IAS.

NETWORK

DISASTER MANAGEMENT ( GS 3)
NOTES

Covers ​NDMA Guidelines​ and ​2nd ARC

Recommendations​ ​that can be used in exam for ​High Marks

Topics Covered :

Different Disasters Covered ( In the format Basics, Threats / Vulnerability /

Challenges / Impact, Measures, ​NDMA Guidelines​and ​2nd ARC
Recommendations​)

Earthquake, Droughts, Floods, Cyclones, Heat Wave, Tsunami,

Landlsides, ​Stampedes​ , ​Chemical Terrorism​, ​Biological Terrorism​and
, ​Nuclear and Radiological Disasters
Disasters, Fire Risk,​ Forest Fires​

Structure of Disaster Management System in India ( NDMA, NDRF, SDRF )

Issues and Suggestions and ​2nd ARC Recommendations

Sendai Framework

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BASICS OF DISASTER

DISASTER

● ​ he United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction ​(UNISDR)

T
(2009)​defined Disaster as: “A serious disruption of the functioning of a
community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or
Environment losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected
community or society to cope using its own resources”.
● As per the ​Disaster Management Act 2005, “Disaster”​means a catastrophe,
mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or
manmade causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss
of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage
to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be
beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.

● UNSIDR ​considers Disaster to be a result of the combination of many factors

such as
○ Exposure to hazards.
○ Conditions of vulnerability that are present and,
○ Insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the potential
negative consequences.

Disasters impacts everyone differently, Some of them are as under:

● Individual:​-Psychological and emotional trauma. Injuries, disease and other

negative effects on human physical, mental and social well-being.
● Physical Infrastructure:- ​Damage to property and destruction of assets.
● Human Infrastructural:-​Loss of Life.
● Governance:-​Loss of services and administration problems
● Social:-​ Social and economic disruption –worst hit are women, children, and old
age as they are more vulnerable groups
● Environmental:​- Environmental degradation.

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Every disaster is unique in terms of the local socio-environmental factors that control
it, the social response it generates, and the way each social group negotiates with it.
There are ​three observations on disasters​which are as follows:

● The magnitude, intensity, frequency and damages caused by natural disasters

have increased over the years.
● There is a growing concern among people the world over to deal with the
menace created by these so that the loss of human life and property can be
minimized.
● Significant changes have taken place in the pattern of natural disasters over the
years.

AGGRAVATING FACTORS OF DISASTERS

● Poverty: ​All disaster studies show that the wealthy among the population are
less affected and also able to recover quickly. However, poverty generally makes
people more vulnerable to the impacts of disasters.
● Population Growth: ​If there are more people and structures where a disaster
strikes, there will be more impact. Increasing number of people will compete for
limited resources (e.g., employment opportunities) which can lead to
crisis-induced migration.
● Rapid Urbanization: ​Many of the landslides or flood disasters are closely linked
to rapid and unchecked urbanization which forces low-income families to settle
on the slopes of steep hillsides or banks of rivers.
● Transitions in Social Practices: ​All societies are under a continual state of
transition which is often disruptive and uneven, leaving gaps in social coping
mechanisms and available technology. These transitions include nomadic
population that become sedentary, rural people who move to urban areas, and
both rural and urban people who move from one economic level to another.
● Environmental Degradation: ​Many disasters are either caused or aggravated
by environmental degradation. Deforestation leads to rapid rain runoff, which
contributes to soil erosion and flooding.
● Lack of Awareness and Information: ​Lack of awareness and proper
information usually converts a hazard into a Disaster. This ignorance may not
necessary be due to poverty, but due to a lack of awareness of what measures
can be taken to build safe structures on safe locations.
● War and Civil Strife: ​War and civil strife are regarded as hazards, that is,
extreme events that produce disasters. The causal factors of war and civil strife

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include competition for scarce resources, religious to ethnic intolerance and

ideological difference.

Levels of Disaster:-
As per ​the High Power Committee on Disaster Management in its ​report of 2001
categorized Disaster situations into three ‘levels’:
● Level-L1​: The level of disaster that can be managed within the capabilities and
resources at the District level, However the state authorities will remain in
readiness to provide assistance if needed.
● Level-L2: This signifies the disaster situations that require assistance and active
mobilization of resources at the state level and deployment of state level
agencies for disaster management. The central agencies must remain vigilant for
immediate deployment if required by the state.
● Level-L3​: This corresponds to a nearly catastrophic situations or a very large
scale disaster that overwhelms the state and district authorities.

NOTE:-The categorization of disaster situations into levels L1 to L3 finds no mention in

Disaster Management Act 2005​. Further, the DM Act does not have any provision for
notifying any disaster as a ‘national calamity’ or a ‘national disaster’.

DISASTERS IN INDIA

● India is vulnerable to both natural and man-made disasters (​CBRN disasters​).As

per ​GFDRR​, India is one of the ​top 10 countries in the world which are disaster
prone.
● As per ​UNISDR​, India was ​4th ​ in the list of top 10 countries with the highest
number of disaster between2005 to 2015.
● India’s long coastline of nearly ​7500 KM consists of ​5,400 KM ​along the
mainland, 132 KM in Lakshadweep and 1,900 KM in the Andaman and Nicobar
islands.
● The coastal regions are vulnerable to tropical cyclones; storms surges; coastal
erosion and submergence; and tsunamis. About ​10 percent of the world’s
tropical cyclones​affect the Indian coast.
● Floods affect average area of around 7.5 million hectares per year .According ​to
the National Commission on floods ​the area susceptible to flood was
estimated in 1980 to be around 40 million hectares.

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● Nearly ​59 percent of India’s Territory is vulnerable to earthquake .Seven states

in North East (​Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram,
Tripura and Meghalaya​), the A&N Islands,part of three states in the North/North
West (J&K, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Gujarat) are in ​seismic zone V​.
● Landslides occur in the hilly regions of India such as the Himalaya, North-East
India, the Nilgiris, Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats .It is estimated that ​30
percent of the World’s Landslides occur in the Himalayan ranges.
● The scenario in India is no different from the global context. The ​super cyclone
of Orissa (1999​), the ​Gujarat earthquake (2001) and the recent ​Tsunami
(2004) affected millions across the country leaving behind a trail of heavy loss of
life, property and livelihood.
● Western part of India was badly affected by an earthquake or recent flash flood in
Uttarakhand​ or Cyclone Phalin ​at Odisha coast.

CLASSIFICATION OF DISASTERS:
Disasters are broadly classified into ​Natural disasters ​and ​Man-made Disasters

1. ​Natural Disasters: ​are the consequences or effects of natural hazards on human

life. They represent a serious breakdown in sustainability and disruption of economic
and social progress​. Example: ​Earthquake,landslides, cyclones, floods etc.

2. Man- made disasters: ​are also known as anthropogenic disasters and they occur as
a result of humanintent, error or as a result of failed systems. ​Example​: Urban fire, rail
and road accidents, bomb blasts etc.

COMMON TYPE OF DISASTERS IN INDIA​:

High Power Committee on Disaster Management ​which was constituted ​in 1999
identified the following types of disasters: (​Note​: Tsunami was added in 2005 in the list)

A. Water & Climate Related Disaster:

1. Flood
2. Cyclone
3. Tornado
4. Hailstorm
5. Cloud Burst
6. Thunderstorm & Lightning
7. Snow avalanches

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8. Heat & Cold wave

9. Coastal Sea Erosion
10. Drought
11. Tsunami

B. Geologically Related Disasters:

1. Landslides and Mudflows

2. Earthquakes
3. Dam failures/ Dam Bursts
4. Mine Fire

C. Climate, Industrial & Nuclear Related Disasters:

1. Chemical & Industrial Disasters

2. Nuclear Disasters
3. Accident Related Disasters

D. Accident Related Disasters:

1. Forest Fire
2. Urban Fire
3. Mine Flooding
4. Oil-Spill
5. Major Building Collapse
6. Serial Bomb Blasts
7. Festival Related Disasters
8. Electrical disaster and Fires
9. Air, Road and Rail Accidents
10. Boat Capsizing
11. Village Fire

E. Biologically Related Disasters

1. Biological Disaster and Epidemics

2. Pest Attacks
3. Cattle Epidemics
4. Food Poisoning

Natural Disasters

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EARTHQUAKES

We assume that students have read the basics of earthquakes in their geography
studies, here only Disaster Management related content would be presented.

The seismic zoning map of India is divided into four zones:

● Zone Damage risk Region Zone V (Very high damage risk zone​): The entire
North-east, including the seven sister states, Kutch district, parts of Himachal and
Jammu & Kashmir, and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
● Zone IV (High damage risk zone​): Parts of the Northern belt starting from
Jammu and Kashmir to Himachal Pradesh. Also including Delhi and parts of
Haryana. The Koyna region of Maharashtra is also in this zone.
● Zone III (Moderate damage risk zone​): A large part of the country stretching
from the North, including some parts of Rajasthan to the South through the
Konkan coast, and also the Eastern parts of the country.
● Zone II (Low damage risk zone​): These two zones are contiguous, covering
parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan,
known as low risk earthquake zone.

Effects of Earthquakes​
:

The direct and indirect effects of an earthquake includes:

● Deformed Ground Surface: ​The earthquake tremors and the resultant

vibrations, resulting in the deformation of the ground surface, due to the rise and
subsidence of the ground surface and faulting activity​. ​The alluvium filled areas
of the flood plains may get fractured at several places.
● Damage to man-made structures: ​Man-made structures such as buildings,
roads, rails, factories, dams, bridges, etc. get severely damaged.
● Damage to towns and cities: ​The towns and cities are the worst affected due to
a high density of buildings and population. Under the impact of tremors, large
buildings collapse and men and women get buried under the debris. Ground
water pipes are damaged and thus water supply is totally disrupted.
● Loss of human and animal life: ​The destructive power of an earthquake
depends upon the loss it can cause in terms of loss of life arid property. The Bhuj
earthquake of India in 2001 (8.1 on the Richter Scale) caused over one lakh
human casualties.

