Natural calamities in the country

Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in 2020 has published a Climate Change report titled ‘Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region’ which contains a comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change upon the Indian subcontinent. The highlights of the report are as follows:

1. India’s average temperature has risen by around 0.7oC during 1901-2018.

2. Frequency of daily precipitation extremes (rainfall intensities >150 mm per day) increased by about 75% during 1950-2015.

3. The frequency and spatial extent of droughts over India has increased significantly during 1951-2015.

4. Sea-level rise in the North Indian Ocean occurred at a rate of 3.3 mm per year in the last two and half decades (1993-2017)

5. Frequency of Severe Cyclonic Storms over Arabian sea has increased during the post monsoon seasons of 1998-2018.

IMD has implemented Impact Based Forecast (IBF) in the recent past which gives details of what the weather will do rather than what the weather will be. It contains the details of impacts expected from the severe weather elements and guidelines to general public about do's and don'ts while getting exposed to severe weather. These guidelines are finalised in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and is already implemented successfully for cyclone, heat wave, thunderstorm and heavy rainfall. Work is in progress to implement the same for other severe weather elements.

The forecasts and warnings are disseminated to users including disaster managers by e-mail on regular basis. In addition to this, WhatsApp groups are created including disaster managers and IMD officials and forecast & warnings are disseminated through this facility also. The forecast & Warnings are uploaded in social media & website for reference by all concerned. The nowcasts related to Severe Weathers are disseminated through SMS also to the registered users.

In addition to this, as and when the situation arises, Press Releases are issued by IMD and the same are also disseminated by all the platforms mentioned above.

IMD has taken various initiatives in recent years for improvement in dissemination of weather forecast and warning services based on latest tools and technologies. In 2020, IMD has launched seven of its services (Current Weather, Nowcast, City Forecast, Rainfall Information, Tourism Forecast, Warnings and Cyclone) with ‘UMANG’ mobile App for use by public. Moreover, in 2020, IMD had developed mobile App ‘MAUSAM’ for weather forecasting, ‘Meghdoot’ for Agromet advisory dissemination and ‘Damini’ for lightning alert.

Recently IMD has brought out a web based online “Climate Hazard & Vulnerability Atlas of India” prepared for the thirteen most hazardous meteorological events, which cause extensive damages, economic, human, and animal losses. The climate Hazard and vulnerability atlas will help state government authorities and Disaster Management Agencies for planning and taking appropriate action to tackle various extreme weather events. This atlas also helps IMD to issue impact-based forecast for various extreme weather events.

For modernization, expansion and improvement in Weather & Climate services, various activities are underway in IMD under the umbrella Central Sector Scheme named “Atmosphere & Climate Research-modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)”. There are 4 sub-schemes of IMD under ACROSS namely, Atmospheric Observation Network (AON), Upgradation of Forecast System (UFS), Weather & Climate Services (WCS) and Commissioning of Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radars (PDWR).

Manual For Disaster Management Plan

The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat released the Manual for Disaster Management Plan (DMP) during the two-day national conference of Rural WASH Partners Forum at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi which culminated on 22, July 2023. The Manual is developed by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation to ensure safety, uninterrupted supply and minimum loss of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) assets and services involving stakeholders at national, state, district, and village level. The Plan aligns with the two-flagship programmes on WASH implemented by the Department namely the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G).

The Disaster Plan is developed based on the Advisory issued by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) which, under Section 37 of Disaster Management Act, 2005 desires every Ministry/ Department to develop its own disaster plan to counter and be prepared for any emergency arising in future. The objective of the Plan is to ensure immediate WASH response to disasters as per the agreed standards; enhance WASH resilience to reduce disaster vulnerability; establish a robust environment, fund and coordination mechanism to achieve the desired goals; and develop a plan which caters to disaster preparedness, response, recovery, reconstruction, and mitigation.

The document developed by the Department looks into the vulnerability of WASH assets and services under different types of disasters, impact of disaster on WASH infrastructure and services, disaster management cycle and activities for disaster-resilient WASH infrastructure construction at all stages, institutional mechanism for disaster preparedness, response, recovery, reconstruction, mitigation at various levels, minimum standards for WASH service delivery during and post-disaster and financial mechanism to fund the integration of disaster-resilience in WASH assets and services. This disaster management plan includes, Gender-based vulnerabilities, issues concerning Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST), elderly, children and people with disabilities.

