India needs its own nuclear response teams

On June 1, 2011 all Indian newspapers carried the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s views, in his capacity as the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), that the country was to put in place the world's best possible safety precautions and procedures at all its nuclear plants. The PM gave these directions at a meeting to review the safety precautions at nuclear plants in the country which had been convened against the background of the crisis that had developed at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck that country on March 11. It also took place amid concerns raised by the May 22 terrorist attack at the Mehran Naval base in Pakistan's port city of Karachi.

In that context, an incisive article in the Deccan Chronicle on May 29, 2011 by Professor Bharat Karnad is to be noted. He argues persuasively that India must pursue vigorous means to track all nuclear material in India. He states that India needs a comprehensive nuclear material accounting (NUMAC) system. Failing this, he suggests that it is not outside the realm of reality that the LeT may rely on a few misguided radicalised elements to provide it with the required fissile material.
After the killing of Osama bin Laden (OBL), the security of Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile has the entire world worried. Notwithstanding the repeated assertions by the Pakistani Army as well as the government about the safety of their “crown jewels”, doubts still persist. The US has also issued statements regarding the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets. Notwithstanding verbal assurances, the US has reportedly deployed several Nuclear Emergency Support Teams (NEST) in Pakistan with a view to mapping its nuclear weapon systems. The NEST was formed in the mid-1970s and is a group of technical experts who have the equipment to detect radiation from a nuclear weapon or radioactive materials that might be used to make a “dirty” bomb. The US has also reportedly offered to provide certain Permissible Action Links (PALs) to the Pakistanis. These appear to be the only basis of the provisional ‘certification’ of the nuclear asset safety of Pakistan.

In the light of the threat of nuclear terrorism transcending the academic and becoming real, the audit by the Indian PM could not have come a day sooner. Rather than depend on the assurances of Pakistan and the US regarding the safety of that country’s nuclear stockpile, India would do well to prepare itself for all contingencies. Even if the argument that it is a low probability event is taken as a given, the high cost times the probability compels India to adopt a more conservative approach.

Based on these factors and the various guidelines brought out by NDMA, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) has been identified as the nodal ministry for the purpose of radiation preparedness. The MoH&FW has been asked to constitute a task force. The task force has come out with a clear road map covering assessment of the capacities in the country. It has taken up various tasks such as human resource development to handle radiation injuries, pre-positioning quick response medical team in areas likely to be exposed, strengthening of central government and state government hospitals in six metros and vicinities of other vulnerable districts, upgrading and equipping one hospital in each district, and establishing a centre of excellence at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi by 2013.

Among the various steps to be considered as part of the chemical, biological, radiological nuclear response and rescue preparedness is a project for installation of ‘dosi-meters’ in 1000 police stations in 35 cities having more than 1 million population. Dosi-meters are hi-tech gadgets which monitor and measure radiation levels. It has been reported that the NDMA has decided to procure four 'HazMat' vehicles equipped with radiation data analysis capabilities, and one chemical, biological and radiological nuclear surveillance vehicle.

All these steps are long overdue and need to be taken on a war-footing. In addition, there is a strong case of strengthening the existing National Disaster Response Force battalions as well as raising specialist response teams on the lines of the US NEST. The armed forces have their own role to play, but, as is evident they are the second responders and a catastrophic event such as a nuclear incident will not give sufficient time for forces to come from distant locations. The need of the hour is for India to be adequately prepared to respond to different threat spectrums.

Gururaj Pamidi is a Senior Research Fellow at the United Service Institution of India (USI)

(The views expressed in the article are that of the author and do not represent the views of the editorial committee or the centre for land warfare studies).