Stampede as a disaster in India
Stampede or crushing is the surge of individuals in a crowd, in response to a perceived danger or loss of physical space. It often disrupts the orderly movement of crowds resulting in irrational and dangerous movement for self-protection leading to injuries and fatalities
Context :In Hatras,UP A stampede at a religious congregation .here killed over 100 people on Tuesday as devotees suffocated to their deaths and bodies piled atop each other in the worst such tragedy in recent years.
The stampede occurred during a crowded religious gathering, leading to chaos and a significant number of casualties. The exact cause of the stampede is still under investigation.
Introduction: The recurring stampedes at places of mass gathering, including religious places, railway stations, sports/social/political events, etc. are a great concern . With population explosion, urbanisation, more mass gatherings events led to more chances of such man made disaster of crowd management or stampede. Government of India NDMA guidelines consider as crowd disaster are local events and organizers are prime responsibility of disaster management in support of local administration.
With population growth and a constant increase in human travels, mass gatherings are becoming more frequent and attract increasing numbers of participants. Mass gatherings can be defined as a concentration of people at a specific location for a specific purpose over a set period of time, and which has the potential to strain the planning and response resources of the country or the community. Mass gatherings are either spontaneous, such as at train stations during rush hour or are planned, such as at sport, cultural, religious, or political events. Mass gatherings may affect health in different ways and crowd disasters may occur, including the collapse of infrastructure, fire incidents, terrorist attacks, violence riots, and human stampedes
Most human stampede casualties result from traumatic asphyxia caused by external compression of the thorax and/or upper abdomen, resulting in complete or partial cessation of respiration. It has been reported that significant compression forces can be present with even moderate crowds; forces of up to 4500 N (1000 lb) can be generated by just six to seven people pushing in a single direction with forces large enough to bend steel railings.
Examples of recent crowd disasters in India
Dabwali Haryana, 23 December,1995. Fire at a school function held in a shamiyana(tent)
Baripada, Odisha, 24 feb 1997. A fire at religious congregation
Uphaar cinema Delhi, 13 June 1997. Fire in movie hall
Sabarimala stampede, kerala in January 14 (1999) and 2011.
Charbagh railway station stairs, Lucknow (28 September,2002)-U.P
Nasik maha kumbh mela, Maharashtra 27 August 2003
Wai Satara , Shri Kalu ai yatra Mandharadev, Maharashtra, 25 January 2005 killing 293 people
Naina Devi temple stampede in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, 3 august 2008 killing 162 people
Chamunda Devi temple, Jodhpur, Mehrangarh fort Rajasthan,30 September 2008 killing 249 people
Ram Janki temple, Pratapgarh, local ashram , Uttar Pradesh, 4 march 2010 killing 65 people
Railway station, Allahabad, while boarding train UP, 10;feb 2013
Ratangarh temple, Datia, a stampede on a bridge where a section of railings broke in Madhya Pradesh, 13 October 2013 killing 121 people
Hathras religious congregation in UP, 2nd July 2024 killing around 117 people
Causes of Stampede
Structural factors and poor crowd control measures lead to stampedes.
1. Structural Factors
Insufficient exits, narrow passageways, and poorly designed venues can impede the flow of people during events or emergencies, increasing the risk of stampedes.
2. Poor Crowd Management
Underestimation of the audience
Crowd Behaviour: The influx of people in a gathering that triggers a stampede occurs when individuals perceive a threat or a lack of personal space. This disruption frequently hampers the organized flow of the crowd, resulting in chaotic and hazardous movements driven by the instinct to protect oneself. As a consequence, injuries and even deaths can occur.
3. Panic and Fear
Stampedes can be triggered by panic and fear within the crowd. Factors such as sudden loud noises, rumours of danger, or perceived threats can create a sense of panic, causing people to rush and trample over each other in an attempt to escape the perceived danger.
4. Poor coordination between Stakeholders
Stampede can happen due to a lack of understanding of the range of duties entrusted, communication delays, coordination gaps between agencies etc.
5) fire / electricity : unauthorised fireworks, illegal electric connections, short circuit, fire extinguisher not working, building violates fire code, fire in a makeshift facility, fire in illegal structures
6) security lapses: Under deployment of security personnel to regulate crowd, lack of scientific planning , lack of training and equipment
Note: Deaths from stampedes occur primarily from compressive asphyxiation.
Dealing with Stampede Disasters
Risk Analysis and planning should be the first step. All event organizers should conduct a Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA).
Information management dissemination is crucial. The absence or poor information management in itself may be a source of crowding.
Capacity Planning (Long term and Short term): It emphasizes the need to develop infrastructure based on popularity, periodicity of the event, weather, terrain and local population.
Understanding Crowd Behaviour: The behaviour of an individual in a crowd is influenced by the behaviour of others. The unlawful actions of a few people can result in a larger number following them.
Crowd control-The guiding principle for crowd control should be managing the demand-supply gap by controlling the crowd inflow, regulating the crowd at the venue and controlling the outflow if needed.
Stakeholder approach-organizers/law enforcement agencies must encourage community stakeholders (NGOs, Business Associations, Schools/Colleges, neighbourhoods, societies. Mohall committees etc.) to take ownership in events to uphold unity of purpose, faster decision/response, better coordination etc.
Training: Training crowd management personnel, providing instructions on normal and emergency crowd movement and conducting mock drills is essential to prevent crowd disasters.
Technology: Use of Technology like remote sensing, GIS, CCTV,UAv etc., to improve the crowd experience and crowd control.
Deployment of barriers : barricades, roadblocks and fencing may be deployed in target areas as deemed fit to control the foe of people and vehicles
Facilities and emergency medical services
Transportation and traffic management
Establishment of emergency operations centre: integrated communication system, public address system,announces, display system, wireless, medical emergency section, security control centre
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