According highest priority to the issue of disaster recovery the Manual offers a holistic approach addressing community preparedness, technology use, and international cooperation. The document focuses on four stages of planning – preparedness, response, recovery & reconstruction and mitigation apart from addressing the issues as per the 10-point agenda for risk reduction. In case of disaster, three kinds of assessment need to be conducted

1. Before the disaster: A Hazard-Vulnerability-Capacity mapping to guide the preparedness activities most needed,

2. During Response: A Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) which can be completed in a day and point out the immediate needs of the affected population,

3. During Recovery & Reconstruction: A detailed Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) which highlights the long-term needs of the community and helps the administration “build back better” the damaged infrastructure and update the service delivery mechanisms to mitigate against future disasters.

It is envisaged that the Manual shall provide clear guidance to States and Districts for planning of disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and for undertaking prompt and efficient efforts for disaster recovery.

Click Here to view DDWS Disaster Management Plan

Disaster Management Previous Questions

 

Disaster Management Practice Questions

 

Disaster Management MCQs

Prime Minister’s Ten Point Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

 

 

Sl No.	Agenda Point
1	All development sectors must imbibe the principles of disaster risk management Explanation Development and Disasters are two sides of a coin. While a planned development can reduce the risks of disasters, the absence of proper planning can aggravate them. It is, therefore, essential to imbibe disaster risk reduction approach in all development schemes. Development should focus on reducing disaster risks and not create them.
2	Risk coverage must include all, starting from poor households to SMEs to multi-national corporations to nation states Explanation Disasters result in loss of lives and damages to properties and assets. Those who survive face the challenges of their rehabilitation. This applies to all from poor households to SMEs to multi-nationals. It is necessary to think big and innovatively to widen the risk insurance cover. Some bold steps have been taken to ensure financial inclusion and risk insurance for the poorest. Government has some schemes having risk coverage in consideration which include Jan Dhan Yojana, Suraksha Bima Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance) etc.  There is a need for: Development of disaster insurance mechanisms for home-owners in disaster prone area Development of parametric insurance for weather and climate related disasters Develop insurance products to cover major infrastructure projects
3	Women’s leadership and greater involvement should be central to disaster risk management Explanation It is necessary to encourage greater involvement and leadership of women in disaster risk management to support special needs of women affected by disasters. Women are generally seen as vulnerable to disasters. But women can play an important role in disaster risk reduction at the household, society, community and beyond. We need large number of women volunteers, engineers, masons and building artisans to participate in post-disaster reconstruction and promote women self-help groups which can assist in livelihood recovery. There is a need to include women in NDRF and SDRF, and to train elected women representatives at the local level under development.
4	Invest in risk mapping globally to improve global understanding of Nature and disaster risks Explanation Disasters know no boundary. Many natural hazards impact across countries, so there is a need for better understanding of such risks at global level. With a shared understanding of the nature and severity of disaster risks globally, their impacts can be mitigated with better planning and preparedness. This requires undertaking multi-hazard risk assessments and developing maps for all major hazards in a standardized format to facilitate disaster risk reduction.
5	Leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of disaster risk management efforts Explanation Efforts must be made to leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of our disaster risk management efforts. This requires use of technology in resource planning, e.g., India Disaster Resources Network (IDRN), creation of e-platform to map expertise and resources on highly specialized aspects of disaster response and to increase the efficacy of early warning systems for all major hazards through the application of technology.
6	Develop a network of universities to work on disaster-related issues Explanation It will be helpful to develop a network of universities and academic institutions to work on disaster-related aspects. As part of this network, different universities could specialize in multi-disciplinary research on disaster issues most relevant to them.
7	Utilise the opportunities provided by social media and mobile technologies for disaster risk reduction Explanation Utilize the opportunities provided by social media and mobile technologies to develop a social media strategy for Disaster Risk Management in the country. Social media is transforming disaster response. It is helping response agencies in quickly organizing themselves and enabling citizens to connect more easily with authorities.
8	Build on local capacity and initiative to enhance disaster risk reduction Explanation Disaster management must build on local capabilities and initiatives. The task of disaster risk management, particularly in rapidly growing economies, is so huge that formal institutions of the state can at best be instrumental in creating the enabling conditions. Specific actions have to be designed and implemented locally. Such efforts reduce risk and create opportunities for local development and sustainable livelihoods. Localization of disaster risk reduction will also ensure that good use is made of the traditional best practices and indigenous knowledge.
9	Make use of every opportunity to learn from disasters and, to achieve that, there must be studies on the lessons after every disaster Explanation Ensure that the opportunity to learn from a disaster is not wasted. After every disaster there is a need to undertake research studies to understand the best practices and learn lessons to improve the policy and disaster governance.
10	Bring about greater cohesion in international response to disasters Explanation Disasters’ impacts are huge and so are the needs to be prepared for and respond strategically. Across the globe, countries face disasters similar in nature and sometimes across the countries. It requires coordinated and unified response by affected countries. Pre-disaster planning and preparedness can result in effective and timely response, hence it is important to bring about greater cohesion in international response to disasters. International forums and protocols should be used in addressing disaster risks for effective and coordinated response.

