The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) jointly with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has organised a two-day national-level conference on ‘Crowd Management’ at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 11th and 12th July 2017. The conference aimed to strengthen the capacity of all the stakeholders to organise safe mass gathering events.
Conference stressed upon the need to understand risks related to crowded assemblies and to develop specific guidelines for planning and inter-agency coordination. Crowd disasters are essentially man-made and can be prevented with holistic planning and efficient execution. He further underlined the need to improve preparedness and capacity of all stakeholders.
Two technical sessions- Understanding Risk (Causes and Triggers) and Lessons Learnt/Experience Sharing and Best Practices- were held. These sessions discussed the nuances of developing Crowd Management Plans and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for religious and festival gatherings. The importance of adopting best practices and integrating modern technology for managing crowds was also discussed.
As India is highly vulnerable to crowd-related disasters, it is essential to enhance awareness on causes and triggers of crowd disasters among all stakeholders. This conference will enable stakeholders to assess and reduce the potential risks related to crowded gatherings.