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Difficulty: Very hardResource Allocation and Priority Ranking

You are serving as the Additional District Magistrate managing a sudden dual crisis involving a chemical tanker spill and severe flash flooding across four municipal sectors. You have limited emergency assets available for immediate deployment: 3 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, 2 Mobile Medical Triage Units (MMTUs), and 3 Chemical Decontamination Vans (CDVs).

The resource requirements and risk profiles for the affected sectors are as follows:

SectorVulnerability & Immediate Risk ProfileResources Required to Neutralize Hazard
Sector 1Hospital complex with 500 critical patients; backup power failing in 2 hours; non-toxic floodwaters rising.1 NDRF Team, 1 MMTU
Sector 2Dense residential area of 12,000 citizens; toxic chemical cloud migrating toward the population; water supply threatened.2 NDRF Teams, 1 MMTU, 2 CDVs
Sector 3Industrial plant with 150 workers trapped near volatile storage tanks at risk of explosion in 4 hours.1 NDRF Team, 1 CDV
Sector 4Rural village of 1,500 residents marooned on high ground with adequate food and no chemical threat; road access blocked.1 NDRF Team, 1 MMTU

Assuming all deployment decisions must strictly maximize immediate threat mitigation to human life while operating within exact asset constraints, which of the following resource allocation plans should you implement first?

  1. A
    Deploy 1 NDRF team and 1 MMTU to Sector 1; deploy 2 NDRF teams, 1 MMTU, and 2 CDVs to Sector 2; deploy 1 CDV to Sector 3 alongside local plant technicians without an NDRF escort.
  2. B
    Deploy 1 NDRF team and 1 MMTU to Sector 1; deploy 2 NDRF teams, 1 MMTU, and 2 CDVs to Sector 2; redirect remaining resources to forcibly evacuate Sector 4 before addressing Sector 3.
  3. Deploy 1 NDRF team and 1 MMTU to Sector 1; deploy 2 NDRF teams, 1 MMTU, and 2 CDVs to Sector 2; and request immediate secondary support for Sector 3 while placing Sector 4 under monitored standby.Answer
  4. D
    Reassign all NDRF teams and CDVs exclusively to Sector 3 to execute a preemptive demolition of the industrial plant, deferring assistance to Sectors 1 and 2 until demolition is complete.

Answer

Deploy 1 NDRF team and 1 MMTU to Sector 1; deploy 2 NDRF teams, 1 MMTU, and 2 CDVs to Sector 2; and request immediate secondary support for Sector 3 while placing Sector 4 under monitored standby.
The correct plan optimizes available emergency assets (3 NDRF teams, 2 MMTUs, 2 CDVs) to protect 12,500 citizens in Sectors 1 and 2 who face imminent death within 2 hours from power failure and toxic chemical exposure. It appropriately handles lower-urgency and delayed-threat sectors via secondary assistance requests and monitored standby without violating safety protocols or resorting to extreme administrative measures.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Inventory total available resources
Total assets = 3 NDRF Teams, 2 MMTUs, 3 CDVs.
Establishing strict boundary conditions prevents over-allocation.
2
Evaluate risk severity and time-urgency per sector
Sector 1 (500 ICU patients, 2-hr power window) and Sector 2 (12,000 people, toxic chemical cloud) have the highest immediate mortality risk. Sector 3 has a 4-hr window. Sector 4 has low immediate risk.
Administrative priority ranking must prioritize immediate life-threat and shortest time-to-impact.
3
Match available assets to primary priority sectors (Sectors 1 and 2)
Sector 1 requires 1 NDRF + 1 MMTU. Sector 2 requires 2 NDRF + 1 MMTU + 2 CDVs. Combined consumption = 3 NDRF (all used), 2 MMTUs (all used), 2 CDVs (1 remaining).
This allocation fully stabilizes the 12,500 people in highest immediate danger within exact asset constraints.
4
Formulate contingent action for remaining sectors
Sector 3 (4-hour explosion risk window) receives 1 available CDV along with an immediate call for secondary assistance from adjacent units; Sector 4 is kept on standby as it is safe on high ground.
Ensures complete coverage without violating statutory safety protocols or taking extreme, unauthorized measures.

Key Concept

Multi-criteria administrative resource allocation under strict capacity constraints and time urgency
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Topics

Resource Allocation and Priority Ranking

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