NDMA ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21

DISASTER MANAGEMENT - NATIONAL POLICY ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT 2009

 

National Dm Policy2009 by 9290010274 on Scribd

DISASTER MANAGEMENT - Andhra Pradesh Heat Wave Action Plan 2021

 

DISASTER MANAGEMENT - Andhra Pradesh Lightning Action Plan 2021

DISASTER MANAGEMENT PREPARATION PLAN

 

DISASTER MANAGEMENT STUDY MATERIAL & PREVIOUS SOLVED QUESTIONS

DISASTER MANAGEMENT STUDY MATERIAL

India Disaster Report 2013

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

DISASTER MANAGEMENT PREVIOUS QUESTIONS

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

DISASTER MANAGEMENT - STAMPEDE

Annual Conference of Relief Commissioners/Secretaries, Department of Disaster Management of States/UTs Held

A. K. Mangotra, Secretary, Border Management in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) inaugurated today the Annual Conference of Relief Commissioners/ Secretaries, Department of disaster Management of States/ UTs in New Delhi to review the status of preparedness of South-West Monsoon, 2013. On this Occasion, Mangotra said the capacities of Early Warning Systems have been strengthened. He emphasized the need to augment multi-sectoral approach in dealing with disasters. He also informed that an inventory of relief materials will be set up at the Centre level. Secretary, Border Management further informed that the Government has started National School Safety Programme in 8600 schools of 43 districts in 22 States in the country. 

Joint Secretary, Disaster Management in the MHA, Shri GVV Sarma made a presentation on the issues related to Disaster Management in the county. 

Other agencies i.e. India Meteorological Department, National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, National Disaster Management Authority, Central Water Commission, Geological Survey of India, National Disaster Response Force and Ministry of Defence also made presentations relating to the role of their organization for preparedness and further enhancement of the capacity to deal with disasters. Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority Dr. Shyam S. Agrawal, Relief Commissioners from States/UTs and senior officers of MHA and NDMA attended the meeting. 

Prime Minister to Inaugerate National Platform of Disaster Risk Reduction

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the First Session of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi at the Vigyan Bhawan on 13th May 2013. Union Home Minister Shri Sushilkumar Shinde will also be present on the occasion. The whole range of stakeholders from Government, Parliamentarians, Media, International Orgnaisations, NGOs, local community representatives, scientific and academic institutions and corporate businesses etc., will participate in this two day conference. The theme of the Conference is “Mainstreaming DRR in Development: From Risk to Resilience”. The Conference will help in sharing of experiences, views and ideas, present findings of research and action and explore opportunities for mutual cooperation in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction. 

The First Session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will enable the decision makers, partners, experts and practitioners of DRR to come together to deliberate initiatives, share information, promote campaigns and provide useful suggestions relating to Disaster Risk Reduction.