The fact that just 39 out of 272 sirens installed across the city are operational should tell us how prepared we really are
Representational image. Pic/iStock
I am old enough to remember where I was when a few bad things occurred in this city. They have happened more often than I would like to believe, because this is a place where trauma is taken for granted as an inescapable part of life. When one grows up in a city where neither safety nor water is guaranteed, one tends to sweep tragic events under the proverbial rug a lot faster. It’s why the bad things I mention only come to mind if one stops and thinks about them. I know that we almost never do.
When I was a young journalist, for instance, I happened to cover a few attacks of terrorism. I recall streets slippery with blood, and hospital wards that were overwhelmed. I remember police stations struggling to manage without basic equipment, and doctors with that harrowed look that only appears on the faces of the truly desperate. The reason I thought about those times, without really wanting to, was because of a news report that appeared and disappeared without a fuss a few weeks ago. It was about sirens and how, of the over 272 reportedly installed across the city, only 39 were judged to be currently operational. They were tested only because the government had announced some drills to assess civil defence preparedness in the event of any war-like scenario.
That report prompted me to do a bit of research on how sirens can be effective when used intelligently. I found out that they are sometimes integrated into other warning systems, such as telephones, radio, and television, to help disseminate important messages to larger groups of people in the shortest possible time. I also found out that the state of Hawaii has the largest single integrated outdoor siren warning system for public safety in the world, and that France has a system of 4500 electronic sirens that are tested on the first Wednesday of each month.
Everything I read only highlighted how embarrassing and woefully inadequate things were in a country projected to become the world’s fourth largest economy this year. What also saddened me was a lack of surprise and how easily I accepted this to be the norm. Millions of Bombayites have been raised to expect less than the bare minimum when it comes to safety protocol. It’s why those images returned, of tragedies I thought I had put behind me, all marked by deaths that could have been prevented if our elected representatives just did their jobs the way they were meant to.
Alongside reports of those broken sirens were quotes from a government official explaining how the system worked. He described the use of lights, with each colour indicating what citizens were meant to do. Yellow meant an alert, at which point volunteers would supposedly appear and guide everyone to safety. Red meant everyone had to stay indoors while rescue teams would swing into action. He also mentioned a lack of bunkers but added that there were many underground shelters that could be used. To sum it all up, it felt less like a plan than a speech being made up as the official went along.
There are some things all cities can agree upon when it comes to systems that are needed in the event of an emergency. Reliable means of communication, for one, without which government agencies, emergency responders, and the public can’t coordinate rescue efforts. I wondered how this would work in a country where public address systems are mostly non-existent, and cell phone networks are erratic at the best of times. Then there are sensors used to monitor data in real-time which, as anyone trying to get a sense of air quality or traffic in Bombay will tell you, are as reliable as predictions of rain from the meteorological department. I won’t even bother explaining the importance of critical infrastructure such as power grids, water supply, roads, or healthcare, because none of these meet acceptable standards on most days, let alone during an emergency.
Jingoism tends to drown out voices of sanity, which is something every government in power has long used to its advantage. I wish we could all be more vocal about our own safety though, and start asking more questions about why nothing works the way it should. For example, ask yourself when you last saw a government building that looked prepared to fight a simple fire. We all know what to expect when and if those fire extinguishers are ever tested.
When he isn’t ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira
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