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● Devastating fires: ​The strong vibrations caused by an earthquake can cause

fire in houses, mines and factories due to the bursting of gas cylinders, contact
with live electric wires, churning of blast furnaces, displacement of other electric
and fire related appliances.
● Landslides: ​The tremors in hilly and mountainous areas can cause instability of
unconsolidated rock materials. This ultimately leads to landslides, which damage
settlements and transport systems.
● Flash floods: ​Very strong seismic events result in the collapse of dams and
cause severe flash floods. Floods are also caused when the debris produced by
tremors blocks the flow of water in the rivers. Sometimes the main course of the
river is changed due to the blockage.
● Tsunamis: ​When the seismic waves travel through sea water, high sea waves
are generated, which can cause great loss to life and property, especially in the
coastal areas.

Challenges for Earthquake Mitigation in India

● Inadequate ​enforcement of earthquake-resistant building codes ​and town

planning by laws.
● Absence of earthquake-resistant features in constructions in urban and rural
areas.
● Lack of formal training among professionals ​in earthquake-resistant
construction practices.
● Lack of adequate preparedness ​and ​poor response capacity ​of various
stakeholder Groups
● Lack of awareness ​among various stakeholders about the seismic risk.
● Absence of systems of licensing of engineers and masons.

PRE-DISASTER PREVENTIVE MEASURES​

:

Long-term:

● Re-framing buildings' codes, guidelines, manuals and byelaws and their strict
implementation .Tougher legislation for highly seismic areas.
● Incorporating earthquake resistant features in all buildings in high-risk areas.
● Making all public utilities like water supply systems, communication networks,
electricity lines, earthquake-proof.
● Creating alternative arrangements to reduce damages to infrastructure facilities.

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● Constructing earthquake-resistant community buildings and buildings (used to

gather large groups during or after an earthquake) like schools, hospitals, prayer
halls, etc., especially in seismic zones of moderate to higher intensities.
● Supporting R&D in various aspects of disaster mitigation, preparedness and
prevention and postdisaster management

Medium –Term

● Retrofitting of weak structures in highly seismic zones.

● Preparation of disaster related literature in local languages with the do's and
don'ts for construction.
● Getting communities involved in the process of disaster mitigation through
education and awareness.
● Networking of local NGOs working in the area of disaster management.

POST-DISASTER PREVENTIVE MEASURES

● Maintenance of law and order, prevention of trespassing, looting etc.

● Evacuation of people.
● Recovery of dead bodies and their disposal.
● Medical care for the injured.
● Supply of food and drinking water.
● Temporary shelters like tents, metal sheds etc.
● Repairing lines of communication and information.
● Restoring transport routes.
● Quick assessment of destruction and demarcation of destroyed areas, according
to the grade of damage.

Earthquake Prevention and Mitigation:

● National earthquake Risk Mitigation Project: ​The project aims at

strengthening the structural and non-structural earthquake mitigation efforts in
reducing the vulnerability in high risk districts prone to earthquakes.
● National Building Code:​The salient features of the NBC 2005 include meeting
the challenges posed by natural calamities and reflecting the state-of-the-art and
contemporary applicable international practices.
● Seismic retrofitting​: It is the modification of existing structures to make them
more resistant to seismic activity, groundmotion, or soil failure due to
earthquakes.

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NDMA Guidelines on Earthquake Management

Guidelines issued by NDMA ​rest on six pillars of seismic safety ​for improving the
effectiveness of earthquake management in India:

1. Earthquake Resistant Construction of New Structures: ​All central ministries

and departments and state governments will facilitate the implementation of
relevant standards for seismically safe design and construction of buildings and
other lifeline and commercially important structures falling within their
administrative control such as bridges, flyovers, ports, harbors etc.
2. Selective Seismic strengthening & Retrofitting of existing Priority
structures and Lifeline Structures: ​All central ministries and state governments
are required to draw up programs for seismic strengthening of priority structures
through ULBs and PRIs. ​Buildings of national importance ​such as Raj
Bhavans Legislatures, Courts​, critical buildings ​like academic institutions,
public utility structures ​like reservoirs, dams and ​multi-storeyed buildings
with five or more floors. The responsibility to identify these structures rests with
the State Governments.
3. Regulation and Enforcement: ​State Governments are responsible for
establishing mechanisms to implement Building Codes and other safety codes to
ensure that all stakeholders like builders, architects, engineers, government
departments adhere to seismic safety in all design and construction activities.
The Home Ministry had constituted a ​national level expert group ​which
recommended modifications to the town and country planning Acts, land use and
zoning regulations, DCRs and building bye-laws which are technically rigorous
and conform to globally accepted norms.
4. Awareness & Preparedness: ​NDMA acknowledges that sensitization of all
stakeholders is one of the most challenging tasks in earthquake preparedness
and mitigation. It recommends preparation of ​handbooks on earthquake
safety, homeowner's seismic safety manuals, a manual on structural safety
audit ​and video films for the general public. It also highlights the need to create
vulnerability maps of land areas and streamlining of NGOs and Volunteer
Groups.
5. Capacity Development (Education, Training, R&D, Capacity Building and
Documentation): ​The target groups for capacity development include elected
representatives and government, officials, professionals in visual and print
media, urban planners, engineers, architects and builders, NGOs, Community

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Based Organizations (CBOs), social activists, social scientists, schoolteachers,

and schoolchildren.
6. Emergency Response: ​All response activities are undertaken through ​Incident
Command System ​coordinated by the local administration. It includes
involvement of community, corporate sector and specialized

DROUGHTS
Droughts refer to a serious shortfall in availability of water, mainly, but not exclusively,
due to deficiency of rains, affecting agriculture, drinking water supply and industry. It is a
slow onset disaster which evolves over months or even years and affects a large spatial
extent.

Definition of Drought in India:

In India, meteorological drought is defined by the ​Indian Meteorological Department

(IMD)​as a situation when the deficiency of rainfall at a meteorological subdivision level
is ​25 per cent or more​of the ​long term average (LTA)​of that sub-division for a given
period

● In India around 68 percent of the agriculture land country is prone to drought in

varying degrees.
● The primary cause of any drought is deficiency of rainfall and in particular, the
timing, distribution and intensity of this deficiency in relation to existing reserves

Causes of Drought
● The causes for droughts are increasingly attributable to the mismatch between
supply and demand, particularly the demand for non-agricultural purposes.
● While adequate availability of water is crucial to agriculture, it continues to be
affected by other variables such as temperature, humidity, Solar radiation and
wind patterns.

TYPES OF DROUGHTS:

● Meteorological Drought:​It is a situation when there is a prolonged period of

inadequate rainfall marked with mal-distribution of the same over time and space.
● Agricultural Drought: It​is also known as soil moisture drought.It is
characterized by Low soil moisture that is necessary to support the crops thereby
resulting in crop failure. Moreover, if an area has more than 30% of its gross

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cropped area under irrigation the area is excluded from the drought prone
category.
● Hydrological Drought:​It results when the availability of water in different
storage and reservoir like aquifers, lakes, reservoirs etc. falls below what the
precipitation can replenish.
● Ecological Drought:​When the productivity of a natural ecosystem fails due to
shortage of water and as a consequence of ecological distress damages are
induced in the ecosystem.

Drought Situations:

The IMD recognizes ​five drought​situations:

● Drought week​: When the weekly rainfall is less than half of the normal.
● Agricultural Drought:​When four droughts week occur consecutively during
mid-June to September.
● Seasonal Drought:​When seasonal rainfall is deficient by more than the
standard deviation from the normal.
● Drought Year:​When annual rainfall is deficient by 20 percent of normal or more.
● Severe Drought Year:​When annual rainfall is deficient by 25 to 40 percent of
normal or more.

​Drought Prone Areas in India

Droughts and floods are the two accompanying features of Indian climate. According to
some estimates, ​nearly 19 per cent of the total geographical area of the country
and 12 percent of its total population suffer due to drought every yea​r​. About 30
percent​of the country’s total area is identified as drought prone.

● Extreme Drought Affected Areas: ​Most parts of Rajasthan, particularly areas to

the west of the Aravali hills, i.e. Marusthali and Kachchh regions of Gujarat fall in
this category.The districts like Jaisalmer and Barmer from the Indian desert that
receive less than 90 mm average annual rainfall.
● Severe Drought Prone Area: ​Parts of eastern Rajasthan, most parts of Madhya
Pradesh, eastern parts of Maharashtra, interior parts of Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka Plateau,northern parts of interior Tamil Nadu and southern parts of
Jharkhand and interior Odisha.
● Moderate Drought Affected Area: ​Northern parts of Rajasthan, Haryana,
southern districts of Uttar Pradesh, The remaining parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra

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except Konkan, Jharkhand and Coimbatore plateau of Tamil Nadu and interior
Karnataka.

Impacts of Drought

Environmental:

● Moisture Stress.
● Drinking Water Shortage.
● Damage to Natural Vegetation and Various Ecosystems.
● Increased Air and Water Pollution.

Socio-economic:

● Malnutrition.
● Poor Hygiene.
● Bad Health.
● Migration.
● Increased Stress and Morbidity.
● Social Strife

Drought Management Framework in India

The Government of India has devised many short-, medium- and long-term strategies to
mitigate and overcome adverse effects of drought.

Drought management mechanism includes:

● Institutional mechanisms.
● Employment generation and social welfare practices.
● Assistance/support by Central and State Governments.
● Operation of EWS.

Institutional Mechanisms:

● The Drought Management Group coordinate the efforts to deal with drought in
various states.
● The National Disaster Management Cell, monitors the drought situation in
different states and resource availability.

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● The National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System, 1989

provides scientific information at district level for most of the states and
sub-district levels in a few states.

Drought-Prone Area Development Programme and Desert Development

Programme:

● Use the plans prepared on the basis of the integrated estimation.

● IMD and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting offer
meteorological information support for drought preparedness and early warning

Consequences of Drought:

Droughts have cascading effects on various aspects such as:

● Crop failure.
● Shortage of water which leads to large scale death of cattle and other animals.
● Migration of human and livestock.
● Scarcity of water compels people to consume contaminated water resulting in the
speed of many water borne diseases.

Mitigation of Droughts
● Provision for the distribution of safe drinking water.
● Medicines for the victims.
● Availability of fodder and water for the cattle.
● Shifting of the people and their livestock to safer places.

