Unprecedented Disaster: Ethics in Crisis Management | 13 Dec 2023

Chennai is experiencing an unprecedented flood, severely disrupting essential services and triggering a surge in prices for crucial goods. Citizens face immense hardship as floods wreak havoc on electricity, water supply, transportation, and communication networks. The scarcity of essentials like food, drinking water, medicines, and shelter leads to soaring prices, exacerbating the plight of affected communities.

The ethical dilemma revolves around balancing the urgent need to address the crisis while ensuring fair access to essential resources for all, irrespective of their financial means. It also involves preventing the exploitation of the disaster by those seeking to profit from the scarcity. Simultaneously, it involves preventing opportunistic exploitation of the disaster. Stakeholders encompass affected citizens grappling with hardships, local authorities managing relief efforts, businesses engaging in price gouging, and dedicated relief workers striving to aid affected communities. The focus lies on ensuring equitable access to resources, curbing unethical practices, and upholding transparency and integrity in relief operations to restore stability and trust in the midst of this crisis.

Given this situation, how would you, as a civil services officer, approach and resolve the challenges faced by the affected people in terms of fair resource distribution, preventing exploitation, and ensuring accountability in relief efforts?