MUMBAI: September 30, 1993 is etched in the memories of residents of Killari village in Maharashtra’s Latur district. A devastating earthquake struck the Latur-Osmanabad region, destroying over 50 villages, killing 8,000 people and injuring several others. The locals in Killari village, the epicenter of the quake, observe a ‘black day’ on the day every year.
Those who lead the relief process then, remember the disaster as an event that brought a significant change in their perspective about recovering and rebuilding in the event of natural calamities. “Prior to Latur earthquake, the process of rehabilitation was primarily confined to collecting relief materials. Other common steps involved evacuation and construction of houses — both undertaken by the government agencies,” says Pravin Pardeshi, Principal Secretary in Maharashtra CMO. Pardeshi, the then district collector Latur, had led the rehabilitation operations during the disaster.
“That changed as we started speaking to people during relief operations, leading people’s participation. It was kind of a paradigm shift — not just for the state administration but also for the World Bank, which altered their policies after realising effectiveness of the new approach,” he says. “Rehabilitation is primarily about humans and their environment. It is necessary to speak to people, seek their opinions and involve them in the process. With this approach, rehabilitation leads to a resilient community.”
Prema Gopalan, who leads the NGO ‘Swayam Shikshan Prayog’, goes a step further. “When local women take a lead, they bring in transparency, strengthen democratic decision-making at the grass root level and contribute to the inclusive development,” she says.“The earthquake was truly a turning point as far as the disaster management and relief and rehabilitation operations in India are concerned,” writer- activist Atul Deulgaonkar says.
Killari’s deputy Sarpanch Dr Ashok Potdar, who was the only qualified medical practitioner in his village then, pointed out another aspect. “Tremors were felt from October 1992 till June 1993. People shifted from their homes in villages to fields. However, a team of geologists assured people that an earthquake was unlikely. The earthquake that struck later that caused a heavy damage of lives,” he says.