NDMA guidelines to control Drought

● Identification of groundwater potential in the form of aquifers.
● Transfer of river water from surplus to deficient areas.
● Rainwater harvesting.
● Interlinking of rivers and construction of reservation and dams.
● Remote sensing and satellite imagery can be useful in identifying the possible
river basin and in identifying the groundwater potential.
● Dissemination of knowledge about drought resistant crops at proper training to
practice the same can be some of the long-term measures that will be helpful in
drought mitigation.
● The watershed development approach is an important facet drought
management initiatives, taken up through the programs of GOI.
● Automatic weather station and rain-gauges shall be put in place at appropriate
spacing to enable micro level analysis and forecasting.

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● State Drought Monitoring Cells (DMCs) shall undertake on a priority basis, the
preparation of vulnerability maps for their respective states.

Drought Crisis Management Plan, 2015

The NDMA manual sets out four important measures that a State government should
take at the time of drought, with the Union government’s help.

● MGNREGA to provide immediate employment ​to drought-affected people.

● The ​public distribution mechanism ​should be strengthened to provide food
and fodder.
● Initiate actions to ​recharge the groundwater table ​by building check dams and
providing pipeline water and other irrigation facilities.
● The government should either ​waive off or defer farmer loans ​and arrange for
crop loss compensation.

FLOODS
● Flooding is a condition inundation of land and human settlements by the rise of
water in the channels and its spillover is present. Floods are relatively slow in
occurrence and often occur in well identified regions and within expected time in
a year.
● 20% of deaths​caused by floods in the World occur in India. In India, around ​40
million hectare​area is flood-prone, which is one eighth of the total area.

Flood prone Areas in India

The most flood prone areas are the Brahmaputra, Ganga and Indus basins. As far as
the states are concerned, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa are the most
flood affected states followed by Haryana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Nowadays
Rajasthan and Gujarat also feel the fury of floods. Karnataka and Maharashtra are no
longer immune to floods.

Causes of Floods

Natural causes

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● Heavy rainfall:​Heavy rain in the catchment area of a river causes water to

overflow its banks, which results in the flooding of nearby areas.
● Sediment deposition​: River beds become shallow due to sedimentation. The
water carrying capacity of such river is reduced. As a result the heavy rainwater
overflow the river banks.
● Cyclone​: Cyclone generated sea waves of abnormal height spreads the water in
the adjoining coastal areas. In October 1994 Orissa cyclone generated severe
floods and caused unprecedented loss of life and property.
● Change in the course of the river​: Meanders and change in the course of the
river cause floods.
● Tsunami​: Large coastal areas are flooded by rising sea water, when a tsunami
strikes the coast.
● Lack of Lakes ​- Lakes can store the excess water and regulate the flow of
water. When lakes become smaller, their ability to regulate the flow becomes
less and hence flooding.

Anthropogenic causes

● Deforestation:​Vegetation facilitates percolation of water in the ground. As a

result of deforestation, the land becomes obstruction free and water flows with
greater speed into the rivers and causes flood.
● Interference in drainage system​: Drainage congestion caused by badly
planned construction of bridges, roads, railway tracks, canals etc. hampers the
flow of water and results in floods.
● International dimension ​- The rivers originating in China, Nepal and Bhutan
cause severe floods in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal,
Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. For flood management (FM), cooperation with
the neighbouring countries viz. China, Nepal and Bhutan is essential.
● Population pressure ​- Because of large amount of people, more materials are
needed, like wood, land, food, etc. This aggravates overgrazing, land
encroachment, over cultivation and soil erosion which increases the risk of
flooding.
● Poor Water and Sewerage Management ​- Old drainage and sewerage systems
in urban areas have not been overhauled. During the rainy season every year,
the drainage and sewer system collapse resulting in urban flooding.

Challenges

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● Less importance to ​comprehensive risk assessment ​of urban flooding. It

includes understanding, analysis and assessment of urban flood risks, before
flood mitigation measures are planned and implemented.
● Ignorance of mapping ​of different factors and risks in different cities and
non-inclusion of the same in development planning.
● Unsatisfactory coordination among different institutions for experience sharing for
the purpose of public awareness and imparting professional training of disaster
managers.
● Lack of information sharing.
● Disintegrated investment decisions.
● Lack of consultation with stakeholders.

Consequences of Floods
● Frequent inundation of agricultural land and human settlement has serious
consequences on the national economy and society.
● Floods destroy valuable crops and also damage physical infrastructure such as
roads, rails, bridges and human settlements.
● Millions of people are rendered homeless and are also washed down along with
their cattle in the floods.
● Spread of diseases like cholera, gastro-enteritis, hepatitis and other water-borne
diseases spread in the flood affected areas.
● Floods also make a few positive contributions. Every year, ​floods deposit fertile
silt over agricultural fields ​which restores fertility of the soil.

Flood Forecasting and Warning in India

Real time discharge and rainfall data is the basic requirements for the formulation of a
flood forecast. Most of the hydro-meteorological data are observed and collected by the
field formations of Central Water Commission; IMD supplies the daily rainfall data.

Impact and Mitigation Strategies for Urban Flood

● Pre-Monsoon Phase ​(​Preparedness​): It involves an estimation of emergency

needs, familiarization of the stakeholders, particularly the communities through
training and simulation exercises, identification of Teams for maintaining the
drains and roads and conducting exercises for prevention of water logging/
inundation.

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● During Monsoon Phase ​(​Early Warning & Effective Response​): It includes

timely, qualitative and quantitative warnings based on the intensity of rainfall to
various agencies to take preventive measures. The Response phase focuses
primarily on emergency relief: saving lives, providing first aid, minimizing and
restoring damaged systems (communications and transportation), meeting the
basic life requirements of those impacted by disaster (food, water, and shelter),
and providing mental health and spiritual support and comfort care.
● Post-Monsoon Phase​: Restoration and Rehabilitation phase includes
establishment of a programme to restore both the disaster site and the damaged
materials to a stable and usable condition.

NDMA Guidelines on Flood Management

The main thrust of the flood protection programme undertaken in India so far has been
on structural measures. ​Flood Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation

Structural measures

● Reservoirs, Dams, Other Water Storages​: By constructing reservoirs in the

courses of rivers could stores extra water at the time of flood. Such measures
adopted till now however, have not been successful. Dams built to control floods
of Damodar could not control the flood.
● Embankments/Flood Levees/Flood Walls​: By building flood protection
embankments, flood water can be controlled from overflowing the banks and
spreading in nearby areas. Building of embankments on Yamuna, near Delhi,
has been successful in controlling the flood.
● Drainage improvement: ​Drainage system is generally choked by the
construction of roads, canals, railway tracks etc. Floods could be checked if the
original form of drainage system is restored.
● Channel Improvement/Desilting/Dredging of Rivers: ​A channel can be made
to carry flood discharge at levels lower than its prevailing high flood level by
improving its discharge carrying capacity. It aims at increasing the area of flow or
velocity of flow (or both) to increase its carrying capacity. Selective
desilting/dredging at outfalls/confluences or local reaches can, however, be
adopted as a measure to tackle the problem locally.
● Diversion of Flood Water: ​Diverting all or a part of the discharge into a natural
or artificially constructed channel, lying within or in some cases outside the flood
plains is a useful means of lowering water levels in the river.
● Catchment Area Treatment/Afforestation​: Watershed management measures
such as developing the vegetative cover i.e. afforestation and conservation of soil
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cover in conjunction with structural works like check dams, detention basins etc.
serve as an effective measure in reducing flood peaks and controlling the
suddenness of the runoff.

Non-structural measures

● Flood forecasting and warning.

● Floodplain zoning.
● Flood fighting.
● Flood proofing.
● Flood insurance.

NDMA Guidelines on Urban Flood

● Early Warning System and Communication: National Hydro-meteorological

Network ​and ​Doppler Weather Radars ​can provide and a lead time of 3 to 6
hours. Once flood warning is generated, it must be communicated to the public in
an effective manner.
● Design and Management of Urban Drainage: ​Rapid urbanization has resulted
in increased impermeable surfaces in the form of pavements, roads and built-up
areas, thereby reducing the infiltration and natural storage.
● Drainage System: ​A proper inventory of water supply system with details of all
pumping, storage etc. must be maintained, particularly of the minor drainage
systems.
● Catchment as a basis of design: ​As runoff processes are independent of states
and city administrative boundaries outlines of drainage divides must be depend
on watershed delineation.
● Contour Data: ​Accurate contours are necessary for determining the boundaries
of a watershed/ catchment and for computing directions of flow.
● Design Flow: ​Estimation of peak flow rates for adequate sizing and quantity
control facilities.
● Removal of Solid Waste: ​Most towns and cities have open surface drains
beside the road, into which there is unauthorized public disposal of waste. Solid
waste increases hydraulic roughness, causes blockage and generally reduces
flow capacity.
● Drain Inlet Connectivity: ​It is seen that the inlets to drain the water from the
roads into the roadside drains are either not properly aligned or non-existent
leading to severe waterlogging on the roads.

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● Rain Gardens: ​Rain gardens consist of a porous soil covered with a thin layer of
mulch. Stormwater runoff is directed into the facility, allowed to pond and
infiltrates through the plant/mulch/soil environment.
● Vulnerability Analysis and Risk Assessment: ​Identification of areas at risk,
classification of structures according to function and estimation of risk for each
structure and function using Hazard Risk Zoning.
● Urban Flooding Cells: ​A separate Urban Flooding Cell (UFC) will be constituted
within MoUD which will coordinate all UFDM activities at the national level. ULBs
will be responsible for the management of urban flooding at the local level.
● Response: ​Emergency Operation Centers, Incident Response System, flood
shelters, search and rescue operations, emergency logistics are some key action
areas of flood response mechanism.
● Sanitation: ​Diseases like malaria, dengue and cholera can spread if adequate
sanitation and disinfection are not carried out.
● Capacity Development, Awareness Generation and Documentation:
Participatory urban flood planning and management involving both local
government and the community.

CYCLONES
Recent Cyclones in India

When Name

May 2017 Mora

April 2017 Maarutha

December 2016 Vardah

October 2016 Kyant

May 2014 Hudhud

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Cyclone Prone Areas in India

There are 13 coastal states and union territories (UTs) in the country, encompassing 84
coastal districts which are ​affected by tropical cyclones​. Four states (Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal) and one UT (Puducherry) on the east coast
and one state (Gujarat) on the west coast are ​highly vulnerable to cyclone disasters.

