DSM Unit-4 Notes

UNIT-4 Disaster Mitigation
DISASTER PROFILE OF INDIA

India has been vulnerable, in varying degrees, to a large number of natural, as well as, human-made
disasters on account of its unique geo-climatic and socio-economic conditions. It is highly vulnerable
to floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and forest fires. Out of 36 states
and union territories in the country, 27 of them are disaster prone. Almost 58.6 per cent of the
landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity; over 40 million hectares (12 per
cent of land) are prone to floods and river erosion; of the 7,516 km long coastline, close to 5,700 km
is prone to cyclones and tsunamis; 68 per cent of the cultivable area is vulnerable to drought and hilly
areas are at risk from landslides and avalanches.
(a)India is one of the ten most disaster-prone countries of the world. The country is prone to disasters
due to a number of factors; both natural and human induced, including adverse Geo- climatic
conditions, topographic features, environmental degradation, population growth, urbanization,
industrialization, non-scientific development practices, etc. The factors, accelerating the intensity and
frequency of disasters are responsible for heavy toll of human lives and disrupting the life support
system in the country. As far as the vulnerability to disaster is concerned, the five distinctive regions
of the country i.e., Himalayan region, the alluvial plains, the hilly part of the peninsula, and the coastal
zone have their own specific problems. While on one hand the Himalayan region is prone to disasters
like earthquakes and landslides, the plain is affected by floods almost every year. The desert part of
the country is affected by droughts and famine while the coastal zone susceptible to cyclones and
storms.
(b) The natural geological setting of the country is the primary basic reason for its increased
vulnerability. The geo-tectonic features of the Himalayan region and adjacent alluvial plains make the
region susceptible to earthquakes, landslides, water erosion, etc. Though peninsular India is
considered to be the most stable portions, but occasional earthquakes in the region shows that geo-
tectonic movements are still going on within its depth.
(c) The extreme weather conditions, huge quantity of ice and snow stored in the glaciers, etc. are
other natural factors which make the country prone to various forms of disasters
(d) Along with the natural factors discussed in the preceding text, various human induced activities
like increasing demographic pressure, deteriorating environmental conditions, deforestation,
unscientific development, faulty agricultural practices and grazing, unplanned urbanisation,
construction of large dams on river channels etc. are also responsible for accelerated impact and
increase in frequency of disasters in the country.
Climate Conditions & Disaster

India is home to an extraordinary variety of climatic regions, ranging from tropical in the south to
temperate and alpine in the Himalayan north. The nation’s climate is strongly influenced by the
Himalayas and the Thar deserts. For the purpose of identification of drought prone areas by Central
Water Commission (CWC) the criteria adopted was that “drought is a situation occurring in an area
when the annual rainfall is less than 75 percent of normal in 20 percent of the years examined. Any
block or equivalent unit where 30 percent or more of the cultivated area is irrigated is considered to
have reached a stage, which enables it to sustain a reasonable protection against drought”. A study
rainfall data from 1875 to 1998 indicated the percentage area of the country affected by moderate
and severe drought. It may be noted that during the complete 124 year period there were three
occasions i.e. 1877, 1899 and 1918 when percentage of the country affected by drought was more
than 60 percent).
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Common Type of Disasters in India

High Power Committee on Disaster Management identified 31 types of disasters. Tsunami has been
added in 2005 in this list.
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Natural Disasters:
Earthquakes:
India has been divided into four seismic zones according to the maximum intensity of earthquake
expected (Figure 4). Of these, zone V is the most active which comprises of whole of Northeast India,
the northern portion of Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Gujarat and Andaman & Nicobar
Islands. India has highly populous cities and the constructions in these cities are predominantly not
earthquake resistant. Regulatory mechanisms are weak, thus any earthquake striking in one of these
cities would turn into a major disaster. Six major earthquakes have struck different parts of India over
a span of the last 15 years.
The entire Himalayan Region is considered to be vulnerable to high intensity earthquakes of a

magnitude exceeding 8.0 on the Richter Scale, and in a relatively short span of about 50 years, four
such major earthquakes have occurred in the region: Shillong, 1897 (M8.7); Kangra, 1905 (M.8.0);
Bihar–Nepal, 1934 (M 8.3); and Assam–Tibet, 1950 (M 8.6). Scientific publications have warned that
very severe earthquakes are likely to occur anytime in the Himalayan Region, which could adversely
affect the lives of several million people in India. Some significant earthquakes in India are listed in the
Table 4.
The last two major earthquakes shook Gujarat in January 2001 and Jammu and Kashmir in October
2005. Many smaller-scale quakes occurred in other parts of India in 2006. All 7 North East states of
India – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya; Andaman &
Nicobar Islands; and parts of 6 other states in the North/North-West (Jammu and Kashmir,
Uttaranchal, and Bihar) and West (Gujarat), are in Seismic Zone V.
Floods:
India is one of the most flood prone countries in the world. The principal reasons for flood lie in the
very nature of natural ecological systems in this country, namely, the monsoon, the highly silted river
systems and the steep and highly erodible mountains, particularly those of the Himalayan ranges. The
average rainfall in India is 1150 mm with significant variation across the country. The annual rainfall
along the western coast and Western Ghats, Khasi hills and over
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About 30 million people are affected annually. Floods in the Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra plains are an
annual feature. On an average, a few hundred lives are lost, millions are rendered homeless and
several hectares of crops are damaged every year. Most of the Brahmaputra valley amounts to more
than 2500 mm. Most of the floods occur during the monsoon period and are usually associated with
tropical storms or depressions, active monsoon conditions and break monsoon situations.
Flood destructions have always brought miseries to numerous people, especially in rural areas. Flood
results in the outbreak of serious epidemics, especially malaria and cholera. Simultaneously, scarcity
of water also arises. It has a drastic effect on agricultural produce. Sometimes, water remains standing
over large areas for long span of time hampering the Rabi crops.
Twenty-three of the thirty-five states and Union Territories in the country are subject to floods and 40
million hectares of land, roughly one-eighth of the country’s geographical area, is prone to floods. The
National Flood Control Program was launched in the country in 1954. Since then, sizeable progress
has been made in the flood protection measures. By 1976, nearly one third of the flood prone area
had been afforded reasonable protection; considerable experience has been gained in planning,
implementation and performance of flood warning, protection and control measures (CWC, 2007).
Table 1 presents the flood affected area and damages for the period 1953 to 2004 in India as per
Water Data Complete Book 2005 and Central Water Commission, 2007).
Table 1 presents the flood affected area and damages for the period 1953-2012 in India as per CWC,
Ministry of Water Resources,
Nearly 75% of the total rainfall occurs over a short monsoon season (June – September). 40 million
hectares, or 12% of Indian land, is considered prone to floods. Floods are a perennial phenomenon in
at least 5 states – Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
On account of climate change, floods have also occurred in recent years in areas that are normally not
flood prone. In 2006, drought prone parts of Rajasthan experienced floods.
Floods occur in almost all rivers basins in India. The main causes of floods are heavy rainfall,
inadequate capacity of rivers to carry the high flood discharge, inadequate drainage to carry away the
rainwater quickly to streams/ rivers. Landslides blocking streams; typhoons and cyclones also cause
floods. Flash floods occur due to high rate of water flow as also due to poor permeability of the soil.
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Areas with hardpan just below the surface of the soil are more prone to floods as water fails to seep
down to the deeper layers.
Droughts:
Drought is not uncommon in certain districts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra
Pradesh, etc. It typically strikes arid areas of Rajasthan (chronically) and Gujarat states.Although a slow
onset emergency, and to an extent predictable emergency, drought has caused severe suffering in the
affected areas in recent years, including effects on poverty, hunger, and unemployment.
About 50 million people are affected annually by drought. Of approximately 90 million hectares of
rain-fed areas, about 40 million hectares are prone to scanty or no rain. Rainfall is poor in nine
meteorological subdivisions out of 36 subdivisions (each meteorological sub division covers a
geographic area of more than ten revenue districts in India).
In India annually 33% area receive rainfall less than 750 mm (low rainfall area) and 35 % area receive
between 750 to 1125 mm rainfall medium rainfall) and only 32 percent falls in the high rainfall (>1126
mm) zone.
Cyclones:
The major natural disaster that affects the coastal regions of India is cyclone and as India has a
coastline of about 7516 kms, it is exposed to nearly 10 percent of the world’s tropical cyclones. About
71 percent of this area is in ten states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal) Figure 3. The islands of Andaman, Nicobar and
Lakshadweep are also prone to cyclones. On an average, about five or six tropical cyclones form in the
Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea and hit the coast every year. Out of these, two or three are severe.
When a cyclone approaches to coast, a risk of serious loss or damage arises from severe winds, heavy
rainfall, storm surges and river floods. The effect of a storm surge is most pronounced in wide and
shallow bays exposed to cyclones such as in the northern part of Bay of Bengal. On an average, five or
six tropical cyclones
occur every year, of which two or three could be severe. Most cyclones occur in the Bay of Bengal
followed by those in the Arabian Sea and the ratio is approximately 4:1. The incidence of cyclonic
storms, with wind speeds between 65 Km/h and 117 Km/h and severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds
between 119 Km/h and 164 Km/h, reaching Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is high during the north
east monsoon season i.e., October – December, whereas the highest annual number of storms, severe
storms occur in the Orissa - West Bengal coast.
A severe super cyclonic storm with winds of up to 250 km/hour crossed the coast in Orissa on October
29, 1999. This may have been the worst cyclone of the country in the Orissa region and was
responsible for as many as 10,000 deaths, rendering millions homeless and extensive damage to
property and environment.
The yearly distribution of tropical cyclones in the north Indian Ocean indicates large year to year
variations in the frequency of cyclonic disturbances and tropical cyclones, but no distinct periodicity.
However, the trend indicates a slight decrease with time. The annual average of cyclonic disturbances
in the North Indian Ocean is about 15.7 with a standard deviation of 3.1. The annual number of
cyclonic disturbances range from seven in 1984 to twenty-three in 1927. The annual average of
tropical cyclones has varied from one in 1949 to ten in 1893, 1926, 1930 and 1976. The Cyclone hazard
map of India may be seen in the Figure 3, gives the vulnerability map of hazard due to cyclone.
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Landslides:
Landslides mainly affect the Himalayan region and the western ghats of India. Landslides are also
common in the Nilgiris range. It is estimated that 30 percent of the world’s landslides occur in the
Himalayas. The Himalayan Mountains, which constitute the youngest and most dominating mountain
system in the world, are not a single long landmass but comprises a series of seven curvilinear parallel
folds running along a grand arc for a total of 3400 kilometres. Due to its unique nature, the Himalayas
have a history of landslides that has no comparison with any other mountain range in the world.
Landslides are also common in the western gate. In the Nilgiris, in 1978 alone, unprecedented rains in
the region triggered about one hundred landslides which caused severe damage to communication
lines, tea gardens and other cultivated crops. A valley in Nilgiris is called “Avalanches Valley”. Scientific
observation in north Sikkim and Garhwal regions in the Himalayas clearly reveal that there is an
average of two landslides per sq. km. The mean rate of land loss is to the tune of 120 meter per km
per year and annual soil loss is about 2500 tonnes per sq. km.
Cold Wave and Fog

