Notes and PYQs - Disaster Management and Ethics

                                     Disaster Management and Ethics

During disasters, civil servants must act swiftly and ethically despite:

·         Scarce resources

·         Pressure from political leaders and media

·         Diverse social expectations

·         Emotional distress and misinformation

·         Urgent need for coordination among many agencies

Thus, ethical reasoning and integrity become the foundation for effective disaster response.

Ethical Principles to Follow

Humanitarianism (Primacy of Human Life)

·         Saving lives and reducing suffering is the foremost duty.

·         Giving priority to evacuation and medical aid before political protocol or property recovery

·         “In disaster situations, the moral compass must always point towards protection of human life and dignity.”

Justice and Fairness

·         Ensure equitable distribution of relief — without bias of caste, religion, or political affiliation.

·         Avoid favouritism or discrimination in resource allocation.

·         “In times of crisis, justice is not only about equality but about fairness to the most vulnerable.”

Accountability and Transparency

·         Maintain records of resource allocation, relief distribution, and expenditure.

·         Keep public informed to prevent rumours and mistrust.

·         “Sunlight is the best disinfectant” (Louis Brandeis).

·         Example: Publishing daily situation reports on official websites or through local media.

Integrity and Courage

·         Resist political pressure to misuse relief funds or manipulate data.

·         Stay truthful even if it means facing criticism.

·         “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching, especially when everyone is watching.”

 

Empathy and Compassion

·         Understand the emotional pain of victims and act with sensitivity.

·         Avoid bureaucratic rigidity; use discretion with humanity.

·         Ethics of care — seeing the affected not as “beneficiaries” but as “fellow human beings in distress”

·         Example: Personally visiting relief camps, listening to grievances, and resolving them immediately.

Professional Competence

·         Ethical intention must be supported by professional preparedness — knowledge of disaster protocols, coordination with agencies, and effective communication.

·         “Efficiency without ethics can be dangerous, but ethics without efficiency can be ineffective.”

Objectivity and Impartiality

·         Decisions should be based on evidence and need, not emotions or affiliations.

·         Prioritising rescue in most affected zones even if politically unpopular.

·         “Impartiality is the backbone of public trust during crisis situations.”

Teamwork and Collaboration

·         Foster inter-agency coordination (police, health, NGOs, NDRF, local communities).

·         Ethical leadership ensures cooperation, not competition.

·         Ethical leadership builds trust and motivates others to act beyond duty.

Respect for Law and Human Rights

·         Even in emergencies, civil servants must not violate constitutional rights.

·         Ensuring dignity in handling of the deceased; protecting privacy of victims

·         “Even in disaster, the rule of law is the rule of life.”

Public Service Motivation (PSM)

·         Acting beyond self-interest, guided by duty and compassion.

·         “A true public servant finds meaning in service, not in comfort.”

Key Ethical Concepts & Theories Applicable

·         Utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill) - Choose actions that maximize overall good — saving maximum lives first.

·         Deontology (Kant) - Follow moral duty regardless of outcomes  - honesty in reporting losses.

·         Virtue Ethics (Aristotle) - Cultivate virtues like courage, compassion, prudence during crisis.

·         Ethics of Responsibility - Balance idealism with practical responsibility.

·         Ethics of Care - Focus on relationships, empathy, and sensitivity to victims’ needs.

Practical Examples

·         2018 Kerala Floods – Transparent coordination between administration, Army, and citizens earned high public trust.

·         COVID-19 Crisis – Some officers used digital platforms to connect oxygen donors and hospitals, showing innovation and empathy.

·         Odisha Cyclone 2019 – Prior evacuation saved thousands of lives, an example of proactive ethical governance.

Quotations

·         “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” - Potter Stewart

·         “The true test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable in times of crisis.”  

·         “Character is not made in crisis; it is only exhibited.” - Robert Freeman

Concluding Lines

 “In disaster management, ethical governance is not an optional virtue but an operational necessity. A civil servant must blend compassion with competence, transparency with timeliness, and integrity with inclusiveness to restore both lives and trust.”

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2015 – Rescue Order in a Disaster

There is a disaster prone state having frequent landslides, forest fires, cloudbursts, flash floods and earthquakes, etc. Some of these are seasonal and often unpredictable. The magnitude of the disaster is always unanticipated. During one of the seasons a cloudburst caused a devastating floods and landslides leading to high casualties. There was major damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and power generating units. This led to more than 100000 pilgrims, tourist and other locals trapped across different routes and locations. The people trapped in your area of responsibility includes senior citizens, patients in hospitals, women and children, hiker, tourist, ruling parties, regional presidents along with his family, additional chief secretary of the neighboring state and prisoners in jail.

As a civil services officer of the state, what would be the order in which you would rescue these people and why? Give Justifications

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2019 – Angry People in a Natural Calamity

You are heading the rescue operations in an area affected by severe natural calamity. Thousands of people are rendered homeless and deprived of food, drinking water and other basic amenities. Rescue work has been disrupted by heavy rainfall and damage to supply routes. The local people are seething with anger against the delayed limited rescue operations. When your team reaches the affected area, the people there heckle and even assault some of the team members . One of your team members is even severely injured. Faced with this crisis, some team members plead with you to call off the operations fearing threats to their life.

In such trying circumstances, what will be your response? Examine the qualities of a public servant which will be required to manage the situation.

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2021 - Resource Allocation in Covid 19

The Coronavirus disease (COVID 19) pandemic has quickly spread to various countries. As on May 8th 2020,in India 56342 cases of corona had been reported. India with population of more than 1.35 billion had difficulty in controlling the transmission of Coronavirus among its population. Multiple strategies became necessary to handle this outbreak. The ministry of health and family welfare of India raised awareness about this outbreak and to take all necessary actions to control the spread of Covid 19.

Indian Govt. implemented a 55 day lockdown throughout the country to reduce the transmission of virus. Schools and colleges had shifted to alternative mode of teaching-learning-evaluation and certification. Online mode became popular during these days

India was not prepared for the sudden onslaught of such a crisis due to limited in terms of human resource, money and other facilities needed for taking care of this situation. This disease did not spare anybody irrespective of caste, creed ,religion on the one hand have and have not on the other. Deficiencies in hospital beds, Oxygen cylinders, ambulances, hospital staff and crematorium were the most crucial aspects

You are a hospital administrator in a public hospital at the time when Coronavirus had attacked large number of people and patients were pouring into hospital day in and day out

a)      What are your criteria and justification for putting your clinical and non clinical staff to attend the patients knowing fully well that it is highly infectious disease and resources and infrastructure are limited?

b)      If yours is a private hospital, whether your justification and decision would remain the same as that of a public hospital?

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KPSC 2025 – Flood – Allocation of Limited Resources

You are the District Collector of a flood-prone region. Due to unexpected heavy rains, floods have devastated villages, displacing thousands. The government has allocated limited relief resources, including food, medical aid and rescue boats. However, you are faced with several challenges:

(a) Resource Shortage: The relief supplies are not enough to cover all affected areas equally.

(b) Political Pressure: Local politicians are pressuring you to prioritise aid for their constituencies.

(c) Media Scrutiny: News agencies are covering the relief efforts, questioning transparency in resource distribution.

        i.            How will you allocate limited resources fairly and efficiently? Will you yield to political pressure or ensure equitable distribution of aid?

      ii.            What steps will you take to maintain transparency and public trust in relief operations?