Challenges
● The failure to adequately respond to warnings stemming from lack of planning
and coordination at the national and local levels, as well as a lack of
understanding by people of their risks.
● Bare minimum the terminal-end equipment and communication back-up
equipment support.
● Lack of grass root level participation in disaster management to build up effective
resilience to disasters.
● Lack of a fully automated and state-of-the-art OC at NDMA and MHA with all
terminal-end facilities and communication connectivity both for routine activities
and also during disasters.
● The need for integration of networks set up by various agencies to establish
various types of networks in the country for disaster management.
● Failure of even well-engineered structures such as communication and
transmission towers past cyclones.

Consequence of Tropical Cyclone

● The coastal areas are often struck by severe cyclonic Storms with an average
velocity of 180 km per hour.
● Often this results in the abnormal rise in sea level known as storm surge .
● This results in inundation of human settlements, agricultural fields, damaging
crops and destruction of structures created by human beings.
● Inundation of sea water in low lying areas of coastal regions,
● Heavy floods, landslides
● Erodes beaches and embankments,
● Destruction of vegetation, infrastructure and loss of life
● Loss of crops and food supplies along with loss of soil fertility
● Contamination of ground and pipe water supply

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● Severe disruption in the communication links

Tropical cyclone Hazard Mitigation

● Green belt plantation along the coastal line in a scientific interweaving pattern
can reduce the effect of hazard.
● Land use control should be designed so that least critical activities are placed in
vulnerable areas.
● Structures need to be built to withstand wind forces.
● Torrential rains, strong winds and storms range leads to flooding in the cyclone
affected areas. There are possibilities of landslides too. Floods mitigation
measures could be incorporated.

National Cyclone Risk Mitigation project (NCRMP)

The NCRMP, to be implemented with financial assistance from the ​World Bank, ​is
envisaged to have four major components
● Component A​ : Improvement of early warning dissemination system by
strengthening the ​Last Mile Connectivity (LMC)​of cyclone warnings and
advisories.
● Component B​ : Cyclone Risk Mitigation Investments.
● Component C​ : Technical assistance for hazard risk management and capacity
building.
● Component D​ : Project management and institutional support
❖ The Government of India approved ​NCRMP Phase-I​for Andhra Pradesh &
Odisha in January 2011 to address the vulnerability of the coastal community to
cyclones, who are generally poor and are from the weaker section of the society.
❖ The ​NCRMP Phase-II​was approved as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for
implementation in the States of Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra
and West Bengal by ​Union Cabinet in July 2015​.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP)

To assist the Government in building the national capacity for implementation of a

comprehensive coastal management approach in the country and piloting the integrated
coastal zone management approach in states of Gujarat, Orissa and West Bengal.

National Guidelines for the management of cyclones:

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● Establishing state-of-the-art cyclone ​EWS​involving observations, predictions,

warnings, and customized local level advice for decision makers (national, state,
district level) for managing the impact of cyclone
● Commissioning of ​Aircraft Probing of Cyclone (APC​) facility for India with a
combination of manned aircraft and high altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAV​) which can effectively fill the critical observational data gaps in case of
cyclones over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
● Establishing a comprehensive ​Cyclone Disaster Management Information
System ​(​CDMIS​) covering all phases of DM to provide online services to the
departments of Disaster management in the states.
● Specifying the roles and responsibilities of the State Disaster Management
Departments in institutionalizing Cyclone risk mitigation with Developmental
planning.
● Launching ​Community Based Disaster Management ​(​CBDM​) activities similar
to ​DRM​projects initiatives of MHA in all villages of the 84 districts vulnerable to
cyclones that have not yet been covered.
● NCDMI​will be established as an exclusive institutional set-up in one of the
coastal states to address all issues related to cyclone risk.

HEAT WAVES

● It is a condition of atmospheric temperature that leads to physiological stress,

which sometimes can cause deaths as well.
● The World Meteorological Department defines a heat wave as five or more
consecutive days during which the daily maximum temperature exceeds the
average maximum temperature by five degree Celsius.
● In India, a heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches
at least 40 degree Celsius or more for plains, 37 degree Celsius or more for
coastal stations and at least 30 degree Celsius or more for hilly regions.

Criteria for Declaring a Heat Wave

a)​​Based on departure from normal

● Heat wave:​Departure from normal is 4.5 degree Celsius to 6.4 degree Celsius.
● Severe Heat Wave:​Departure from normal is greater than 6.4 degree Celsius.

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b)​​Based on Actual Maximum temperature (for plains only)

● Heat Wave: ​When actual maximum temperature greater than or equal to 45

degree Celsius.
● Severe Heat Wave: ​When actual maximum temperature greater than or equal to
47 degree Celsius.
● To declare a heat wave, the above criteria should be met ​at least at two
stations in a meteorological subdivision for at least two consecutive days​.
A heat wave will be ​declared on the second day.

​How do heat waves occur?

● Heat waves occur when a ridge of high pressure sits over a region for an
extended period of time, bringing down dry, hot air to the ground. As the air
sinks, it warms and compresses and it becomes very hot by the time it reaches
the surface.
● This hot air quickly heats up the ground, which raises the air temperature. Since
the center of high pressure areas are usually cloud free, the direct sunlight
further raises the day time temperature creating a heat wave.

Causes of Heat Waves

● Hot winds blowing from deserts with the dry winds on surface.
● Anticyclone formations leading to no cloud formation and thunderstorm activity
which fails to balance the temperature.
● Rising global temperatures due to climate change and global warming.
● Shifts in air currents and weather patterns due to shifting of pressure belts.
● Depletion of Ozone layer.
● Jet streams.

​Heat Wave in India

● In India, April to June is a typical heat wave season. June is the onset month of
Southwest Monsoon when summerlike conditions leave Peninsular and Central
India but remains in North India. Cities are hotter than rural areas due to
population density, pollution from industrial activities and presence of buildings.
● Hilly regions, Northeast India and coastal stations generally do not witness heat
wave conditions.

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● Heat waves prevail in pockets of Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana,

Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and
Karnataka.

Consequences of Heat Waves

Effects on Human Health

● High moisture at high temperature doesn’t let body sweat to evaporate easily to
cool itself and body temperature raises eventually causing sickness.
● Heat stroke, Heat exhaustion, Heat cramps.
● Dehydration, nausea, dizziness, headaches.
● Diseases transmitted by chemical air.
● Heat waves is one of the biggest killers amongst all natural calamities.

Effects on Nature

● Heat waves can lead to droughts with decrease in moisture in the air and soil.
Moisture in soil helps in cooling down the temperature by evaporation.
● Some species may disappear. Few new species may appear which are heat
resistant.
● Adaptations in lifestyle and behavior of few organisms.
● Wildfires in open areas or forests become frequent due to heat waves.
● Coral bleaching in oceans can rise.
● Huge damage to crops leading to food shortage.

Effects on Infrastructure and Economy

● Heat tests the ability of infrastructure to withstand the pressure created by

increased energy demand. Electricity transmission line expands due to heat.
● Transport services gets impacted.
● Loss of labor efficiency.

Challenges in Heat Wave Management

● Lack of research using sub-district level data to provide separate indices for
urban and rural areas to enable more targeted geographical interventions.
● Narrow analysis of urban ward-level data to provide intra-city vulnerability
patterns.
● Less active usage of available provisions of public messaging (radio, TV), mobile
phone-based text messages, automated phone calls and alerts.
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● Lack of Public awareness like promotion of traditional adaptation practices, such

as staying indoors and wearing comfortable clothes.
● Half-hearted attempts for popularization of simple design features such as
shaded windows, underground water storage tanks and insulating housing
materials.
● Unavailability of provision of drinking water within housing premises and indoor
toilets.

Heat Wave Hazard Mitigation

● Four criteria are important for prevention and mitigation of heat waves:

a) forecasting heat waves and enabling an ​early warning system​.

b) Building capacity of healthcare professionals to deal with heat wave-related

emergencies;

c) community outreach through various ​media​.

d)Inter-agency cooperation as well as engagement with other civil society
organizations in the region.

● Create a list of the high-risk areas of the city vulnerable to heat waves for more
focused activities on heat prevention. For example- Adoption of a ​‘Heat Action
Plan’ (HAP).
● Build on ​the “Green Cover”​activity to establish tree-plantation campaign in
hotspot areas such as roadsides and during plantation festival in June.
● Discuss establishing cooling Centre facilities in high-risk areas around the city.
● Public awareness- Conduct training workshops and outreach sessions with
community groups and mobilizers such as ​MahilaArogyaSamiti​, Self-Employed
Women's Association (​SEWA​),​ASHA​workers, anganwadis, and municipal
councils to help inform and get vulnerable communities more actively involved,
including women.
● Incorporate other sectors such as higher education, non-profits, and community
leaders to increase reach to communities.
● Protect environment. Adopt sustainable environment practices.

TSUNAMI

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● A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large

volume of a body of water, usually an ocean in the form of high vertical waves.
● The loss of life and property is likely to be much higher by a tsunami as
compared to other natural hazards in the coastal areas due to high population
density and center of economic activities
● The impact of the tsunami is less over the ocean and more near the coast where
they cause large-scale devastation.
● Tsunami occurred on 26th December 2004 in which more than 300,000 people
lost their
lives
● India has volunteered to join the International Tsunami Warning System after the
December 2004 tsunami disaster.

How is a Tsunami formed?

● Seismicity generated tsunamis are the result of abrupt deformation of sea floor
resulting vertical displacement of the overlying water.
● When earthquakes occur beneath the sea level, the water above the reformed
area is displaced from its equilibrium position.
● The release of energy produces tsunami waves which have small amplitude but
a very long wavelength.
● It may be caused by a non-seismic event such as a landslide or impact of a
meteor.

Tsunami Sources for India:

For a tsunami to hit Indian coast, it is necessary that the earthquake of magnitude > 7
should occur. Two such possible zones are
● Andaman-Sumatra
● Makran

❖ Not all major earthquakes are tsunami genic

❖ To generate tsunami Earthquakes must occur under or near ocean
❖ Slow Rupture Velocities are most efficient Tsunami Generators.