Occurrences of extreme low temperature in association with incursion of dry cold winds from north
into the sub-continent are known as cold waves. The northern parts of India, specially the hilly regions
and the adjoining plains, are influenced by transient disturbances in the mid latitude westerlies which
often have weak frontal characteristics. These are known as western disturbances. The cold waves
mainly affect the areas to the north of 20°N but in association with large amplitude troughs, cold wave
conditions are sometimes reported from states like Maharashtra and Karnataka as well. Table 3 gives
the frequencies of the occurrence of cold waves in different parts of the country for different periods.
In recent years due to deterioration of the air quality in urban locations of India the deaths and
discomfort from cold waves have been substantial. UP and Bihar rank the highest in terms of casualties
from cold wave and this could be due to poor level of development and lack of shelters to the outdoor
workers and farmers.
Between 1996 and 2001, 2% of national GDP was lost because of natural disasters, and nearly 12% of
Government revenue was spent on relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction during the same period.
As per a World Bank study in 2003, natural disasters pose a major impediment on the path of economic
development in India
▪ Close to 5,700 kms, out of the 7,516 kms long coastline is prone to cyclones and tsunamis.
▪ Moreover, India is also vulnerable to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN)
emergencies and other man-made disasters.
▪ Disaster risks in India are further compounded by increasing vulnerabilities related

to changing demographics and socio-economic conditions, unplanned
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urbanization, development within high-risk zones, environmental degradation, climate

change, geological hazards, epidemics and pandemics.
▪ Clearly, all these contribute to a situation where disasters seriously threaten India’s
economy, its population and sustainable development.
Man-Made Disasters
(A) Industrial and Chemical Disaster
Industrial disaster: Industrial disasters are disasters caused by chemical, mechanical, civil, electrical
or other process failures due to accident, negligence or incompetence, in an industrial plant which
may spill over to the areas outside the plant or with in causing damage to life, property and
environment. New industries are also coming up at a rapid rate. A year wise list of chemical disasters
for past decade may be seen in Table 5.
Chemical disaster: Chemical disasters are occurrence of emission, fire or explosion involving one or
more hazardous chemicals in the course of industrial activity (handling), storage or transportation or
due to natural events leading to serious effects inside or outside the installation likely to cause loss
of life and property including adverse effects on the environment. “Chemical accident or emergency
can result in extensive damage to the environment with considerable human and economic costs.
Chemical and industrial emergencies may arise in a number of ways, such as -
• Explosion in a plant
• Accidents in storage facilities of chemicals
• Accidents during the transportation of chemicals, misuse of chemicals
• Improper waste management
• Accidents in treatment plants
• Technological system failures
• Failures of plant safety design
• Arson and sabotage
• Human error
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(B) Road Accidents

Global Status Report on Road Safety (WHO, 2009) has estimated that 1.2 million people die on the
world’s road every year, and as many as 50 million others are injured. Over 90% of deaths occurred in
low income and middle-income countries, which have only 48% of the world’s registered vehicles. The
problem of road safety is acute in India. In the year 2008 alone, number of road accidents were 4.8
lakh resulting in close to 1.2 lakh deaths and 5.2 lakh injured, many of whom are disabled for rest of
their lives. Sadly, many of these victims are economically active young people.
Profile of road accidents: The proportion of fatal accidents in the total road accidents has consistently
increased since 2002 . The severity of road accidents measured in terms of persons killed per 100
accidents is observed to have increased from minimum (20.8) in 2002 to maximum (28.6) in 2011(P).
Road Accidents: Inter State Comparisons: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka which had a share
of around 30.4 % in total number of vehicles registered in India in 2006, accounted for about 38% of
the total road accidents, 28 % of the total number of persons killed and 35% of the total persons
injured in road accidents in year 2008.
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(c) Epidemics
Infectious diseases are a major public health problem in India. While many infectious diseases like
tuberculosis and malaria are endemic, some of them occasionally attain epidemic proportion. An
epidemic refers to an increase, often sudden, in number of cases of a disease in a community clearly
in excess of what is normally expected in that population. Epidemics are public health emergencies
which disrupt routine health services and are major drain on resources. Epidemics include viral
infections disease (measles, dengue, polio, typhoid fever etc.) and Bacterial infectious diseases
(cholera, diarrhoea etc.) The main causes for epidemic are non-availability of clean and hygienic
drinking water contamination of drinking water sources, lack of awareness about sanitation,
unhygienic food, and overcrowding, biological conditions in addition to ecological factors. Besides
direct costs in epidemic control measures and treatment of patients, the indirect costs due to negative
impact on domestic and international tourism and trade can be significant. For example, plague which
was not reported from any part of India for almost a quarter of century, caused a major outbreak in
Beed district in Maharashtra and Surat in Gujarat in 1994 and resulted in an estimated loss of almost
US$ 1.7 billion.
Several factors related to microbes, environment and host susceptibility contribute to the occurrence
of epidemics. Because of prevalence of these factors, developing countries including India are
frequently affected by epidemics/ outbreaks which result in high morbidity and mortality and affect
the public health and economy adversely. Outbreaks reported by States under the Integrated Disease
Surveillance Project (IDSP) during the period 2008-2010
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Mega Disasters in India

A natural disaster is a natural event that causes great damage to the property or loss of human life.
India is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world given its geophysical and climatic
conditions. Since the 1980s, flooding has accounted for almost half of natural disasters in the country
affecting more than 750 million people and causing $58 billion of losses. Global warming and climate
change are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of such disasters. Impacts of floods will
also be greater with increasing population, rapid urbanization, infrastructure expansion in high-risk
zones and millions of people residing in informal slum settlements in poor and destitute conditions.
A recent study, published by ADB, focused on devastating rainfall and flooding in Mumbai, Chennai
and Puri district in India to study the impacts on households and small businesses. Mumbai and
Chennai are megacities where millions of people reside or travel for work from nearby regions. These
cities are important manufacturing and financial hubs and contribute immensely to the regional and
national economies. Their coastal location, land reclamation and rapid infrastructure expansion make
them most vulnerable to large-scale floods. Puri district, in comparison, is predominantly rural with
people depending on agriculture, fishing and tourism for livelihood. Primary surveys among flood-
affected families and businesses, and secondary data such as government reports, offer interesting
insights into vulnerability, impacts and responses to disasters.
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Kashmir Floods
• Year: 2014
• Areas affected: Srinagar, Bandipur, Rajouri etc.
• Death toll: 500 plus
Caused by continuous torrential rainfall, the Kashmir region in September 2014 suffered from massive
floods, leading to the death of around 500 people. Hundreds of people were trapped in their homes
for days, without food and water. According to reports, around 2600 villages were affected in Jammu
and Kashmir. In Kashmir itself, 390 villages were completely submerged in water. Many parts of
Srinagar were also submerged by the floods. Around 50 bridges were damaged across the state, and
the damage of properties was estimated between Rs. 5000 cr and 6000 cr.
Uttarakhand Flash Floods

