after the Tsunami in 2004, Bihar floods in 2007, Kosi
floods in 2008, floods in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Assam in 2009,
2010-2014 Assam Floods , Phailin 2013,Uttrakhand 2013 , Hudhud Cyclone 2014 and
Jammu and Kashmir Floods 2014. Gujarat Floods 2015 , Tamil Nadu Floods
2015 and AP floods 2015
Here are some
general findings that were uniformly present at all the survey locations; and
recommendations of the monitoring studies undertaken by NCDHR-National Dalit
Watch in the states of Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and
Kashmir , Uttarakhand , Assam and
Pondicherry to assess Disaster
Response & Preparedness for Inclusion and Equity, from the year 2004 to 2015
December
I. Findings
1. The temporary
shelters constructed both by the Government and NGO’s had segregated the dalits
and other castes;
2. The government
officials did not visit the Dalit tolas even after days of the devastating
floods to enumerate the no. of deaths, losses and damage;
3. In the absence
of the officials’ visit to the Dalit habitations; data was most often collated
from the Panchayat leaders or other influential people that have no special
interest to see that relief materials reach the most needy and vulnerable;
4. It was shocking
that neither the community nor the government is aware about the CRF provisions
specifically in Assam, while many of the affected dalits were unaware of the
‘food
For All’
programme, and scores of people lack of awareness about the entitlements;
5. The deposition
of the victim indicated that in many places, the relief materials distributed
to the dalits were plundered by the fishermen. The district administration
appointed for monitoring the distribution was inactive and silent in curbing
these atrocities;
6. The Dalits
expressed their fear and anxiety of the possible conflict that could erupt on
caste and gender issues, especially in the times of grief and relief operation
during , and this made them huddle in the open and under polythene sheets;
7. Continued
entrapment of a large number of villagers in Dalit populous locations submerged
under flood waters mainly due to shortage of rescue services and absolute lack
of suitable mechanisms to address the special needs of women, children or
people with disability;
8. Despite several complaints given by the Dalits
to the concerned police officials, regarding the ill-treatment and
discriminatory distribution of relief, none of the complaints were registered.
9. There was delay
in delivering relief to flood‐affected communities and many across the states could not access relief
package;
10. The relief
distribution team and rehabilitation service committee constituted for
assisting the government in giving the beneficiaries list and distributing
relief did not contain any woman and dalit member. It is one of the major
reasons for the neglect of the vulnerable community in tsunami relief;
11. The proportion
of fully damaged houses is higher among SCs followed by STs and Muslims.
12. A large
proportion of Dalit households reported loss of ration cards, land documents,
Certificates and animals;
13. Compensations
for house damage, death, loss of livestock, grievously injured etc are yet to
be disbursed to many of the flood victims in AP, Karnataka and Assam for the
flood. Barring a few, most have received a paltry compensation ranging from Rs.
500-1500 for completely crumpled houses;
14. A Dalit Gram
Pancahayat president at these places has not been able to respond to his people
needs owing to pressure/fear from others.
II.
Recommendations
a. Adhering to
the Constitutional provisions & International treaties to which India is a
signatory
1. Caste
discrimination can be considered equivalent to racial discrimination. The
Government should strictly implement the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) to which India is a
signatory and also Art. 17 of the Constitution and register cases against the
erred officials.
2. Though India is
a signatory to the Universal declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the concept of
right to equality has been violated in ensuring proper and dignified
rehabilitation of the flood victims. The same has been enshrined in Art.14 of
our Constitution. Both the Union and the State Governments should strictly
implement the same and disburse the relief and rehabilitation to the Dalits
without discrimination.
b. Recovery and Rehabilitation
3. Provision of
adequate amount of relief aid favouring the flood‐affected communities living in relief camps,
including provision of adequate food; shelter resources; medical, referral and
maternal facilities; sanitation facilities, female Doctors and attendants;
facilities for security, conveyance and communication; in keeping with
internationally recognized norms, such as Sphere Standards for humanitarian
responses.
4. The shelter
reconstruction should be owner driven policy where the victim should become
part and parcel of the planning and implementing process. The affected family
can be assisted in terms of access to material support, grants and technology
which is ensuring seismic safety, cyclone safety, wind proofing etc. in the backup
of local geological conditions and traditional wisdom.
5. Ensure that
employment schemes as under NREGA is available for wage workers so that they do
not migrate, but can stay and build their livelihood back.
6. The traumatic
impact of the disaster on reproductive health must be assessed and special
medical care, including necessary scan and psychological counseling must be
offered to them at free of cost.
7. The government
should strengthen governance systems ensuring transparency and accountability at
every level starting with the village councils.