Measures for Safety from Tsunamis and Storm Surges in Coastal areas:

Structural measures:
● Plantation of mangroves and coastal forests along the coast line

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● Development of a network of local knowledge centers (rural/urban) along the

coast lines to provide necessary training and emergency communication during
crisis time (e.g. centers developed by M.S. Swaminathan Foundation in
Pondicherry)
● Construction of location specific sea walls and coral reefs in consultation with
experts
● Development of break waters along the coast to provide necessary cushion
against tsunami hazards
● Development of tsunami detection, forecasting and warning dissemination
centres.
● Development of a “Bio-Shield” - a narrow strip of land along coastline.
● Identification of vulnerable structures and appropriate retrofitting for
tsunami/cyclone resistance of all such buildings as well as appropriate planning,
designing, construction of new facilities like:
○ Critical infrastructures e.g. power stations, warehouses, oil and other
storage tanks etc located along the coastline.
○ All other infrastructure facilities located in the coastal areas
○ Public buildings and private houses
○ All marine structures
○ Construction and maintenance of national and state highways and other
coastal roads.

Non-Structural Measures:
● Strict implementation of the coastal zone regulations (within 500 m of the high
tide line with elevation of less than 15 m above m.s.l.
● Mapping the coastal area for multiple hazards, vulnerability and risk analysis up
to taluka /village level.
● Capacity building requirements for the local people and the administration for
facing the disasters in the wake of tsunami and cyclone
● Developing tools and techniques for risk transfer in highly vulnerable areas
● Launching a series of public awareness campaign throughout the coastal area
● Training of local administration in forecasting warning dissemination and
evacuation techniques
● Awareness generation and training among the fishermen, coast guards, officials
from fisheries department and port authorities and local district officials etc., in
connection with evacuation and post tsunami storm surge management activities.
● Studies focusing on the tsunami risk in India may be taken under NCRM project.

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Dos and Don’ts for Protection from Tsunami

Before Tsunami
● Know the height ​ of your street above sea level and the distance of your street
from the coast or other high-risk waters.
● Plan evacuation routes ​ from your home, school, workplace, or any other place
you could be where tsunamis present a risk. If possible, pick areas (30 meters)
above sea level or go as far as 3 kilometers inland, away from the coastline.
● Use a ​Weather Radio ​ or stay tuned to a local radio or television station to keep
informed of local watches and warnings.

During Tsunami
● If you feel an earthquake that lasts 20 seconds or longer when you are in a
coastal area, you should drop, cover, and hold on. You should ​first protect
yourself ​from the earthquake damages
● Gather members of your household and move quickly to higher ground away
from the coast.
● Move immediately to higher ground, ​ DO NOT wait for a tsunami warning to be
announced.
● Stay away from rivers and streams that lead to the ocean

Tsunami Warning and Communication System

● The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) has been established at
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Sciences, (INCOIS - ESSO)
Hyderabad.
● It has the responsibility to provide tsunami advisories to Indian Mainland and the
Island regions.

Recommendation of NDMA for Tsunami

● The Guidelines recommends practical and effective ways for awareness
generation, capacity building, education, training and research & development for
better tsunami risk management.
● The Guidelines explore options for effective dissemination of tsunami alert and
warning messages generated by INCOIS to the concerned agencies and coastal
vulnerable communities exposed to tsunamis in a coordinated manner.

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● Structural Mitigation measures, as envisaged in the Guidelines, gives a brief

guidance on design and construction of new structures as well as strategies for
protecting lifeline and priority structures from Tsunamis along the seafront.
● The Guidelines urge BIS to roll out the pending construction standards entitled
‘Criteria for Tsunami-Resistant Design of Structures’.
● It further recommends a robust techno-legal regime through efficient land use
practices, bio shields, shelter belt plantation and mangrove regeneration with
community involvement etc.

LANDSLIDES

● Landslide is a process involving the downward and outward movement of a part

of the slope forming material due to the action of gravity.
● Areas with steep slopes, for example mountainous regions, are particularly
susceptible to landslide hazards.

Causes of Landslides
● Undercutting of a slope by stream erosion, wave action, glaciers, or human
activity such as road building
● Intense or prolonged rainfall, rapid snowmelt, or sharp fluctuations in
ground-water levels
● Shocks or vibrations caused by earthquakes or construction activity,
● Loading on upper slopes, or
● A combination of these and other factors
● Shifting agriculture: ​In the North Eastern part of India, the number and
frequency of landslides has increased due to the practice of shifting agriculture.

Effects of Human activity

● Slope failures can be triggered by construction activity that undercuts or
overloads dangerous slopes
● Construction activity can also redirect the flow of surface or ground-water.
● Poorly planned forest clearing may increase rates of surface water run-off or
groundwater
● Infiltration
● Inefficient irrigation or sewage effluent disposal practices may result in increased
ground-water

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● pressures, which in turn can reduce the stability of rock and sediment.

CASE STUDY

Pune Landslide 2014

● Heavy rains triggered a landslide in Pune in 2014 killing hundreds of people
● Environmentalists claimed that the landslide was a human-induced landslide.
● Deforestation and levelling of ground for cultivation were pointed out as the
primary reasons for the landslide.
● Heavy machinery such as backhoes were used to level the slopes, which has
contributed to loosening the soil to such an extent that it has impacted the hill’s
drainage of water
● The windmill project has also led to large-scale erosion in the region.

​Landslide Vulnerability in India:

● Himalayan Mountain ranges and Hilly tracts of North-eastern region:
○ immature and rugged topography,
○ fragile rock conditions
○ high seismicity resulting from proximity to the plate margins,
○ high rainfall
○ Extensive anthropogenic interference, as part of developmental activities
● Western Ghats:
○ steep hill slopes
○ overburden
○ High intensity rainfall.
● Nilgiris Hills:
○ High Intensity and protracted rainfall.

● Landslides in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal as also those in Sikkim,

Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh pose
chronic problems, causing recurring economic losses worth billions of rupees

Impact of Landslides:
Short-term
● Loss of life
● Loss of property

Long- term
● Changes in landscape

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● Loss of cultivable land

● Soil erosion and soil loss
● Relocation of population
● Sources of water are ​drying up.
● Diversion of river courses due to landslides can also lead to ​flooding ​and loss of
life and property.
● Landslides are degrading the environment of mountains. ​Natural beauty is
diminishing ​slowly and slowly.

NDMA Guidelines on Landslide Hazard Management:

Landslide hazard management involves measures taken to avoid or mitigate the risk
posed by landslide hazards.
● Landslide Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment: ​ This includes
delineating areas susceptible to landslide hazards and status of landslide
hazards in different areas and to assess the resources at risk due to these
hazards
● Landslide Remediation Practice: ​ Encouraging implementation of successful
landslide remediation and mitigation technologies.
● Research and Development; Monitoring and Early Warning
● Knowledge Network and Management: ​ Establishing an effective system for
gathering information on landslides, loss assessment resulting from landslides,
and the effective dissemination of technical information and maps is an essential
component of the disaster management process.
● Capacity Building and Training: ​ Developing institutional capacity and training
for geoscientists’ engineers, and planners is necessary for effective management
of the landslide hazard.
● Public Awareness and Education
● Emergency Preparedness and Response: ​ Development of coordinated
landslide rapid response capability
● Regulation and Enforcement: ​ Establishment of a techno-legal mechanism of
landslide hazard assessment and mitigation
● There have also been talks on formulating National Landslide Risk Management
Strategies

Do’s and Don'ts

● Keep drains clean,

● Direct storm water away from slopes,
● Inspect drains for - litter, leaves, plastic bags, rubble etc.

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● Keep the weep holes open.

● Don’t let the water go waste or store above your house.
● Grow more trees that can hold the soil through roots,
● Identify areas of rock fall and subsidence of buildings, cracks that indicate
landslides and move to safer areas. Even muddy river waters indicate landslides
upstream.
● Notice such signals and contact the nearest District Head Quarters.
● Ensure that the toe of the slope is not cut, remains protected, don’t uproot trees
unless revegetation is planned.

Landslide Hazard Mitigation

● Adopt area specific measures

● Restriction on construction and other developmental activities such as roads and
dams.
● Limiting agriculture to valleys and areas with moderate slopes.
● Control on the development of large settlements in the high vulnerability zones ‘
● Promoting large scale ​afforestation programs​.
● Construction of bunds to reduce the flow of water.
● It is always advisable to adopt ​area-specific
● Hazard mapping ​should be done to locate areas commonly prone to landslides
● Terrace farming should be encouraged in the northeastern hill states replacing
Jhumming or shifting cultivation measures to deal with landslides.
● Retaining walls ​can be built of mountain slopes to stop land from slipping

Manmade Disaster
CROWD DISASTER (Stampede)

● Over the last few years, India has witnessed several instances of crowd
mismanagement leading to fatalities.
● With rapid population increase and increasing instances of mass gathering at
different places, especially at socio-religious gatherings, railway stations and
shopping malls, these mishaps are increasing.
● As crowd disasters are local events, disaster management is primarily the
responsibility of the organizers and local/ district administration with support,
guidelines from the state and the national authorities.
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Stampedes in India

● According to the ​National Crime Records Bureau figures​, from 2000 to 2013,
almost 2,000 people died in stampedes.
● A 2013 study published by the International​ Journal of Disaster Risk
Reduction (IJDRR)​points out that religious gatherings and pilgrimages have
been venues for ​79% of the stampede in India.
● September, 2017​: Foot over bridge at Mumbai's Elphinstone Railway Station.
● July 2015:​banks of the Godavari River in Rajahmundry on the Opening day of
the Pushkaralu festival.
● October 2013:​bridge near the Ratangarh Mata Temple in Datia district, Madhya
Pradesh.
● February 2012: ​Mahashivratri fair at Bhavnath temple in Junagadh in Gujarat.

Causes of Crowd Disaster:

Structural
● Structural collapse of bamboo railings, bridges etc.
● Absence of emergency exists and lack of entry points
● Difficult terrains like presence of famous temples on top of hills which are difficult
to access etc.

