Ashraf Engineer
July 13, 2024
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Hello and welcome to All Indians Matter. I am Ashraf Engineer.
The recent stampede at a religious gathering in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, in which at least 121 people were killed, has brought into focus again the lack of safety measures at and management of religious gatherings. Stampedes have long been identified as a major hazard at mass gatherings in India and elsewhere in the world. Crowd disasters are tragically common in India, especially at religious gatherings. A study by Factly.in showed that between 2001 and 2014 more than 2,421 people died in over 3,000 stampedes in the country, most of them at religious events. A paper published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction in 2013 said that 79% of all stampedes in India occur at places of worship. The study blamed the tragedies on lack of crowd control systems and poor planning. Why are religious gatherings so unsafe and what can be done to make them safer?
SIGNATURE TUNE
At least 15 states have reported stampedes, underscoring how inadequate risk management strategies are during mass gatherings. Much of the problem is because of the size of the crowds and ever widening venues.
There can be many triggers of a stampede. They range from a simple accident to rumours. The risk at religious gatherings is higher due to issues like remote locations that may be hazardous, poor infrastructure and lack of medical facilities.
Various studies have shown that stampedes are often responses to a perceived danger or loss of space. People die in stampedes mostly due to suffocation under the high pressure of up to 4,500 Newtons per square meter on their chests generated by the push of the crowd.
Take, for instance, the first day of the 12-day Maha Pushkaralu festival in Andhra Pradesh in 2015. At least 27 people, mainly old women, died in a stampede on the banks of the Godavari. Pilgrims had been waiting for over an hour near the entrance to the ghat while the chief minister performed a pooja. As soon as the narrow gate was opened, the surge caused a woman to trip. That’s what sparked the stampede. There were five other relatively empty ghats but officials did not divert the pilgrims there, which led to a very dense crowd build-up. This was a classic example of poor management and lack of disaster planning.
In 2005, at the Mandhardevi Kalubai temple in Maharashtra, more than 300 died in a stampede when some devotees, mainly women and children, slipped on coconut water and were trampled by the crowds making their way inside. Because there was no separate section to break coconuts as offerings to the deity, their water flowed onto the steps, making people slip. Angered by news of the stampede, some devotees set fire to the stalls around the temple. Some of these stalls had LPG cylinders that exploded, intensifying the chaos. The temple compound, which could accommodate 250 people, was packed with close to 1,000. Pilgrims had converged there in lakhs but there were only 300 policemen managing the congregation.
India has large population and it’s our tendency to gather frequently, especially for religious events. Usually, crowds at events like a concert or sports game comprise spectators but at religious gatherings they are usually participants. This means ritualistic activity and a strong urge to, say, reach a particular spot such as the ghat during the Maha Pushkaralu festival. What’s more, at mass gatherings, emergency responses could be delayed because of limited access or other challenges.
Some studies classify stampedes into two categories: unidirectional and turbulent.
When there is a ‘positive change in force’, such as a blockade that suddenly stops movement of the crowd, or a ‘negative change in force,’ such as the opening up of a gate, that suddenly releases the crowd, it can cause a unidirectional stampede. That was what happened at the Maha Pushkaralu festival.
A turbulent stampede occurs either when two high-density crowds move towards each other or when a static crowd is stirred by panic. These usually happen in tightly packed places when people are already on edge due to lack of space. The slightest disruption, such as someone tripping or a rumour, can lead to panic.
India tends to be more vulnerable because there is a greater tolerance for high-density gatherings. Often religious events or places of worship are located at risky spots, such as hills or riverbanks. There is often a lack of planning and physical infrastructure, which raises the risk.
India, of course, is hardly the only country in the world to experience such tragedies. The Haj, for instance, has witnessed several disasters down the decades. In 1990, the rush to escape the searing heat resulted in 1,426 people being trampled to death inside a tunnel.
The ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual also frequently leads to stampedes. Hundreds died in 1994, 1998, 2004, and 2006. The 2006 stampede occurred after suitcases tripped up pilgrims. In 1998, pilgrims fell from an overpass, causing mass panic. In 1997, a fire swept through the tent city, killing 340 and injuring 1,500.
In 2014, 14 people died in a stampede at a religious event near a mosque in northwest China.
Coming back to India, there is a great need to study the framework of disaster risk management in order to have effective planning and response. One study compiled data of stampedes between 1980 and 2007. It found that 215 stampedes were reported worldwide with 7,069 deaths and more than 14,000 injuries. Developing countries like India were more vulnerable during mass gatherings and recorded an eight-fold higher fatality rate than the rest of the world. Another study looked at stampedes at the congregation at Sabarimala in Kerala. For the annual pilgrimage, in a span of a few weeks, devotees numbering more than the population of the state gather. In 2011, 109 died during a stampede.
The Kumbh Mela sometimes draws as many as 100 million people. Because it is held at different locations, organisers have to start from scratch every time. Because of the scale of the event, stampedes, disease and fire are perpetual risks.
The Kumbh is held near a river and pilgrims surge to the water to perform rituals. Drownings are common despite the boat patrols. The water can carry disease and pilgrims pitch tents on a floodplain that is submerged 10 months of the year. There is no count of how many contract waterborne illnesses at the Kumbh. ̉Mosquito-borne diseases are also major risks and sanitation facilities often aren’t adequate.
Oddly enough, stampedes have not received the attention they merit while formulating risk management strategies.
It takes a great amount of planning and coordination between organisers and local administrative departments to prevent disasters. Firstly, they need to correctly determine the capacity of a location or structure before the gathering is held. Secondly, you need separate entries, exits and well-defined pathways to maintain a unidirectional flow of crowds. Thirdly, there must be enough security personnel to manage the crowds and to constantly monitor through CCTV cameras the space for unrestricted movement. Fourthly, there should be regular safety checks to prevent short-circuits, fires, slippery floors, obstructions, etc. Emergency medical and fire services should be available on site, especially in remote areas. Finally, a public address system to counter rumours and calm crowds would go a long way in preventing panic.
In 2014, the National Disaster Management Authority did release a report with guidelines for crowd management and disaster prevention that included many of the steps I mentioned. There are even training exercises to prepare organisers and administrative departments for mass gatherings. Yet, stampedes at religious and other gatherings keep happening. Typically, the official response doesn’t go beyond monetary compensation to the injured and the families of the dead. Maybe it’s better to get more serious about the prevention of disasters and protection of life rather than simply doling out cash to those who lost everything.
Thank you all for listening. Please visit allindiansmatter.in for more columns and audio podcasts. You can follow me on Twitter at @AshrafEngineer and @AllIndiansCount. Search for the All Indians Matter page on Facebook. On Instagram, the handle is @AllIndiansMatter. Email me at editor@allindiansmatter.in. Catch you again soon.