• Year 2013
• Areas affected: Gobindghat, Kedar Dome, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh,
Western Nepal
• Death Toll: 5000 plus
In the year 2013, Uttarakhand suffered from a major catastrophic natural disaster in the form of huge
and deadly cloudbursts, causing flash floods in River Ganga. Sudden, heavy rains caused dangerous
landslides in Uttarakhand, which killed thousands of people and thousands were reported missing.
The death toll was estimated to be 5,700. The flash floods and landslides continued for 4 days from
14 to 17 June, 2013. More than 1,00,000 pilgrims were trapped in the valleys that led to the Kedarnath
shrine. Today, Uttarakhand Flash Floods are considered the most disastrous floods in the history of
India.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami

• Year: 2004
• Areas affected: Parts of southern India and Andaman Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka, Indonesia etc.
• Death toll: 2 lakhs plus
Following a major earthquake in 2004, there was a huge tsunami in the Indian Ocean, causing
immense loss of life and property in India and the neighbouring countries – Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
The earthquake had its epicentre in the ocean bed which led to this destructive tsunami. The
magnitude was measured between 9.1 and 9.3 and it lasted for almost 10 minutes. According to
reports, it was the third largest earthquake in the world ever recorded. The impact was equivalent to
the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. More than 2 lakh people were killed.
Gujarat Earthquake
• Year 2001
• Areas affected: Bhuj, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Kutch, Surat, Surendra Nagar district, Rajkot
district, Jamnagar and Jodia
• Death toll: 20,000 plus
Gujarat was affected by a massive earthquake on the morning of 26 January, 2001, the day on which
India was celebrating its 51st Republic Day. The earthquake’s intensity was in the range of 7.6 to 7.9
on the Richter Scale and lasted for 2 minutes. The impact was so great that almost 20,000 people lost
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their lives. It is estimated that around 167,000 were injured and nearly 400,000 were left homeless in
this natural disaster.
Odisha Super Cyclone

• Year 1999
• Areas affected: The coastal districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Puri,
Ganjam etc.
This is one of the deadliest storms that affected the state of Odhisa in 1999. Also known as the Paradip
cyclone or super cyclone 05B, this cyclone caused deaths of more than 10,000 people in the state.
More than 275,000 houses were destroyed. Around 1.67 million people were left homeless. When the
cyclone reached its peak intensity of 912 mb, it became the strongest tropical cyclone of the North
Indian basin.
Latur Earthquake
• Year: 1993
• Areas affected: Districts of Latur and Osmanabad
This was one of the deadliest earthquakes, which hit Latur in Maharashtra. The year was 1993. Almost
20,000 people died and around 30,000 were injured. The earthquake’s intensity was measured 6.4 on
the Richter scale. There was huge loss to property. Thousands of buildings were turned into rubble
and more than 50 villages were destroyed.
The Great Famine

• Year: 1876-1878
• Areas affected: Madras, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Bombay
• Death toll: 3 crore
Southern and southwestern parts of the country were affected by a major famine in 1876-78, which
killed nearly 3 crore people. The famine, which first started in China, spread over to India and affected
millions of people in the period between 1876 and 1878. Even today, it is considered as one of the
worst natural calamities in India of all time.
Coringa Cyclone
• Year: 1839
• Areas affected: Coringa district
• Death toll: 3.2 lakh people
India was affected by the Coringa Cyclone, in the harbour city of Coringa in Andhra Pradesh. It killed
almost 3.2 lakh people. More than 25000 vessels were ruined by this huge cyclone. One of the worst
natural disasters in the history of India, the cyclone struck the tiny city Coringa in Godavari district in
Andhra Pradesh. It destroyed the entire city. It was indeed one of the biggest disasters that shook
India.
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Calcutta Cyclone
• Year: 1737
• Areas affected: Low-lying areas of Calcutta
• Death toll: 3 lakh plus
The Hooghly River Cyclone was one of the most-dangerous natural disasters of India, which affected
Calcutta in 1737. Many people were killed. A large number of ships, almost 20,000, docked on the
harbour were damaged. Also referred as the Calcutta Cyclone, the low-lying areas in the Calcutta
region were badly affected. This cyclone killed 300,000 to 350,000 people of the region and hence
considered to be as the worst calamity that time.
The Bengal Famine

• Year 1770, 1943
• Areas affected: Bengal, Odhisa, Bihar
• Death toll: 1 crore
A massive famine affected the pre-independence state of Bengal and some parts of Odisha andBihar.
The year was 1770 and extended for almost 3 years till 1773. One of the greatest natural disasters to
have hit India ever, the famine led to the deaths of 1 crore people due to hunger, thirst and disease,
reducing the population to 30 million in Bengal.
The Bengal province of pre-partition British India was affected by another famine in 1943 in which
around 4 million people died due to starvation, malnutrition and disease. More than half of the
population of the region died from diseases as an after effect of the famine.
COVID-19 pandemic in India
The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first
case of COVID-19 in India, which originated from China, was reported on 30 January 2020. Currently,
India has the largest number of confirmed cases in Asia. As of 12 June 2021, India has the second-
highest number of confirmed cases in the world (after the United States) with 29.3 million reported
cases of COVID-19 infection and the third-highest number of COVID-19 deaths (after the United States
and Brazil) at 367,081 deaths.
Bhopal Gas tragedy (December, 1984) is one of the worst chemical disasters globally that resulted in
over 10,000 losing their lives (the actual number remains disputed) and over 5.5 lakh persons affected
and suffering from agonizing injuries.
In recent times, there have been
o cases of railway accidents (Dussehra gathering on the railway tracks crushed by the
trains in 2018),
o fire accidents in hospitals due to negligence and non implementation of existing

mandatory fire safety norms,
o collapse of various infrastructure constructs like flyovers, metro tracks and

residential buildings due to poor quality of construction, illegal addition of floors and
recurring floods.
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o Stampede at large public gathering like Kumbh Mela caused by poor people
management and lack of adequate infrastructure to monitor and manage large crowd
gathering.
Lessons Learnt
Here are five important lessons we can learn from this study:
The poor are the most vulnerable: Extreme floods could devastate these families because of their low
incomes, poor-quality housing, and settlements in low-lying and flood-prone areas. They suffer from
damage or destruction of assets in which their life savings are invested (house and household goods)
and assets on which their livelihoods depend (work tools and livestock). It is difficult for people to
rebuild their lives and restore assets to pre-disaster levels with limited resources. Threats to critical
assets might push poor families affected by disasters into indebtedness and poverty and negate the
gains made by poverty alleviation programs over the years.
Partial compensation does not provide adequate social protection: Households were offered fixed
compensation to assist with immediate needs such as food and clothing. But this amounted to less
than 10% of total losses. Many families, such as migrant workers or those who lost identity and
property documents, were excluded from compensation for failing to meet eligibility criteria. Families
with limited resources and lack of access to compensation or social protection have had to use their
savings or borrow from informal sources, thus pushing them into poverty.
Low insurance coverage: Penetration levels of general insurance are dismally low in India. The
majority of the affected families had no insurance of any kind, let alone property or flood insurance.
Even when families opted for insurance, claim settlements were lengthy, time consuming, and
generally did not cover the full extent of the losses.
Impacts on businesses: Small manufacturing units and retail businesses suffered damage to premises,
equipment and products. They were at greater risk than larger businesses because of their limited
technical and financial capacity and absence of business continuity plans. Further, only a few
businesses have had flood insurance and received claimed amounts after months of delay. Small
businesses usually take longer to recover and lose customer confidence as a result. Many are not able
to repay loans taken earlier and many more have to borrow or use their savings to rebuild. Loss of
credit and clients increases their distress and some of them are forced to sell the assets and shut shop.
Implications for disaster management: Many affected people have shared experiences about rescue
and relief operations after floods, which show how well-intentioned efforts may not reach the victims.
In Chennai, for example, rescue operations and relief material only reached houses located along the
roadside and not in interiors. When food packets and other material were airdropped, they were often
scattered and wasted. In many places, people did not receive flood warnings and by the time they
realized the intensity of rains, water had already entered their homes. Few families that had been
relocated from flood prone to ‘safer’ areas in the past were affected once again.
In developing countries, a social safety net is needed to catch those affected before they spiral into
poverty.
These lessons and insights indicate that there is an urgent need to plan for a protective insurance and
social safety net for people affected by disasters, in order to prevent their downward spiral into
poverty and debt. This should be considered while designing policies and plans for building disaster
resilience.
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These lessons also point towards the need to build long-term resilience to climate risks for which local
governments and disaster management institutions need to formulate a roadmap for flood
preparedness and disaster risk reduction. This can be achieved through an integrated flood risk
management approach that combines flood control structures with flood forecasting and early
warning systems. In urban areas, this would also require integration with wastewater and solid waste
management and redesigning and widening current stormwater drainage systems.
In order to achieve this, flood risk management needs to be mainstreamed into planning mechanisms
at state and district levels. Disaster management institutions also need to be strengthened further and
interlinked with other planning and regulatory authorities. Success of disaster risk reduction strategies
will ultimately rest on how well communities are sensitized and involved in improving the local disaster
preparedness.
Disaster Management Act, 2005