Fire/Electricity
● Fire in makeshift facility due to short circuit or cooking
● Non-availability of fire extinguisher.
● Electricity supply failure leading to mass exodus.
● Panic due to fire on elevators.
● Illegal manufacturing and selling of fire crackers etc.

Crowd Control
● More than anticipated crowd at places of mass gatherings in various occasions.
● Underestimation of audience, staffing, services.
● Lack of access control.
● Lack of proper public address system to control crowd.
● Uncontrolled parking and vehicular movement

Crowd Behavior
● Wild rush to force the way towards the entrance/exit gates.
● Crowds attempting to enter a venue after the entry/closing time.

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● Free distribution of food, clothing and other gifts triggering a surge and crush.
● Tussle to catch a glimpse of a celebrity.
● Unruly and irresponsible crowd behavior.

Lack of coordination between stakeholders

● Coordination gap between different agencies (police department, fire department,
PWD, forest Department)
● Communication delays.
● Vacant posting of key personnel.

Security
● Under deployment of security personnel to regulate to control crowd.
● Lack of adequate scientific planning to deal with the crowd.
● Absence of walkie-talkies for the police official on duty.
● Inadequate CCTV surveillance of the crowd etc.

Prevention and Mitigation Strategies for Crowd Disaster

Crowd management, intervention, and control strategies and tactical considerations

may include:

● Establishing contact with the crowd, understand crowd behavior.

● Gaining verbal compliance.
● Capacity Planning.
● Supporting and facilitating First Amendment activities.
● Developing a traffic management and/or control plan.
● Using ​crowd control strategy ​and dispersal methods.
● Protecting critical facilities.
● Providing a high-visibility law enforcement presence.
● Proper transmission of information.

NDMA Guidelines
Recently ​in 2017 NDMA​has released crowd management guidelines to ‘Reduce risks
this festive season’.

Major Suggestions include

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● The organizers of crowded events/venue managers should discourage general

admissions and have plans to handle VIP visitors or, alternatively, refuse entry to
VIPs where it adds to safety concerns.
● A public address system, with loudspeakers installed at all crowded points, to
communicate with the crowds. The guidelines suggest that there should be a 3-4
meter gap in between a row of 5-6 shops, through which pilgrims can escape
during an unexpected rush.
● The guidelines also call upon the authorities to have separate tracks for pilgrims
travelling by foot and those covering the journey on ponies/mules. The event
organizers and venue managers should develop, implement, review and revise
the disaster management plan in coordination with others including local
administration and police.
● The police should actively participate in venue assessment and preparedness
checks and guide crowd and traffic movements.
● Event/venue managers can involve NGOs and civil defense in traffic control,
people flow control, medical assistance, sanitation and mobilization of local
resources in case of disaster.
● The NDMA has also suggested setting up of medical first-aid rooms and
emergency operations Centre to handle post-disaster emergencies

CHEMICAL TERRORISM
● Chemical terrorism relates to acts of terrorism using chemical agents.
● Terrorists sponsored by states, and technical expertise, may acquire explosives,
incendiaries, and chemical agents similar to those used by the military services.
● Toxic industrial chemicals or materials, together with their hazardous waste, as
well as Chemical Warfare (CW) agents are included in the quadrate of Chemical,
Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) agents due to their widespread
accessibility, availability of dual technology, lesser complexity of production, ease
of use, and potential toxicity.

Types of Chemical Agents

Toxic chemicals which can be used in terrorism may be generally classified in the
following broad categories based on their toxicity and usage:
● CW Agents.
● Dual use of chemicals.
● Toxic industrial chemicals/materials (TIC/TIM).

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● HAZCHEM and their waste by-products.

● Agricultural Chemicals.
● Other poisonous substances.
● Natural gas and petroleum products.

GUIDELINES

Legislative and Regulatory framework

● Policies and guideline issued by NDMA, both in the government (nodal and line
ministries, state government and district administration) and private set up at
each level
● Prompt and effective response to various chemical terrorism activities will be
coordinated by NDMA,NEC,NCMC,SDMAs, and DDMAs.

Preventive Measures
● Important preventive measures like counter-terrorism strategies, risk and
vulnerability assessment, chemo-surveillance, and environmental monitoring can
help in prevention or mitigation of the effects of CTD.
● NDMA and other relevantagencies must ensure the development of essential
indicators by understanding the terrorists motivation and capabilities and deny
access to toxins,tailoring deterrence strategies, and strengthening response
measures.
● Mechanism will be developed for preventing cyber based exchange of
information which can be used to cause a CTD.
● Standard operating procedures must be developed for all the emergency
responders working under the overall provision of the incident commander.

Preparedness
● Capabilities for individual physical protection (respiratory and body protection),
and collective protection must be ensured at the district level, as are adequate
numbers of protective gear.
● A mobile chemical laboratory containing chemical analyzers will be developed for
highly vulnerable areas.
● Dedicated mobile teams trained to work in the chemical scenario and prior
arrangements for evacuation of victims from the contaminated environment need
to be form.

Community Preparedness
● Community will be empowered with appropriate knowledge in such a manner that
it does not panics and reacts appropriately.

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● Community will participate in mock-drills conducted for the management of CTD

Research and Development

● It is essential to develop new research methods and technologies which will
facilitate rapid identification and characterization of novel threat agents.

Rehabilitation and Recovery

● SOPs will be prepared for medical rehabilitation, including psycho-social care,
long term medical care for vulnerable groups, and vocational rehabilitation.

Media Management
● Media management is a necessary component of CTD management. Astrong
mechanism for effective media management shall be developed.

Regulatory Framework for Chemical Safety in India

1. The Environment (Protection) Act ​was enacted in 1986. Under the Act, two
rules have been notified for ensuring chemical safety, namely,
● The ​Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules,
1989 (MSIHC) ​amended in 1994 and 2000
● The Chemical Accidents (​Emergency, Planning, Preparedness, and
Response) Rules, 1996 (EPPR)​under the Environment (Protection) Act,
1986.
2. The Public Liability Insurance Act 1991​(amended in 1992) and ​the Public
Liability Insurance Rules 1991​(amended in 1993) require maximum hazard
units to procure an insurance policy and deposit an equal amount in the
Environment Relief Fund to provide immediate relief to victims of chemical
accidents.
3. Recently ​Indian Chemical Council (ICC)​has initiated a program called
“Nicerglobe” ​which provide GPRS tracking of trucks right from its origin to the
place of destination.
● The ​Nicerglobe platform​is well linked to the emergency response
providers.

SECOND ARC ON NDM ACT 2005

● Disaster/Crisis Management should continue to be the primary responsibility of

the State Governments and the Union Government should play a supportive role.

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● The Act should provide categorization of disasters (say, local, district, state or
national level). This categorization along with intensity of each type of disaster
will help in determining the level of authority primarily responsible for dealing with
the disaster as well as the scale of response and relief – detailed guidelines may
be stipulated by the NDMA on this subject.
● The law should make provisions for stringent punishment for misutilization of
funds meant for crisis/disaster management.
● The role of the local governments should be brought to the forefront for
crisis/disaster management.
● The NEC as stipulated under the Disaster Management Act need not be
constituted, and the NCMC should continue to be the apex coordination body. At
the state level, the existing coordination mechanism under the Chief Secretary
should continue.

BIOLOGICAL DISASTER
BASICS
● It may be described as a disaster caused due to natural outbreaks of epidemics
of intentional use of biological agents.
● Biological agents are living organisms their toxic products that can kill or
incapacitate people, livestock and plants.
● Cholera and swine flu are examples of biological disasters.

Biological Terrorism (BT)

The intentional use of microorganisms, or toxins, derived from living organisms, to

produce death or disease in humans, animals or plants

Epidemic and pandemic

● Epidemic​-level biological disasters affect large members of people within a given
community or area. ​Example​: cholera
● Pandemic​- level biological disasters affect a much larger region, sometimes
spanning entire continents or the globe. ​Example:​Swine flu

Biological hazard or biohazard

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● These refer to biological substances or organic matters produced by parasites,

viruses, bacteria, fungi and protein that pose a threat to the health of living
organisms, primarily that of humans.
● This can include:
○ Medical waste
○ Samples of a micro organism
○ Virus or toxin (from a biological source)
○ Substances harmful to other animals

Challenges
The essential challenges posed by natural and artificial outbreaks of disease
(bioterrorism) include:
● the development of mechanisms for prompt detection of incipient outbreaks
● isolation of the infected persons and the people they have been in contact with
● mobilization of investigational and therapeutic countermeasures
● international collaboration as epidemics do not respect national borders.

Effects of Biohazards:
● The harmful effects posed to human health by biohazards are mainly of three
types:
○ Infection
○ Allergy
○ Poisoning

Biohazard Symbol
● The biohazard symbol was developed in ​1966​by ​Charles Baldwin​, an
environmental health engineer
● It is used in the ​labelling of biological materials​that carry a significant health
risk, including viral samples and used needles.
● In Unicode, the biohazard symbol is ​U+2623.

Impact of Biological Disaster:

● Loss of life
● Disability
● Quarantine
● Overwhelming of local medical capabilities
● Long term environmental consequences

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● Long term economic consequences.

Biological Warfare:
● It is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses,
and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of
war.
● NBC is the military acronym for nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare using
weapons of mass destruction. This can also be termed as bioterrorism.

Prevention of Biological Disaster

● Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management
● Environmental management
○ Safe water supply and proper maintenance of sewage pipeline.
○ Awareness about personal hygiene
○ Vector control.
○ Environmental engineering work and generic integrated vector control
measures.
○ Elimination of breeding places
○ Regular spraying of insecticides
○ Burial disposal of dead bodies.
● Prevention of post disaster epidemics
● integrated disease surveillance systems
● Detection and containment of or outbreak- this would include:
○ Recognition and diagnosis by primary health care practitioners
○ Communication of surveillance information to public health authorities
○ Epidemiological analysis of the surveillance date
○ Delivery of appropriate medical and public health measures.
● Pharmaceutical interventions – immunization and other preventive measures
● Biosafety and Biosecurity
○ System for inventory control in the laboratories dealing with bacteria,
viruses or toxins which can be a source of potential causative agents for
biological disasters

Legislations Involved in Biological Safety

There are a number of legislations that control and govern the nation’s health policies.
● The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
● The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

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● The Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, and the Rules (1986): This Act also
provides for the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998 with
a view to controlling the indiscriminate disposal of hospital/ biomedical wastes.
● Disaster Management Act of 2005.

