Role of Public Works Department in Disaster Management

Public works workers closely collaborate with disaster management teams during a disaster to assess damage, identify solutions, and put them into action. Water supply and transportation/access are frequently two crucial areas of concentration for public works workers during significant events. The Public Works Department is requested to send in heavy machinery and labourers to clear the area of rubble and restore access for rescue or evacuation crews.

Pre-Disaster:

• Active participation of all concerned lines departments and local authorities in the district and analysis conducted by HVRC is primitive for the disaster management plans for the department.
• Information to Deputy Commissioner/ District Collector/District Magistrate in the affected districts/subdivisions/tehsils should be disseminated, and adequate staff should be deployed there.
• If an emergency occurs in a district or subdivision, make sure that staff has been alerted and nominated.
• Maintain radio contact with the State Emergency Operations Centre, the Divisional Commissioner, the District Control Room, and your department’s office.
• Provide preliminary information about what to do during a disaster, how to establish evacuation routes, and how to prepare for a disaster event to the PWD Office In-charge (B&R).
• The Nodal officers (technical officers) should be designated in charge of reviewing emergency procedures in their jurisdictions.
• For the protection of equipment, precautionary measures and procedures review should be done. Periodic updation is also required.
• Vehicles should be inspected, fuel tanks filled, batteries topped off, and electrical wiring checked for damage.
• Equipment that might be damaged should be moved to safer areas and away from places where it could be damaged.
• Routinely clean the bridges beneath them to make sure excess water does not collect there.
• For smooth transportation facilities, all highways and roads should be well accessed and maintained.
• A senior engineer should inspect all the state-owned buildings, including hospitals, that might be under the threat of disaster.
• Routes for evacuation and relief should be marked properly with assistance from the police and district control room.
• The road connections to hospital routes should be prioritised. They should also be the first ones to be opened.
• For the laying out of roads and gardens, a rational approach should be followed. It can prevent congestion and smoothen emergency response.
• The old building should be destroyed, and weak buildings should be retrofitted. Disaster-resilient infrastructures should be developed.

During and in Post-disaster:

• It is the responsibility of the officer-incharge- PWD (B&R) to ensure staff and volunteers get mobilised to clear the road in his section.
• Additional vehicles should be provided for headquarters, and these vehicles should be stationed along routes that could be affected in a safe manner.
• The recovery effort should focus on the areas affected by a disaster.
• Tarpaulins should be used to cover construction sites whenever possible.
• A mechanical engineer should inspect all equipment and plants in the district workshop in an emergency.
• If people have to evacuate an area, check the evacuation routes and assist them.
• Connect villages to roads, canals, and bunds in order to facilitate access to the high ground.
• Gather an emergency response team that carries emergency tool kits with tools including towing vehicles, earthmoving equipment, cranes, etc., depending on the type and extent of the disaster.
• Make sure Zila Parishad and the Public Works Department are coordinated.
• The road clearing issue should be communicated to community-based organisations in order to get their assistance.
• Clear the roadside ditches and cut grass along the roadside, clear debris and dangerous trees from the affected area, and burn or remove debris in the area.
• During maintenance engineering inspections, maintenance engineers should patch potholes and metal edges and fix any defects found on paved and unpaved surfaces. They should also continue to monitor the condition of the surfaces.
• Creating temporary transit, relief camps, and hospitals so that disaster victims can be connected.
• According to the district control room’s decisions, temporary structures must be constructed to organise relief operations and for building relief camps, feeding centers, medical facilities, and cattle camps.
• A current list of damage and repairs should be kept in the district office report book.

This will ensure that the control room at the district office is aware of all damage and repairs.

Public works workers closely collaborate with disaster management teams during a disaster to assess damage, identify solutions, and put them into action. Water supply and transportation/access are frequently two crucial areas of concentration for public works workers during significant events. The Public Works Department is requested to send in heavy machinery and labourers to clear the area of rubble and restore access for rescue or evacuation crews.