Disasters Claim 71 Lives in Mizoram in 8 Years

Aizawl, Sep 29 : Natural disasters have claimed the lives of altogether 71 persons and injured 82 others during the last eight years, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation officials said here today.

Landslides and land sinking claimed the highest number of lives, killing 31 persons, followed by house fire (15 persons), forest fire (11 lives), flash flood/flood (10 lives) and cyclone (4 lives).

Altogether 82 persons were injured by disasters during this period.

As many as 42,523 houses were damaged by disasters, with cyclone, which damaged 20279 houses, topping the list.

It was followed by landslides which damaged 6621 houses. Hailstorm damaged 10895 houses, household fire and forest fire gutted 1498 houses and 749 houses respectively while floods destroyed 2481 houses.

Disasters, mainly forest fire, destroyed 249947 bighas of land.

Landslides caused damage to 82187 bighas of land, cyclone 10826 bighas, flood 48856 bighas and hailstorm 6746 bighas of land.

The most disastrous incident was recorded in 1992 when a rock slide at South Hlimen near Aizawl killed 67 people and destroyed 16 houses.

Fortunately, no major earthquake has occurred in Mizoram despite the fact that the state, with the rest of the northeastern India, falls within seismic zone five, which seismologists said is the highest vulnerable zone.

In 2006, Mizoram adopted the Disaster Management Act, 2005, passed by the Parliament and set up state disaster management authority under the chairmanship of the chief minister. Under this, there is district disaster management authority in each district, chaired by the deputy commissioner concerned.

''As Mizoram lies within the seismic zone V, the Central government has taken initiatives under UNDP-DRM programme with the state government to aware the public for prevention/mitigation of earthquake disaster in a form of training and preparedness to face possible earthquake disaster,'' said head faculty, ATI (DMC) Dr Lalrokima Chenkual.

Hazard safety cell has been set up under the state PWD. The cell has chalked out programmes on assessment of buildings and other structures on their vulnerability to strong earthquake and has started operations with life-line buildings.

School teachers are taught formulation of school safety plan and safety tips while disaster management is being introduced in the school syllabus for Class V, VIII, IX and X in the state.

Extensive awareness campaign was being conducted at all levels, the officials said.