Role of World Health Organization (WHO):

WHO contributes to global health security by:
● strengthening national surveillance programmes, particularly in the field of
epidemiology and laboratory techniques;
● disseminating verified information on outbreaks of diseases, and also by
providing technical support for response;
● Collecting, analyzing and disseminating information on diseases likely to cause
epidemics of global importance.

FIRE RISKS
Fires in Buildings
● India often sees death due to fires in buildings. On an average, India, suffers
from death of more than 20, 000 people annually .Most of these deaths can be
prevented, provided we take proper steps in preventing the fire.
● Inadequate data on these losses does not make it easy for policy makers to
come up with fire mitigation policies.
● Oxygen leaks especially in hospitals are also one of the causes of fires in
buildings.
● Numerous incidents of fires have been observed, especially during the time of
Diwali due to illegal manufacturing and storage of firecrackers at several places.

Residential and Non-Residential Structural Fires

● Fires can start due to human activities or from natural causes.
● The most common fires are the residential and non-residential structural fires
caused usually by human activities.
● Most industrial and chemical fires are triggered by human activity.
● They are sometimes caused by ​human errors, faulty designs, or mechanical
failures​. Fire can also be a ​secondary effect of a disaster ​like an earthquake.
● Secondary fires after a disaster like earthquakes constitute a substantial and
heavy risk.

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● Damage to natural gas systems during an earthquake can lead to major fires and
explosions.
● Damages to electrical systems during a disaster can ignite major fire.

Measures to prevent Fire Accidents

● Regular inspection and timely maintenance of defective equipment.
● Comprehensive Fire Safety Audit.
● Enhancement of existing infrastructures with advanced technology & well trained
firefighters.
● Dedicated helpline to reduce response time mapping of cities using color coded
zones based on their level of vulnerability.
● Strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedures through proper training of
concerned staff.
● Training and participation of staffs and officials in fire safety drills at all public and
private workplaces, schools, educational institutions.
● Encouraging people to participate in mock fire drills to ensure there is no panic
during adverse situations of fire-incidents.
● Better facilities in hospitals through quick medical aid at the nearest hospitals
through quick medical aid at the nearest hospital.
● Construction of explosion and fire resistant buildings in future.

FOREST FIRES

● Forests are vulnerable to fire. Their vulnerability varies from place to place
depending upon the type of vegetation and the climate. Fires can start due to
human activities or from natural causes.
● Forest fires can start from either natural causes or human activity or combination
of both.

Measures to prevent forest fires

● Capacity development of forest departments’ officials at different levels (national,
regional, local) to reduce the vulnerability of Indian forests fire.
● Creating forests fire manuals for field staff suggesting them ways to detect and
report forest fires.
● Incorporation of guidelines and responsibilities of different role players and other
stakeholders for a systematic management of forest fires.
● Mechanism to access and monitor forest fire risks and increase sustainable
application of warning systems.
● Using indigenous knowledge and techniques to detect and suppress forest fire.

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● Making use of technology through research to reduce instances of forest fires.

Prevention and Mitigation in Fire Risks

Legislation Involved​
:
● The National Building Code of India, 2005​, is the basic model code in India on
matters relating to building construction and fire safety.
● Many of the code provisions have been incorporated by various State
Governments and Local Bodies in their own building regulations.

Fire Safety Audit

● It is aimed to assess the building for compliance with the National Building Code
of India, relevant Indian Standards and the legislations enacted by State
Governments and Local Bodies, on fire prevention, fire protection and life safety
measures.
● Comprehensive fire safety audit can address the inherent fire hazards associated
with the activities in an occupancy and recommend measures to reduce the
potential fire hazards

NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL DISASTERS

● Any radiation incident resulting in, or having a potential to result in, exposure to
and/or contamination of the workers or the public, in excess of the respective
permissible limits can be termed as a nuclear/ radiological emergency.
● Nuclear emergency scenarios at various nuclear fuel cycle facilities may arise
due to the failure of multiple barriers, which include systems, equipments and
human errors.
● Example:
○ The dreadful memory of the use of nuclear weapons in 1945 by the USA
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
○ Reactor accidents at Three Mile Island (TMI) in USA.
○ Chernobyl in erstwhile USSR has strongly influenced the public perception
of nuclear emergency to be linked most often

CAUSES

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A nuclear disaster is caused due to:

● An extraordinary release of radioactive material or radiation in the operation of
nuclear reactors.
● Explosion of a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) or Improvised Nuclear
Device (IND).
● Explosion of a nuclear weapon.
● It is accompanied with a sudden release of harmful radiation or radioactive
materials or both together into the environment.
● However, nuclear emergencies can still arise due to factors beyond the control of
the operating agencies from human error like system failure, sabotage, extreme
natural events like earthquake, cyclone, flood, tsunami, or a combination of
these.
● To counter this, proper emergency preparedness plans must be in place so that
there is minimum loss of life, livelihood, property, and impact on the environment.

Guidelines to Mitigate Nuclear and Radiological Disaster:

Preparation of Disaster Management Plans and Financial arrangements.
● The national guidelines are to be implemented by preparing appropriate DM
plans at all levels of administration​.
● Specialists in nuclear science and technology are to be inducted at all levels of
administration in the formulation of plans and their effective monitoring during
implementation, covering all the activities of disaster continuum.

Capacity Development
● A reliable and dedicated communication system, with adequate redundancy and
diversity, shall be established to provide the last mile-connectivity to the disaster
affected areas.
● Specialized response teams will be raised, specially trained for
nuclear/radiological emergency/disaster and fully equipped at the state and
central levels.
● Sufficient inventory of radiation monitoring instruments and protective gear will be
built-up by all the SDMAs and DDMAs in order to ensure the availability of these
basic needs for response to nuclear/radiological emergency.
● The possible places of shelters in large metros and vulnerable areas are to be
identified by the various state governments/UTs, with assistance from

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DAE/DRDO, for the people to be evacuated in the event of any

nuclear/radiological emergency.
● There is a need to enhance the security of radioactive sources at radiation
facilities and during their transportation by the concerned facility operator.
● Establishment/Upgradation of primary, secondary and tertiary care hospitals
which can handle sufficient number of people affected during a nuclear
emergency must be a priority.

Training of First Responders and Mock Drills

● Training of the various first responders and the administrative personnel involved
in DM at various levels of administration will be imparted at regular intervals by
the CBRN trained NDRF trainers and NIDM with assistance from DAE, DRDO
and NDMA.
● To cope with radiological emergencies, mock-drills emergency preparedness
exercises will be conducted by SDMAs/DDMAs on a regular basis in the public
domain.
● Training programmers of medical professionals for treatment of radiation injuries
along with maintaining sufficient stock of essential medicines and database for
experienced medical professional will be taken up on priority.

STRUCTURE OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

IN INDIA
The structure of Disaster Management in India has two ​distinct features:

● The structure is hierarchical and functions at four levels – centre, state, district
and local.
● It is a multi-stakeholder setup, i.e., the structure draws involvement of various
relevant ministries, government departments and administrative bodies

National Level Institutions:

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

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● Initially constituted in 2005 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister vide an

executive order
● Formally constituted in 2006 in accordance to the National Disaster Management
Act, 2005

Mandate of NDMA
● Lay down policies on disaster management
● Approve the National Plan;
● Approve plans prepared by the Ministries or Departments of the Government of
India in accordance with the National Plan;
● Lay down guidelines to be followed by the State Authorities in drawing up the
State Plan;
● Lay down guidelines to be followed by the different Ministries or Departments of
the Government of India for the purpose of integrating the measures for
prevention of disaster or the mitigation of its effects in their development plans
and projects;
● Coordinate the enforcement and implementation of the policy and plan for
disaster management;
● Recommend provision of funds for the purpose of mitigation;
● Provide such support to other countries affected by major disasters as may be
determined by the Central Government;
● Take such other measures for the prevention of disaster, or mitigation, or
preparedness and capacity building for dealing with the threatening disaster
situation or disaster as it may consider necessary;
● Lay down broad policies and guidelines for the functioning of the National
Institute of Disaster Management

National Executive Committee (NEC)

● National Executive Committee is constituted in accordance with the Disaster

Management Act, 2005.
● NEC has the responsibility to act as the coordinating and monitoring body for
disaster management, to prepare a National Plan, monitor the implementation of
National Policy etc.

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State Level Institutions:

State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)
● The DM Act, 2005 provides for constitution of SDMAs.
● The Chief Minister is the Chairperson of the SDMA
● Except Gujarat and Daman and Diu, all the states have constituted SDMAs
under the DM Act 2005.
● Gujarat has constituted its SDMA under its Gujarat State Disaster Management
Act, 2003.
● Daman & Diu have also established SDMAs prior to enactment of DM Act 2005.

State Executive Committee (SEC)

● The DM Act 2005 envisages the established of the SECs

● The SEC is headed by the Chief Secretary of the state.

District Level Institutions

District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)

● The DM Act also provides for constitution of DDMA for every district of the state.
● The District Authority is responsible for planning, coordination and
implementation of disaster management and to take such measures for disaster
management as provided in the guidelines.
● The Authority also has the power to examine the construction in any area in the
district to enforce the safety standards.
● It is also responsible for arranging relief measures and respond to the disaster at
the district level.

Institutional Framework in Metropolitan Cities

● In larger cities, the Mayor, assisted by the Commissioner of the Municipal

Corporation and the Police Commissioner are directly responsible for Crisis
Management.

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National Disaster Response Force (NDRF):

● The NDRF was constituted under the DM Act 2005.

● Presently, NDRF has strength of 12 battalions each with authorized strength of
1149 personnel.