The Disaster Management Act, 2005, (23 December 2005) No. 53 of 2005, was passed by the Rajya
Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India on 28 November, and the Lok Sabha, the lower
house of the Parliament, on 12 December 2005. It received the assent of the President of India on 23
December 2005. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 has 11 chapters and 79 sections. The Act
extends to the whole of India. The Act provides effective management of disasters and for matters
connected there with or incidental thereto." The main focus of this act is to provide the people who
are affected with disasters, their life back and helping them.
According to the Act, a disaster is “a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area,
arising from natural or man-made 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.”
The Act defines disaster management as “a continuous and integrated process of planning, organizing,
coordinating and implementing measures which are necessary or expedient for:
i) prevention of danger or threat of any danger
ii) mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences
iii) capacity building
iv) preparedness to deal with any disaster
v) prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster
vi) assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster
vii) evacuation, rescue and relief
viii)rehabilitation and reconstruction”
The Act, therefore, attempts to define and deal with disasters in a holistic way, linking causes, both
natural and man-made, impacts, including life, property and environment, and developing a
management plan that includes not only the post disaster aspects of response, relief and
reconstruction, but also the pre-disaster aspects of prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
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National Authority
The Act calls for the establishment of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), with
the Prime Minister of India as chairperson. The NDMA may have no more than nine members
including a Vice-Chairperson. The tenure of the members of the NDMA shall be five years. The NDMA
which was initially established on 30 May 2005 by an executive order, was constituted under Section-
3(1) of the Disaster Management Act, on 27 September 2006. The NDMA is responsible for "laying
down the policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management" and to ensure "timely and effective
response to disaster". Under section 6 of the Act, it is responsible for laying "down guidelines to be
followed by the State Authorities in drawing up the State Plans".
National Executive Committee
The Act under Section 8 enjoins the Central Government to Constitute a National Executive Committee
(NEC) to assist the National Authority. The NEC is composed of Secretary level officers of
the Government of India in the Ministries of home, agriculture, atomic energy, defence, drinking
water supply, environment and forests, finance (expenditure), health, power, rural development,
science and technology, space, telecommunication, urban development, and water resources, with
the Home secretary serving as the Chairperson, ex officio. The Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff of
the Chiefs of Staff Committee, is an ex officio member of the NEC. The NEC under section of the Act is
responsible for the preparation of the National Disaster Management Plan for the whole country and
to ensure that it is "reviewed and updated annually".
State Disaster Management Authority
All State Governments are mandated under Section 14 of the act to establish a State Disaster
Management Authority (SDMA). The SDMA consists of the Chief Minister of the State, who is the
Chairperson, and no more than eight members appointed by the Chief Minister. State Executive
Committee is responsible (Section 22) for drawing up the state disaster management plan, and
implementing the National Plan. The SDMA is mandated under section 28 to ensure that all the
departments of the State prepare disaster management plans as prescribed by the National and State
Authorities.
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District Disaster Management Authority
The Chairperson of District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will be the Collector or District
Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner of the district. The elected representative of the area is member
of the DDMA as an ex officio co-Chairperson, (Section 25).
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
The Section 44–45 of the Act provides for constituting a National Disaster Response Force "for the
purpose of specialist response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster" under a Director General
to be appointed by the Central Government. In September 2014 Kashmir-floods NDRF along with the
armed forces played a vital role in rescuing the locals and tourists, for which NDRF was awarded by
the government of India.
Other Provisions
Section 42 of the Act calls for establishing a National Institute of Disaster Management. Section 46-
50, mandates funds for Disaster Mitigation at various levels. The Act provides for civil and criminal
liabilities for those who violate the provision of the Act.
Implementation
The implementation of the National Disaster Act, 2005 has been slow, and slack. On 22 July
2013 Indian Supreme Court Justices A K Patnaik and M Y Iqbal in response to a Public Interest
Litigation issued notices to the Governments of Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan Maharashtra and the Central government for alleged failure to
implement the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The petitioner alleged that the non-implementation
of the Disaster Management Act by the Government of Uttarakhand endangered the lives of citizens.
He sought "reasonable ex-gratia assistance on account of loss of life, damage to houses and for
restoration of means of livelihood to victims of flash floods in Uttarakhand under the Disaster
Management Act".
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

The Disaster Management Act 2005 has created a hierarchy of institutions at the national, state and
district levels for holistic management of disasters. In doing so, the Act has formally abandoned the
earlier notion that disaster management is the sole responsibility of the states with the Central
Government only playing a supportive role. The definite role of Central Government is ensured
through the formation of a number of organizations at the Central level. The national level
organizations created as per the Act are:
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) - With the Prime Minister as Chairperson and 9
other members the National Authority (NDMA) is entrusted with the responsibility of laying down the
policies, plans and guidelines for ensuring timely and effective response to disasters. More specifically,
the National Authority is mandated to lay down policies, approve the national plan, approve plans of
other ministries/departments, lay down guidelines for the states, coordinate implementation of
policies and plans, recommend mitigation funding provisions and coordinate bilateral support to other
affected countries during disasters. The National Authority is also expected to frame guidelines for
provision of minimum standards of relief, special provisions to be extended to widows and orphans
and ex-gratia assistance for restoration.
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The NDMA is authorized to constitute an Expert Committee consisting of experts in the field of disaster
management and having practical experience of disaster management at the national, state and
district levels to suggest and recommend measures for different aspects of disaster management
National Executive Committee (NEC): The Act provides for the constitution of a National Executive
Committee under the chairmanship of the Home Secretary to assist the Authority in performance of
its functions. The Committee will assist the NDMA and ensure compliance and implementation of the
directions of government and NDMA. The National Executive Committee would comprise of the
Secretaries to the ministries/departments of agriculture, defence, drinking water supply, environment
and forests, finance (expenditure), health, power, rural development, telecommunication, space,
science and technology, urban development, water resources and the Chief of the Integrated Defence
Staff of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. The National Executive Committee is mandated to assist the
Authority in the discharge of its functions, implement the policies and plans of the NDMA and ensure
the compliance of directions issued by the Union Government for the purpose of disaster
management in the country.
A National Plan for Disaster Management shall be prepared by the National Executive Committee in
consultation with the State Governments and other expert bodies/organizations. This plan has to be
approved by the NDMA. The National Plan shall include the disaster prevention and mitigation
measures to be taken at the national level, measures for integration of such measures into the
development plans, preparedness and capacity building measures to effectively respond to disasters
and the roles and responsibilities of the various ministries and departments for delivering these
activities. The National Executive Committee has recently initiated the process of preparation of the
National Plan.
National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM): NIDM was founded from its predecessor National
Centre for Disaster Management (NCDM) with an aim of creating an Institute of excellence in disaster
management studies in India. As per provisions of the Act, NIDM is required to design, develop and
implement training programmes, undertake research, formulate and implement a comprehensive
human resource development plan, provide assistance in national policy formulation, assist other
research and training institutes, state governments and other organizations for successfully
discharging their responsibilities, develop educational materials for dissemination and promote
awareness among stakeholders in addition to undertake any other function as assigned to it by the
Central Government. NIDM is also required to network with various research and training institutions
for sharing of knowledge and resources.
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National Disaster Response Force: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been constituted
by upgradation/ conversion of 8 standard battalions of the Central Para-military Forces as specialist
force to respond to disaster situations. The NDRF has been carved out 2 battalions each from Border
Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Based on the vulnerability profile of different regions of the
country, these battalions are stationed at 9 different locations to be deployed, in the event of any
serious threatening disaster situation, to provide instantaneous response. Each battalion will provide
18 self-contained specialist search and rescue teams of 45 personnel each including engineers,
technicians, electricians, dog squads and medical/paramedics. The total strength of each battalion will
be approximately 1,158. Four battalions will be trained specifically for responding to man-made
disasters. Units of this force will work under the general superintendence, direction and control of the
NDMA. They will maintain close liaison with the state governments and will be available to them
proactively. Their role in responding to Bihar Floods of 2008 has been greatly appreciated and 2 more
battalions have been sanctioned recently
State and District level Institutions

