Safety First!

We are in the midst of rainy season and very heavy at that, this year. There are reports and photos showing road formations and bridges damaged, villages destroyed, Sarpang market washed-out, traffic interrupted, people stranded and supply of essential items disrupted.  It is a natural calamity. People are panicking, worried and some even depressed. This is no time to put our heads down. Let us all keep our heads on our shoulders, keep spirit high and move on using our mind, belief, dedication and commitment.

In times like this I have seen in many places, time becomes very critical factor. Everyone will have their own account of losses because of disruption created by the natural calamity. Pressures to connect roads, rebuild bridges, resettle villagers, and relocate markets quickly build up. The authorities like to display their efficiency in handling emergency situation. This is no time to panic and make mistakes. The decisions should not be made making only time as the critical factor. We should prioritize safety above time. Let us not put lives at high risk to get things back on track haphazardly. So I say, SAFETY FIRST.

The critical areas where safety measures need to be implemented from beginning are roads and bridges. On roads and highways safety has to be ensured in two ways: (i) through technical measures; and (ii) traffic management & control.

(i)         Technical Measures

(a)  Ensure all structures are technically safe before opening the road to traffic.

(b)  Stability of bridge abutments is critical if temporary bridges are being launched.

(c)  Fresh cut areas need adequate formation widths and set back slopes;

(d)  Ensure water is drained out from the area as quickly as possible.

(e)  No unstable hanging rocks should be kept above the road.

(f)  After opening the road to traffic, constantly monitor the area by competent technical person for unusual soil and structural movements/behaviours.

(g)  The installation/construction  of road/bridge structures should be planned in such a way that (i) construction of permanent roads/bridges could continue without hindrances; and (ii) road workers are not put to high safety risk.

 (ii)  Traffic Management and Control (more critical where traffic volume is high)

(a)  To avoid traffic bottlenecks, traffic management & control plan should be prepared for controlling traffic from two points on both sides. The first point should be about 5 km before reaching the critical area, and second at the entry point of critical area.

(b)  Two way traffic should not be allowed on fresh cuts or on temporary bridges.

(c)  Bridge should take one vehicle at a time. Two or more vehicles should not be permitted on the bridge.

(d)  The traffic management & control plan should be widely circulated to public.

(e)  Vehicles should not be allowed to ply on critical areas during heavy rain.

Let us move ahead in one direction with much sense, not in multi-direction on panic-mode!

(These are not my off-the-cuff remarks and suggestions, but have come out of my experiences of handling disaster of national proportion in other countries as staff of the Asian Development Bank.)