A large number of the flood victims have taken shelter on the roads. Even the lucky few who have found a place in schools or similar buildings have only a roof overhead but very little by way of material relief. They are starving and sick. It seems the urgency of the task has not yet dawned upon the government as is evidenced by a regrettable lack of speed in most things they are doing. Leave aside the mufassil towns, even flood shelters in the city, which should not be particularly difficult to reach, have not been supplied with the required quantity of relief materials.

The victims need food, safe water, and medicines including ORS to combat the water-borne diseases, which are spreading fast in many areas.

Obviously, the job of handling the relief operations over such vast areas is too big for a single ministry. The government should immediately form a high-powered inter-ministerial body to oversee all aspects of relief distribution. Adequate resources must be placed at its disposal to increase the volume of relief goods and ensure their quick delivery to the worst-hit areas. The government seems to be convinced that the food stock position (nine lakh metric tonnes) is satisfactory enough to ward off any humanitarian crisis. But having a good stock is not enough; for, without its distribution among the victims at their hour of need, it remains a virtual figure-work.

It is claimed that we have acquired some management skill through the handling of floods over the years. That may be true about the moderate annual floods. But we are thrown off balance whenever a big deluge occurs. Knowing that it happens almost as a matter of pattern once in a decade, we chose to remain unprepared for it. Yes, we have a disaster relief mechanism, but it has to be fully revitalised and geared up so as to be able to cope with an extra ordinary situation such as the one we face today.