a) State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA
The DM Act, 2005 provides for constitution of SDMAs and DDMAs in all the states and UTs. As per the
information received from the states and UTs, except Gujarat and Daman & Diu, all the rest 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.
b) State Executive Committee (SEC)
The Act envisages establishment of State Executive Committee under Section 20 of the Act, to be
headed by Chief Secretary of the state Government with four other Secretaries of such departments
as the state Government may think fit. It has the responsibility for coordinating and monitoring the
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implementation of the National Policy, the National Plan and the State Plan as provided under section
22 of the Act.
c) District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)
Section 25 of the DM Act provides for constitution of DDMA for every district of a state. The District
Magistrate/ District Collector/Deputy Commissioner heads the Authority as Chairperson besides an
elected representative of the local authority as Co-Chairperson except in the tribal areas where the
Chief Executive Member of the District Council of Autonomous District is designated as Co-
Chairperson. Further in district, where Zila Parishad exists, its Chairperson shall be the Co-Chairperson
of DDMA. Other members of this authority include the CEO of the District Authority, Superintendent
of Police, Chief Medical Officer of the District and other two district level officers are designated by
the state Government.
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
District Authority also has the power to examine the construction in any area in the district to enforce
the safety standards and also to arrange for relief measures and respond to the disaster at the district
level.
d) Institutional Framework for Metropolitan Cities
In the larger cities the recommendation of the second Administrative Reforms Commission has
suggested that the Mayor, assisted by the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation and the Police
Commissioner to be directly responsible for Crisis Management. It has now been accepted by the
Government.
e) Civil Defence
Aims and Objectives of Civil Defence Act: The Civil Defence Policy of the GoI until 1962 was confined
to making the states and UTs conscious of the need of civil protection measures and to keep in
readiness civil protection plans for major cities and towns under the Emergency Relief Organisation
(ERO) scheme. The legislation on Civil Defence (CD) known as Civil Defence Act was enacted in 1968
which is in force throughout the country.
f) Fire Services
Fire services are mandate of the Municipal Bodies as estimated in item 7 of Schedule 12 under Article
243W of the constitution. The structure across is not uniform. Presently Fire prevention and Fire
Fighting Services are organized by the concerned States and UTs. Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of
India, renders technical advice to the States and UTs and Central Ministries on Fire Protection, Fire
Prevention and Fire Legislation.
The Government of India in 1956, formed a “Standing Fire Advisory Committee” under the Ministry of
Home Affairs. The mandate of the committee was to examine the technical problems relating to Fire
Services and to advise the Government of India for speedy development and upgradation of Fire
Services all over the country. This committee had representation from each State Fire Services, as well
as the representation from Ministry of Home, Defence, Transport, Communication and Bureau of
Indian Standards. This Committee was renamed as “Standing Fire Advisory Council” (SFAC) during the
year 1980.
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FINANCIAL MECHANISUM
The financial provisions of the Act are in keeping with the underlying aim of addressing disaster risk
reduction through effective response and sustained prevention and mitigation measures in a holistic
framework. The Act has made clear demarcations between response and mitigation funding, thereby
acknowledging the inherent difference between expenditure needs for response during disaster
situations and those of mitigation during normal times. National Funds: the DM Act has provided for
two funds viz. National Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Mitigation Fund. The National
Disaster Response Fund, as specified in the Act, would be used for “meeting any threatening disaster
situation or disaster.” The Fund will comprise of two components, the majority from a corpus
deposited by the Government and any other grants, donations made by any person or institution for
the purpose of disaster management. The Response Fund would be available with the National
Executive Committee, who would use it towards meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief
and rehabilitation according to the guidelines laid down by the Government, in consultation with the
National Authority.
The National Disaster Mitigation Fund has been provided exclusively for the purpose of mitigation and
would be used only for mitigation projects. The corpus of the fund would be provided by the Central
Government after due appropriation made by Parliament, by law. This fund would be applied by the
National Authority.
State Funds: Similar funds are to be provided at the state and district levels. The Act enjoins the State
Governments to create Response and Mitigation Funds at the state and district levels. The State
Disaster Response Fund, available with the State Executive Committee, would available for emergency
response, relief and rehabilitation at the state level, while the State Disaster Mitigation Fund, to be
made available to the State Disaster Management Authority for mitigation projects.
District Funds: At the district level, the State Government has to create similar funds for the district
level. The District Disaster Response Fund and the District Disaster Mitigation Fund would be made
available to the District Authorities for response and mitigation purposes respectively
Financing of Relief Expenditures
The policy arrangements for meeting relief expenditure related to natural disasters are, by and large,
based on the recommendations of successive finance commissions. The two main windows presently
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open for meeting such expenditures are the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) and National Calamity
Contingency Fund (NCCF). The Calamity Relief Fund is used for meeting the expenditure for providing
immediate relief to the victims of cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood and hailstorm. Expenditure
on restoration of damaged capital works should ordinarily be met from the normal budgetary heads,
except when it is to be incurred as part of providing immediate relief, such as restoration of drinking
water sources or provision of shelters etc., or restoration of communication links for facilitating relief
operations. The amount of annual contribution to the CRF of each State for each of the financial years
2000-01 to 2004-05 is as indicated by the Finance Commission. Of the total contribution indicated, the
Government of India contributes 75 per cent of the total yearly allocation in the form of a non-plan
grant, and the balance amount is contributed by the State Government concerned. A total of Rs.
11,007.59 crore was provided for the Calamity Relief Fund from 2000-05
The initial corpus of the National Fund is Rs.500 crore, provided by the Government of India. This fund
is required to be recouped by levy of special surcharge for a limited period on central taxes. An amount
of about Rs.2,300 crore has already been released to States from NCCF. A list of items and norms of
expenditure for assistance chargeable to CRF/NCCF in the wake of natural calamities is prescribed in
detail from time to time
Financing of Disaster Management Through Five Year Plans
Although not specifically addressed in Five Year Plan documents in the past, the Government of India
has a long history of using funds from the Plan for mitigating natural disasters. Funds are provided
under Plan schemes i.e., various schemes of Government of India, such as for drinking water,
employment generation, inputs for agriculture and flood control measures etc. There are also facilities
for rescheduling short-term loans taken for agriculture purposes upon certification by the
District/State administration. Central Government’s assets/ infrastructure are to be repaired/rectified
by the respective Ministry/Department of Government of India. Besides this, at the occurrence of a
calamity of great magnitude, funds flow from donors, both local and international, for relief and
rehabilitation, and in few cases for long-term preparedness/ preventive measures. Funds for the latter
purposes are also available from multilateral funding agencies such as the World Bank. These form
part of the State Plan.
There are also a number of important ongoing schemes that specifically help reduce disaster
vulnerability. Some of these are: Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP), Drought
Prone Area Programme (DPAP), Desert Development Programme (DDP), Flood Control Programmes,
National Afforestation & Ecodevelopment Programme (NA&ED), Accelerated Rural Water Supply
Programme (ARWSP), Crop Insurance, Sampurn Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY), Food for Work etc.
National Policy on Disaster Management

The National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM) has a vision to build a safe and disaster resilient
India by developing a holistic, proactive, multi-disaster oriented and technology driven strategy
through a culture of prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response.
What does the National Policy deal with?
The Policy covers all aspects of disaster management covering institutional, legal and financial
arrangements; disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, techno-legal regime; response,
relief and rehabilitation; reconstruction and recovery; capacity development; knowledge
management and research and development.
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It focuses on the areas where action is needed and the institutional mechanism through which such
action can be channelized.
The NPDM addresses the concerns of all the sections of the society including differently abled persons,
women, children and other disadvantaged groups. In terms of grant of relief and formulating
measures for rehabilitation of the affected persons due to disasters, the issue of equity/inclusiveness
has been accorded due consideration.
The NPDM aims to bring in transparency and accountability in all aspects of disaster
management through involvement of community, community based organizations, Panchayati Raj
Institutions (PRIs), local bodies and civil society.
Background of National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM) 2009:
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 enacted by the Parliament was notified in the Gazette of India
on 26th December, 2005. The Act provides for the legal and institutional framework for the effective
management of disasters.
The Act mandates creation of new institutions and assignment of specific roles for Central, State and
Local Governments.
Under the provisions of the Act, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been
established under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister and National Executive Committee (NEC) of
Secretaries has been created to assist the NDMA in the performance of its functions. At the State level,
a State Disaster Management Authority has been created under the Chairmanship of Chief Minster of
the State, which has been assisted by a State Executive Committee. At the District level, District
Disaster Management Authorities have been created.
Who is responsible for Disaster Management?
The primary responsibility for management of disaster rests with the State Government concerned.
Disaster Management is a multidisciplinary activity which is to be performed in cohesive synergy

among all stakeholders. The institutional mechanism put in place at the Centre, State and District
levels helps states to manage disasters in an effective manner.
The National Policy on disaster management puts in place an enabling environment for all. It is
expected by all the stakeholders to put up their best efforts in managing any disaster as per the
framework of NPDM. Every disaster teaches us new lessons and the Govt/Society learns to adapt with
them accordingly. NPDM has been fruitful in developing a holistic, proactive multi disaster oriented
and technology driven approach in the Country.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
Since its raising, NDRF has been responding in various rescue operations in disasters within the country
and abroad and saved many precious lives and retrieved dead bodies of victims. NDRF personnel
responded outstandingly and the details of victims rescued and retrieved by NDRF till date is as under:
• Rescued more than 4.5 lakh human lives.
• Retrieved more than 2000 dead bodies.
• Trained Community Volunteers – around 40,00,000.
• Besides, NDRF is also imparting training to SDRF Personnel and other stakeholders.
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National Guidelines on disaster Management