Role of NDRF​
:

● Provide specialized response for rescue and relief in case of disasters-natural

and manmade.
● Deployment in case of impending disasters.
● Assistance to civil authorities in distribution of relief material during/after disaster.
● Co- ordination with other agencies engaged in rescue/relief work

Tasks of NDRF:

● Deployment in case of impending disaster

● Provide specialist response in case of disasters which covers:
● NBC Disaster (Decontamination of the area and personnel)
○ Removal of debris.
○ Extrication of victims-live or dead.
○ First medical response to victims.
○ To extend moral support to victims.
○ Assistance to civil authorities in distribution of relief material
○ Coordination with sister agencies.
○ Providing assistance to foreign countries if asked.
● Capacity building.
● Imparting training to SDRF
● Community awareness- Target groups-villagers, school children, NGOs,
volunteers and state administration.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)

● State Disaster Response Forces (SDRFs) have also been set up across different
states.

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● The SDRFs response to the disaster on the lines of NDRFs

Civil Defence

● The Civil Defence Act of 1968 was amended in 2010 to cater to the needs of
disaster management.
● Provisions were made to utilise the services of Civil Defence volunteers
effectively for enhancement of public participation in disaster management
related activities in the country.

Funding in Disaster Management

● National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF): levying the “National Calamity
Contingent Duty” on imported petrol and products, crude oil, motor cars, imported
multi utility vehicles, two wheelers, mobile phones, pan masala etc.
● Environmental Relief Fund
● Disaster Response Reserve
● Capacity Building Grant
● Various national schemes and international (USAID, UNDP) funding

SECOND ARC ON NDM ACT 2005

● Disaster/Crisis Management should continue to be the primary responsibility of

the State Governments and the Union Government should play a supportive role.
● The Act should provide categorization of disasters (say, local, district, state or
national level). This categorization along with intensity of each type of disaster
will help in determining the level of authority primarily responsible for dealing with
the disaster as well as the scale of response and relief – detailed guidelines may
be stipulated by the NDMA on this subject.
● The law should make provisions for stringent punishment for misutilization of
funds meant for crisis/disaster management. The role of the local governments
should be brought to the forefront for crisis/disaster management.
● The NEC as stipulated under the Disaster Management Act need not be
constituted, and the NCMC should continue to be the apex coordination body. At

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the state level, the existing coordination mechanism under the Chief Secretary
should continue.

International Cooperation in Disaster Management

● SAARC Disaster Management Centre in New Delhi
● United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)
● United Nation Disaster Management Team (UNDMT)
● United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)
● International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG)
● Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR)
● ASEAN Region Forum (ARF)
● USAID’s Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER)
● Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)
● Various bilateral (Swiss, Russia), trilateral (Russia and China( and multilateral
agreements
● Hyogo Framework of Action: 2005 Kobe, Japan, to work globally towards
sustainable reduction of disaster losses in lives and in the social, economic and
environmental assets of communities and countries.

Three Strategic Goals:

● The more effective integration of disaster risk reduction into sustainable
development policies, planning and programming at all levels, with a special
emphasis on disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and vulnerability
reduction.
● The development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms and capacities
at all levels in particular at the community level that can systematically contribute
to building resilience to hazards.
● The systematic incorporation of risk reduction approaches into the design and
implementation of emergency preparedness, response and recovery
programmes in the reconstruction of the affected communities.

Five Priority Action Areas:

● Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a strong
institutional basis for implementation,
● Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning,

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● Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and

resilience at all levels,
● Reduce the underlying risk factors,
● Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.

Key focus areas

● Promote socio-economic development practices; Land-use planning and other
technical measures,
● Strengthening of institutional and technical capacities,
● Review and implement preparedness and contingency plans,
● Promote volunteerism and community participation,
● Creation of provision of emergency funds,
● Dialogue, coordination and exchange of information between disaster managers
and development sectors.

SENDAI FRAMEWORK
The ​Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction​2015–2030 was adopted at the
Third United NationsWorld Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction​, held from ​14
to 18 March 2015​in ​Sendai, Miyagi, Japan ​which represented a unique opportunity
for countries:

● To adopt a concise, focused, forward-looking and action-oriented post 2015

framework for disaster risk reduction;
● To complete the assessment and review of the implementation of the Hyogo
Framework for Action 2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and
Communities to Disasters;
● To consider the experience gained through the regional and national strategies/
institutions and plans for disaster risk reduction and their recommendations, as
well as relevant regional agreements for the implementation of the Hyogo
Framework for Action;
● To identify modalities of cooperation based on commitments to implement a post
2015 framework for disaster risk reduction;
● To determine the modalities for the periodic review of the implementation of a
post 2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.

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The Framework is for 15-year: ​It is ​a voluntary and non-binding agreement​which

recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that
responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including ​local government,
the private sector and other stakeholders.

It is the ​first major agreement of the post-2015​development agenda, ​with seven

targets and four priorities for action.

Actions to be taken in four Priority Areas

Understanding Disaster Risk:

● To promote the collection, analysis, management and use of relevant data and
practical information and ensure its dissemination, taking into account the needs
of different categories of users, as appropriate.
● To systematically evaluate, record, share and publicly account for disaster losses
and understand the economic, social, health, education, environmental and
cultural heritage impacts.
● To build the knowledge of government officials at all levels, civil society,
communities and volunteers, as well as the private sector, through sharing
experiences, lessons learned, good practices and training and education on
disaster risk reduction.
● To ensure the use of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge and practices,
as appropriate, to complement scientific knowledge in disaster risk assessment
and the development and implementation of policies.
● To promote and enhance, through international cooperation, including technology
transfer, access to and the sharing and use of non-sensitive data and information
for supporting national measures for successful disaster risk communication.
● To develop effective global and regional campaigns for promoting a culture of
disaster prevention, resilience and responsible citizenship.

Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk:

● To carry out an assessment of the technical, financial and administrative disaster

risk management capacity to deal with the identified risks at the local and
national levels.
● To encourage the establishment of necessary mechanisms and incentives to
ensure a high level of compliance with the existing safety-enhancing provisions
of sectoral laws and regulations, including those addressing land use and urban

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planning, building codes, environmental and resource management and health

and safety standards.
● To establish and strengthen government coordination forums composed of
relevant stakeholders at the national and local levels, such as national and local
platforms for disaster risk reduction, and a designated national focal point for
implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.
● To promote the development of quality standards, such as certifications and
awards for disaster risk management, with the participation of the private sector,
civil society, professional associations, scientific organizations and the United
Nations.
● To formulate public policies on addressing the issues of prevention or relocation
of human settlements in disaster risk-prone zones.
● To promote the strengthening of international voluntary mechanisms for
monitoring and assessment of disaster risks, including relevant data and
information, benefiting from the experience of the Hyogo Framework for Action
Monitor.

Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience:

● To allocate the necessary resources, including finance and logistics, as

appropriate, at all levels of administration for the development and the
implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies, policies, plans, laws and
regulations in all relevant sectors.
● To promote mechanisms for disaster risk transfer and insurance, risk-sharing and
retention and financial protection, as appropriate, for both public and private
investment in order to reduce the financial impact of disasters on Governments
and societies, in urban and rural areas.
● To promote the mainstreaming of disaster risk assessment, mapping and
management into rural development planning and management of, inter alia,
mountains, rivers, coastal floodplain areas and all other areas prone to droughts
and flooding.
● To increase resilience of country’s critical infrastructure.
● To strengthen and broaden international efforts aimed at eradicating hunger and
poverty through disaster risk reduction.

Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build

Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction:

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● To establish community centers for the promotion of public awareness and the
stockpiling of necessary materials to implement rescue and relief activities.
● To train the existing workforce and voluntary workers in disaster response and
strengthen technical and logistical capacities to ensure better response in
emergencies.
● To promote the cooperation of diverse institutions, multiple authorities and
related stakeholders at all levels, including affected communities and business, in
view of the complex and costly nature of post-disaster reconstruction, under the
coordination of national authorities.
● To develop guidance for preparedness for disaster reconstruction.
● To establish a mechanism of case registry and a database of mortality caused by
disaster in order to improve the prevention of morbidity and mortality.
● To enhance recovery schemes to provide psychosocial support and mental
health services for all people in need.
● To enhance international mechanisms, such as the International Recovery
Platform, for the sharing of experience and learning among countries and all
relevant stakeholders.

The Seven Global Target of Sendai Framework

● Substantially ​reduce global disaster mortality by 2030​, aiming to lower

average per ​100,000​global mortality rate in the decade ​2020-2030​compared to
the period ​2005-2015.
● Substantially ​reduce​the number of affected people globally by ​2030​, aiming to
lower average global figure per ​100​,​000​in the decade ​2020​-​2030​compared to
the period ​2005​-​2015​.
● Reduce​direct disaster economic loss in relation to global ​gross domestic
product (GDP)​by 2030.
● Substantially ​reduce​disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of
basic services, among them health and educational facilities, including through
developing their resilience by ​2030​.
● Substantially ​increase ​the number of countries with national and local disaster
risk reduction strategies by ​2020​.
● Substantially ​enhance​international cooperation to developing countries through
adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for
implementation of this Framework by ​2030​.
● Substantially ​increase​the availability of and access to multi-hazard early
warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by
2030​.

© IAS.NETWORK
55
 WWW.IAS.NETWORK

India’s action on Sendai Framework

● In ​June 2016​, ​PM​of India launched the ​National Disaster Management Plan,
which​aligns with the Sendai Priorities.
● At ​regional Level, India​has hosted the ​first Asian Ministerial Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction​after the ​adoption of Sendai Framework in Nov
2016​which brought more than ​50 countries​from the ​Asia-Pacific​and adopted
the ​Asian Regional Plan​for the implementation of ​Sendai Framework​.
● With regards to ​Target A​, ​India​is analyzing the patterns of disaster mortality,
both spatially and temporally, for different hazards and taking focused, urgent
steps to reduce preventable deaths.
● India is on course towards achieving ​Target E​of the ​Sendai Framework
pertaining to development of plans and strategies ​by 2020​.
● On ​7th​
​ of May 2017​,​India​has launched ​South Asia Geostationary
Communication Satellite​with an aim to support and improve communication,
weather forecasting, natural resource mapping, disaster information transfer etc.
among the ​South Asian Countries​, which demonstrates India’ strong sense of
commitment towards ​Target F and G​.
● India is also mainstreaming ​Sendai Principles​in the ​national flagship
program​.
● DRR​is a work in progress and in this respect we look for opportunities to
collaborate with other countries, learn from their experiences and share what we
have learned through our work.

© IAS.NETWORK
56
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