Pte Essay on “It is the responsibility of a government to protect its citizens from natural disasters. How far do you agree?”

It is the responsibility of a government to protect its citizens from natural disasters. How far do you agree?     

Environmental problems have always assaulted the lives of people since time immemorial. Many-a-times, their fragile fight for survival has been hampered by natural calamities like floods. droughts. storms, and earthquakes. Yet, it is not possible for governments to protect people totally from natural disasters.

There are many reasons. First of all, natural disasters are out of control of human beings. So far, there has been no scientific invention that can alter natural forces. The extent of damage caused by natural disasters varies greatly. So, one cannot argue that it is the responsibility of governments to protect people from natural disasters. Furthermore, such calamities cannot be predicted accurately. In case they can be foreseen, it is the responsibility of governments to warn people well in advance.

However, governments have the duty to provide relief to the people of the affected area. For example, in case of drought or flood, people should be rehabilitated to secure places with food and shelter. Governments have the moral obligation to see that relief is provided to the maximum possible extent. Moreover, there are certain natural disasters that can be prevented through proper planning. For example, drought of an area may be solved by building a new canal, or flood of an area can be controlled by building a check-dam or people of a coastal region may be protected by making sea walls.

In short, it can be said that as of now, government have limitations in protecting people from natural calamities and hence it is not totally the responsibility of governments to protect people.