To minimise vulnerability of a disaster and consequent loss of lives, livelihood systems,
property and damage to infrastructure and public utilities.
NDMA is engaged in the formulation of guidelines through a consultative process involving
multiple stakeholders, including the government, non-government organizations, academic
and scientific institutions, the corporate sector and community. Since its inception, NDMA
has so far released various disaster
specific and thematic guidelines. These may be visited at the site ww.ndma.gov.in. Salient
features of the guidelines issued are as follows:
• Management of Landslide and Snow Avalanches
• Management of Cyclones
• Management of Earthquake
• Management of Floods
• Chemical Disasters (Industrial)
• Management of Chemical (Terrorism) Disasters
• Preparation of State Disaster Management Plans
• Psycho-Social Support and Mental Health Services in Disasters
• Medical Preparedness and Mass Casualty Management
• Management of Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies
• Incident Response System
• Strengthening of Safety and Security for Transportation of POL tankers
• Management of Biological Disaster
• Management of Tsunami
• Role of NGOs in Disaster Management
• Urban Flooding
• Management of Dead in the Aftermath of Disaster
• Plan to counter threats to Municipal Water Supply and Water Reservoirs
Guidelines for Earthquake Management

central ministries and departments and the state governments will prepare DM plans, which will have
specific components on earthquake management, based on these Guidelines. These plans will cover
all aspects of the entire DM cycle, be reviewed and updated at periodic intervals and implemented
through appropriate, well-coordinated and time bound actions as laid down in these Guidelines. As
most developmental activities, especially in high seismic risk areas, can enhance earthquake risk
unless special efforts are made to address these concerns, all these agencies will make special efforts
to ensure the incorporation of earthquake-resistant features in the design and construction of all new
buildings and structures.
Mainstreaming Earthquake Mitigation
All central ministries and departments, as well as state government departments and agencies will
designate nodal officers responsible for earthquake management activities and for the effective
formulation and implementation of the DM plans, with special emphasis on management of
earthquakes. The policies, initiatives and activities of these agencies will address the concerns of all
stakeholders involved in the development, management and maintenance of the built environment
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to ensure seismic safety. All stakeholder agencies will also carry out regular mock drills and table top
simulations for testing these plans. The NEC will prepare the National Disaster Management Plan,
based on the National Disaster Management Policy and disaster specific Guidelines, and will
incorporate the key elements of the plans prepared by various central ministries and departments and
state governments. Five year and annual plans of all central ministries and departments, as well as
those of state governments, will include DM components to support the activities spelt out in these
plans.
The nodal agencies at the central and state levels will encourage all stakeholders to set up appropriate
institutional mechanisms to ensure that the national earthquake safety agenda is not only
implemented but also closely monitored vis-à-vis specific targets. Such nodal agencies will identify
appropriate agencies and institutions to develop standardised training modules, to prepare public
awareness resource materials and to monitor the implementation of the DM plans based on these
Guidelines.
The Six Pillars of Earthquake Management
These Guidelines rest on the following six pillars of seismic safety for improving the effectiveness of
earthquake management in India.
Time line for Implementation
These Guidelines will come into force with immediate effect. The activities are envisaged to be
implemented in two phases. Phase I will commence with immediate effect, conclude by 31 December
2008 and be reviewed by 30 June 2009.
Guidelines for Biological Disaster Management

Biological disasters, be they natural or man-made, can be prevented or mitigated by proper planning
and preparedness. The Guidelines will address all aspects of BDM, including prevention, mitigation,
preparedness, response, relief, rehabilitation and recovery. All important stakeholders including
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MoH&FW for natural biological disasters, MHA for BT, MoD for BW, and MoA for animal health and
agroterrorism, along with the community, medical care, public health and veterinary professionals,
etc., shall prepare themselves to achieve this objective. All concerned central ministries and
departments of health in the states will prepare for the management of biological disasters based on
the Guidelines and will constitute the national resource for management of mass casualty events
arising out of biological disasters, including warfare and terrorism. The nodal ministry shall also lay
down clear policies and plans including appropriate legal, institutional and operational framework that
addresses all aspects of DM. The preparedness and response plan is to be prepared at the centre,
state and district levels with the role and responsibilities of various stakeholders clearly defined.
Disaster plans will be prepared by the nodal central ministries, state and district authorities on the
basis of the guidelines issued by the national and state authorities. Sectoral coordination would ensure
appropriate communication, command and control.
Legislative Framework
The policies, programmes and action plans need to be supported by appropriate legal instruments,
wherever necessary, for effective management of biological disasters. The important means to
develop a robust though flexible legal framework include:
Legal Framework: It includes implementation of IHR (2005) which is needed for prevention, mitigation
and control of the spread of diseases internationally.
Policy, Programmes, Plans and Standard Operating Procedures: The concerned ministries would
evolve plans for prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response to biological disasters based on
the guidelines prepared by the national authorities. The programmes and plans to achieve the
objectives set in the policy would be laid down with appropriate budgetary provisions.
Prevention of Biological Disasters:
Prevention and preparedness shall focus on the assessment of biothreats, medical and public health
consequences, medical countermeasures and long-term strategies for mitigation. The important
components of prevention and preparedness would include an epidemiological intelligence gathering
mechanism to deter a BW/ BT attack; a robust surveillance system that can detect early warning signs,
decipher the epidemiological clues to determine whether it is an intentional attack; and capacity
building for surveillance, laboratories, and hospital systems that can support outbreak detection,
investigation and management. A multi-sectoral approach will be adopted involving MoH&FW, MHA,
Ministry of Social Welfare, MoD and MoA. A biological disaster response plan is to be evolved based
on this strategic approach by the nodal ministry. Preventive measures will be useful in reducing
vulnerability and in mitigating the post-disaster consequences. Pre-exposure immunisation
(preventive) of first responders against anthrax and smallpox must be done to enable them to help
victims post-exposure. The important means for prevention of biological disasters include the
following:
Vulnerability Analysis and Risk Assessment: Vulnerability analysis and risk assessment needs to be
carried out at the macro and micro levels for existing diseases with epidemic potential, emerging and
re-emerging diseases, and zoonotic diseases with potential to cause human diseases, etc., so that
appropriate preventive strategies and preparedness measures explained in the foregoing paragraphs
are instituted appropriately
Environmental Management: Disease outbreaks are mostly due to waterborne, airborne, vector-
borne and zoonotic diseases. Environmental monitoring can help substantially in preventing these
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outbreaks. Integrated vector management also needs environmental engineering for elimination of
breeding places, supported with biological and chemical interventions for vector control. Biological
events with mass casualty potential may result in a large number of dead bodies requiring adequate
disposal procedures. The following measures will help in the prevention of biological disasters:
i) Water supply ii) Personal hygiene iii) Vector control v) Burial/disposal of the dead
Prevention of Post-disaster Epidemics
India needs to maintain the necessary level of epidemiological intelligence to pick up early warning
signals of emerging and re-emerging diseases of epidemic/pandemic potential. This would also require
advance knowledge of the activities of our adversaries in developing a potential BW ensemble and its
potential use during war and by terrorist outfits using available in-house facilities to develop such
weapons. A coordinated action plan of the intelligence agencies, MHA, MoH&FW and MoD will be
developed and put in place to gather intelligence and develop appropriate deterrence and defence
strategies. i) The risk of epidemics are higher after any type of disaster, whether natural or manmade.
These include waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea/dysentery, typhoid and viral hepatitis, or vector-
borne diseases such as scabies and other skin diseases, louse-borne typhus and relapsing fever. ii) In
certain natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, etc., disturbance of the environment increases the
risk of rabies, snake bites and other zoonotic diseases. Preventive measures will be taken to deal with
such eventualities by keeping reserves of adequate stocks of anti-rabies vaccine and anti-venom
serum.
Integrated Disease Surveillance Systems: The surveillance team will monitor the probable sources,
modes of spread, and investigate the epidemics. The surveillance programme will also be integrated
with the chain of laboratories of GoI including DRDO, ICMR, AFMS.
Pharmaceutical Interventions: Chemoprophylaxis, Immunisation and Other Preventive Measures
Health care workers will be equipped with gloves, impermeable gowns, N-95 masks or powered air-
purifying respirators. They must clean their hands prior to donning PPE for patient contact. After
patient contact, they must remove the gown, leg and shoe covering, gloves, clean hands immediately,
then proceed to the removal of facial protective equipment (i.e., personal respirators, face shields,
and goggles) to minimise exposure of their mucous membranes with potentially contaminated hands.
After the removal of all PPE they must clean their hands again.
Non-pharmaceutical Interventions:
(A) Social Distancing Measures (B) Disease Containment by Isolation and Quarantine Methodologies
Preparedness and Capacity Development:
Preparedness will focus on assessment of biothreats, medical and public health consequences,
medical countermeasures and long-term strategies for mitigation. An important aspect of medical
preparedness in BDM includes the integration of both government and private sectors. A sound
infrastructure is necessary both for medical countermeasures and R&D for evolving novel
technologies. The important components of preparedness include planning, capacity building, well-
rehearsed hospital DM plans, training of doctors and paramedics, and upgradation of medical
infrastructure at various levels to reduce morbidity and mortality.
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Medical Preparedness
Medical preparedness will be based on the assessment of biothreat and the capabilities to handle,
detect and characterise the microorganism.
1) Hospital DM Plan 2) Stockpile of Antibiotics and Vaccines 3) Public Health Issues
Emergency Medical and Public Health Response
1) C&C for Medical and Public Health Response 2) Emergency Medical Response 3) Transportation of
Patients 4) Treatment at Hospitals 5) Public Health Response
Management of Pandemics
Epidemics arising in one part of the world are nowadays rapidly disseminated to other areas due to
rapid transportation. The recent epidemic of SARS is one such instance. Infected individuals (or even
vectors) can travel to far removed parts of the would before they manifest clinical features. Biological
disasters, including BT, is a specific category of disaster that travels across borders by virtue of human
or logistic functions that seek international cooperation to mitigate its effects. This issue directly
concerns international biosafety and biosecurity norms.
WHO has already developed and built an improved event management system to manage public
health emergencies. It has also developed strategic operations at its Geneva headquarters and
regional offices around the world, which are available round-the-clock to manage emergencies. WHO
has also been working with its partners to strengthen the GOARN, which brings together experts from
around the world to respond to disease outbreaks. The support to the international community is in
the form of supply of epidemiological information and action on acquired infections. The interface
between national and international agencies is normally well defined.
International Cooperation: International cooperation is a necessary element in the management of