8. Proper
registration of death and loss should be done in all Dalit habitations by the
responsible authorities so that need based rehabilitation or human rights
principles that could help the process of building better can be ensured.
9. Setting up an
efficient time‐bound procedure, not extending three months, for delivery of compensation
as per CRF and NCCF guidelines to all the people suffering losses due to
floods, and for the rehabilitation of people who have lost all their resources
and belongings.
10. The state
authorities should take note of such affected people who do not possess any
documentary proof or have lost such proofs in flood for proving their land
holdings and find out appropriate methods for compensating them.
11. The land of
the affected SC/ST families, apart from the CRF compensation, should be brought
under CLDP as mandatory programme for further development.
12. The Department
of Women and Child Development should immediately supply the anganwadi centres
with the material required and oversee the proper functioning of the centres
(Immediate measures).
c. Mechanisms
during disaster
13. The state
should reconstruct toilets on a war footing to ensure the dignity of women and
also for the sanitation of the area. These must be provided even in temporary
shelters. The state must provide drinking water and domestic water needs to the
affected communities.
14. Access to food
security has to be ensured as the stock in their homes is low and most often
adequate relief does not reach them for days after disasters.
15. Deploy
sufficient number of vehicles for evacuation at the Dalit habitations, as they
are often not allowed to enter into the vehicle or wait till the other are
evacuated, by which time it gets too late.
16. There needs to
be concurrent monitoring of the relief and redressal with grievance mechanisms
set in place to address the complaints and grievances of Dalits during
disasters.
17. Tasks of
cleaning and clearing operations including dead bodies during the disaster need
to be converted to community activities, with the support of specialized teams
of military and paramilitary from the state and not be made the task of Dalit
communities only.
18. Fixing up
accountabilities for any lapses in delivery of critical relief aid and
initiating penal action against errant authorities.
19. Immediate
registration of cases of willful discrimination, exclusion and atrocities
against members of dalit communities under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocites
Act of 1989, initiating necessary legal and administrative action against the
culprits, and preventive mechanisms to stop occurrence of such instances.
20. Arrange free
education to the children of the deceased.
21. Ensure that
Dalit children and Dalit women are not left out as these happen at the
intra-community levels too.
d. Putting in
place pre-disaster mechanisms
22. Include the
mapping of Dalits and other socially vulnerable communities even when they live
in the proximity of services and powerful communities.
23. Infrastructure
and Resource mapping in the Dalit habitations need to be done separately.
24. Information
has to be specifically disseminated in the dalit habitation as they may not
access information in the dominant areas; people mandated to share the
information to them may not do so, being engaged in wage labour through the day
they may not come to know about information on the disaster, critical
information on where to go in times of disaster, what precautions, where to
access, whom to contact etc. These then need to be given in their location in
the present situation.
25. Inclusive
programmes, wherever possible with children, women and other sections can be
initiated in a sensitive and equitable manner.
26. Budget allocation
and utilisation is a measure of the commitment of the agency and helps us to
measure the benefit of the interventions to the vulnerable groups.
27. Provide
community infrastructure at the habitation level to improve community life like
all weather roads, community halls, community radio programmes, electricity,
water and sanitation, school building, ICDS centres, health centres etc. would
go a long way in changing the environment of the marginalised habitations.
28. Ensure
proportionate representation from the marginalised sections in all committees
and task forces from the village and Panchayat to the district and state
levels, NGOs, CBOs and other stakeholders engaged in the process of relief and
rehabilitation, to help bring their concerns and resources into the planning
and decision making process.
29. Enable elected
representatives of local government bodies to respond promptly to local
instances of losses and sufferings, through devolution of adequate funds.
30. Organize
regular social audits at the relief camps, and setting up effective, pro‐active mechanisms for registration of grievances,
particularly those of socially marginalized communities.
31. Early warning
and forewarning mechanism to be established in all the affected and disaster
prone villages.
32. Educate and
equip the village leadership, like the Mahila mandals, youth associations, SHGs
etc, on building their resilience to respond to the community during the relief
and rehabilitation phase.
Although the loss
and damage among Dalits may not be quantifiable in terms of assets and
productivity, the survey revealed that the floods have almost devastated their
assets completely, removing all support mechanisms. This places infants,
children, elderly, pregnant women and others in vulnerable situations without
access to minimum facilities and services. The incidence of loss ranging from
loss of certificates, documents, food grains and animals is high among Dalit
households. Each of these losses in themselves is highly debilitating for the
community, the efforts at recovery is herculean and the chances of replacement
negligible. Recovery back in the face of such absolute loss and damage is
daunting and when these are not recognised and compensated by the state and
other agencies it is almost impossible. This demands new norms for assessment
and compensation, relief distribution and rehabilitation in disaster
management.