pandemics.
Implementation of the Guidelines: Preparation of Cyclone DM Plans

For efficient and coordinated management of cyclones, it is vital to evolve appropriate DM plans at
the national and state/UT levels. It is equally important to identify various stakeholders/ agencies—
along with their responsibilities, institutionalise programmes and activities at the
ministry/department levels, increase inter-Ministerial and inter-agency coordination and networking,
as well as rationalise and augment the existing regulatory framework and infrastructure.
The guidelines provide for strengthening cyclone DM in the country on a sustainable basis. These
guidelines have set modest goals and objectives to be achieved by mobilising all stakeholders through
an inclusive and participative approach. Appropriate allocation of financial and other resources,
including dedicated manpower and targeted capacity development, would be the key to the success
of implementing the guidelines.
Implementing the Guidelines
Implementing the guidelines at the national level would begin with preparing the National Plan. The
plan will spell out detailed work areas, activities and agencies responsible, and indicate targets and
time-frames. The plan thus prepared will also specify indicators of progress to enable their monitoring
and review. The National Plan will be prepared by NEC, based on the guidelines, and implemented
with the approval of NDMA.
28
The ministries/agencies concerned, in turn, will:
i) Provide guidance on the implementation of the plans to all stakeholders, ii) Obtain periodic reports
from the stakeholders on the progress of implementation of DM plans, iii) Evaluate the progress of
implementation of the plans against the time-frames and take corrective measures wherever needed,
iv) Disseminate the status of progress and issue further guidance on implementation of the plans to
stakeholders, and v) Report the progress of implementation of the National Plan to NDMA/NEC.
Implementation and Coordination at the National Level
Planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating are four facets of the comprehensive
implementation of DM plans. NEC or the concerned ministries/departments will identify appropriate
agencies, institutions and specialists with expertise in relevant fields, and involve them in various
activities to help implement cyclone DM plans, in accordance with the spirit of the national guidelines,
and keep NDMA periodically posted.
The cyclone DM framework also imposes additional responsibility on professionals to improve their
skills and expertise corresponding to best practices the world over and to contribute to capacity
development, as well as cooperate with and form partnership with other stakeholders. Synergy among
their activities can be achieved by developing detailed documents on how to implement each of the
activities envisaged in these guidelines.
Institutional Mechanism and Coordination at State and District Levels
On the lines of the measures indicated at the national level, SDMAs and DDMAs will also identify
appropriate agencies, institutions and specialists with experience in relevant fields and involve them
in various activities to help implement the cyclone DM plans. Likewise, measures indicated at the
national level, such as designating a nodal officer in each line department, will achieve similar
objectives.
The state will allocate and provide necessary finances for efficient implementation of these plans.
Similarly, district and local level plans will be developed and the need to follow a professional
approach will be reinforced. SDMAs will work-out, along with the various stakeholders, suitable
mechanisms for the active involvement of associations of professional experts for planning,
implementing and monitoring DM initiatives. These activities are to be taken up in a project mode
with a specifically earmarked budget (both plan and nonplan) with each activity and to be
implemented in a fixed time-frame.
The approach followed will emphasise on comprehensive cyclone safety and risk reduction measures,
including structural and non-structural preparedness measures. They will be environment and
technology-friendly, sensitive to the special requirements of vulnerable groups and address all
stakeholders involved in cyclone DM. This will be achieved through strict compliance with existing and
new policies.
Financial Arrangements for Implementation
For too long, DM in India was marginalised as an issue of providing relief and rehabilitation to the
people affected by natural calamites. The new vision of GoI is a paradigm shift in the approach to DM:
from the erstwhile relief-and-response-centric approach to a holistic and integrated approach––
which will also be a pro-active prevention, mitigation and preparedness driven approach. These efforts
will conserve developmental gains, besides minimising loss to lives, livelihood and property. This
would, therefore, be the underlying principle for the allocation of adequate funds at all levels for
29
prevention, mitigation and preparedness, along with strengthening the relief and rehabilitation
machinery.
The sources of funding for all cyclone DM plan related activities will be as follows: (i) Annual
Plan/Budget: for mainstreaming cyclone DM plans into developmental plans of respective
ministries/departments at the centre and state governments/UTs.
(ii) Centrally Sponsored/Central Sector Schemes. (iii) National Mitigation Projects by NDMA and other
specific projects either by the central government or state governments; funded internally/externally.
(iv) Public-Private Partnership.
National Disaster Management Plan

The National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) aims to make India disaster resilient and significantly
reduce the loss of lives and assets. The plan is based on the four priority themes of the “Sendai
Framework,” namely: understanding disaster risk, improving disaster risk governance, investing in
disaster reduction (through structural and non-structural measures) and disaster preparedness, early
warning and building back better in the aftermath of a disaster.
Vision
Make India disaster resilient, achieve substantial disaster risk reduction, and significantly decrease the
losses of life, livelihoods, and assets – economic, physical, social, cultural, and environmental – by
maximizing the ability to cope with disasters at all levels of administration as well as among
communities.
Objectives
Along with the mandate given in the DM Act 2005 and the NPDM 2009, the national plan has
incorporated the national commitment towards the Sendai Framework. Accordingly, the broad
objectives of the NDMP are:
1. Improve the understanding of disaster risk, hazards, and vulnerabilities
2. Strengthen disaster risk governance at all levels from local to centre
3. Invest in disaster risk reduction for resilience through structural, non-structural and financial
measures, as well as comprehensive capacity development
4. Enhance disaster preparedness for effective response
5. Promote “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction
6. Prevent disasters and achieve substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives,
livelihoods, health, and assets (economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental)
7. Increase resilience and prevent the emergence of new disaster risks and reduce the existing
risks
8. Promote the implementation of integrated and inclusive economic, structural, legal, social,
health, cultural, educational, environmental, technological, political and institutional
measures to prevent and reduce hazard exposure and vulnerabilities to disaster
9. Empower both local authorities and communities as partners to reduce and manage disaster
risks
30
10. Strengthen scientific and technical capabilities in all aspects of disaster management
11. Capacity development at all levels to effectively respond to multiple hazards and for
community-based disaster management
12. Provide clarity on roles and responsibilities of various Ministries and Departments involved in
different aspects of disaster management
13. Promote the culture of disaster risk prevention and mitigation at all levels
14. Facilitate the mainstreaming of disaster management concerns into the developmental
planning and processes
The Plan has also incorporated a Chapter on Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance. The
generalized responsibility matrix given in this section summarizes the themes for strengthening
Disaster Risk Governance and specifies agencies at the Centre and State with their respective
roles. The matrix has six thematic areas in which Central and State Governments have to take
actions to strengthen disaster risk governance:
o Mainstream and integrate DRR and Institutional Strengthening
o Capacity Development
o Promote Participatory Approaches
o Work with Elected Representatives
o Grievance Redress Mechanism
o Promote Quality Standards, Certifications, and Awards for Disaster Risk Management
• It provides for horizontal and vertical integration among all the agencies and departments of
the Government. The plan also spells out the roles and responsibilities of all levels of
Government right up to Panchayat and Urban Local Body level in a matrix format. The plan
has a regional approach, which will be beneficial not only for disaster management but also
for development planning.
• It is designed in such a way that it can be implemented in a scalable manner in all phases of
disaster management. It also identifies major activities such as early warning, information
dissemination, medical care, fuel, transportation, search and rescue, evacuation, etc. to serve
as a checklist for agencies responding to a disaster. It also provides a generalized framework
for recovery and offers flexibility to assess a situation and build back better.
• To prepare communities to cope with disasters, it emphasizes on a greater need for

Information, Education and Communication activities.
31
The Role of government
Fig: National Disaster Management Structure
The Role of local government

The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments enabled the local governments with the power,
authority and resources to function as 'units of self-government', though with varying levels of
initiative, drive, interest, intensity and diversity of operations in practice.
Towards functioning effectively and efficiently during disasters, local governments must have the
following: an organisational set up, a specific disaster management plan and capacity building of its
stakeholders.
Role and functions of local governments during different phases of disaster management have been
indicated in the following paragraphs.
A. During the Phase of Pre-Disaster:
(i) Initiate a 'Mapping of Resources and Facilities' in and around its functional area with special
emphasis on their suitability for disaster management. For example, identifying temporary locations
for keeping evacuated persons, storage of food, drinking water, medicines, etc., availability of
necessary equipment and its status like tractors, trolleys, bulldozer, crane, JCB, etc., list of
32
professionals like doctors, engineers, nurses, electricians, plumbers, etc., and, list of emergency items
to be procured and stored.
(ii) Carry out 'Vulnerability Mapping' of the locality and update the vulnerability profile of the area at
regular intervals.
(iii) Prepare an 'Evacuation Plan' with priority for children, women, sick, aged and differently abled.
(iv) Devise an 'Early Warning and Reporting System' with the list of ‘nodal persons’ across the
functional area and update their presence / status at regular intervals.
(v) Prepare a ‘Directory’ of blood donors and youth volunteers, with contact address and ensure
their status at regular intervals.
(vi) Constitute a 'Disaster Management Cell (DMC)' at the local level which will act as a 'Core team'
for all the activities. DMC should keep the details of resource and facilities, vulnerability mapping,
evacuation plan, early warning and reporting system, and, directory of blood donors and youth
volunteers. Each member of the Cell may be assigned with specific responsibilities (Main and Stand-
by) to avoid overlapping and duplication of efforts. Each core team member will inform the nodal
persons about the disaster plan and their expected assignments, on receipt of any early warning
about disasters.
(vii) Capacity building of different stakeholders to be organised at regular intervals. Training sessions
for the specific categories of population need to be organised: At least one member from every family
on preparation of emergency kit; at least one official from every local institution on documentation
of vital information necessary for disaster management and evacuating the most important
documents in case of disasters; every citizen on disaster-specific drills; every youth volunteer on
application of first aid, carrying out CPR and safe evacuation procedures, and, operation of stand- by
power and communication equipment.
B. During the Phase of Disaster:
(i) Opening of a 24 x 7 emergency control room with necessary data bank about the resources and
facilities, communication equipment, back-up power and team of responsible personnel.
(ii) Core team members are to be available in the control room, round the clock, for continuous
monitoring of all the activities during this phase.
(iii) Collect the field data from the nodal persons, verify the information, collate them and
communicate the same to the Block and District administration.
(iv) All communications, both incoming and out-going, are to be channelised through a single
point at the DMC.
(v) Convene an emergency meeting of the functionaries of all political, non-political and
community based organisations to seek their support and co-operation in addressing the situation
effectively.
(vi) Start a ‘community kitchen’ at an appropriate place for ensuring food to all those affected.
(vi) Ensure medical services are available to the needy at all times. Services of private hospitals and
medical practitioners also can be utilised for providing round-the-clock medical services.
33
(vii) Co-ordinate the efforts and activities of government institutions, NGOs, private sector and
community based organisations.
C. During the Phase of Post-Disaster:
(i) Ensure provision of basic needs like drinking water, food, clothes, utencils, etc. to the needy.
(ii) Regulate the availability of ration and cooking fuel and ensure their supply to every needy family.
(iii) Construction of temporary shelters and sanitary facilities at suitable sites.
(iv) Ensure regular supply of water purifying tablets to all houses in the locality.
(v) Ensure regular visits by the Health workers to all parts of the locality. Health workers may be
assisted by trained youth volunteers.
(vi) Organise medical camps at different parts of the area at regular intervals. Even the services of
private medical practitioners, nursing staff and para-medical staff can be ensured by the local
government to organise medical camps.
(vii) Ensure uninterrupted supply of food and other services by the anganawadis thereby reaching
up to children, adolescent girls, pregnant mothers and lactating mothers of the locality.
(viii) Restoring livelihood assets like roads and infrastructure in the locality on priority.
(ix) Co-ordinate the activities of government departments, non- governmental agencies and
community based organisations for providing livelihood support for the affected families and ensure
their optimum benefit to all beneficiaries.
(x) Provide psycho-social care to the needy persons, to enable them to get over the traumatic period.
(xi) Restoring the education and other basic services to the citizens.
(xii) Any other services depending upon the need of the situation.
better position to understand the social vulnerability of natural and human-made disasters. In
addition, they are expected to address the differential impacts of disasters
Role of State government

The responsibility to cope with natural disasters is essentially that of the State Government. The role
of the Central Government is supportive in terms of supplementation of physical and financial
resources. The Chief Secretary of the State heads a state level committee which is in overall charge of
the relief operations in the State and the Relief Commissioners who are in charge of the relief and
rehabilitation measures in the wake of natural disasters in their States function under the overall
direction and control of the state level committee. In many states, Secretary, Department of Revenue,
is also in-charge of relief. State Governments usually have relief manuals and the districts have their
contingency plan that is updated from time to time.
State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)
At the State level, the SDMA, headed by the Chief Minister, will lay down policies and plans for DM in
the State. It will, inter alia approve the State Plan in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the
NDMA, coordinate the implementation of the State Plan, recommend provision of funds for mitigation
34
and preparedness measures and review the developmental plans of the different departments of the
State to ensure integration of prevention, preparedness and mitigation measures.
The State Government shall constitute a State Executive Committee (SEC) to assist the SDMA in the
performance of its functions. The SEC will be headed by the Chief Secretary to the State Government
and coordinate and monitor the implementation of the National Policy, the National Plan and the
State Plan. The SEC will also provide information to the NDMA relating to different aspects of DM.
Need for Immediate Action
Ideally, state DM plans should be made after vulnerability assessment and risk analysis of a state have
been undertaken. Guidelines issued by the NDMA will also need to be internalised in these plans. Even
though this process has begun, it is likely to take some time. It is felt that the preparation of plans
cannot, and should not, await the outcome the disaster risk analysis. On the basis of extant
information and knowledge, a plan should be formulated by every state and updated regularly adding
fresh inputs on an ongoing basis. Pending detailed micro-level vulnerability assessment and risk
analysis, information as currently available about the vulnerability profile of different areas of a state,
including information contained in the Vulnerability Atlas of India published by the Ministry of Urban
Development may be incorporated in the plan.
State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)
States will be encouraged to create response capabilities from within their existing resources. To start
with, each state may aim at equipping and training one battalion equivalent force. They will also
include women members for looking after the needs of women and children. NDRF battalions and
their training institutions will assist the States/UTs in this effort. The States/UTs will also be
encouraged to include DM training in
Role of national government

On 23 December 2005, the Government of India enacted the Disaster Management Act, which
envisaged the creation of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime
Minister, and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) headed by respective Chief Ministers,
to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to Disaster Management in India.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister of India, is the
apex body for Disaster Management in India. Setting up of NDMA and the creation of an enabling
environment for institutional mechanisms at the State and District levels is mandated by the Disaster
Management Act, 2005.
India envisions the development of an ethos of Prevention, Mitigation and Preparedness. The Indian
government strives to promote a national resolve to mitigate the damage and destruction caused by
natural and man-made disasters, through sustained and collective efforts of all Government agencies,
Non-Governmental Organizations and People’s participation. This is planned to be accomplished by
adopting a Technology-Driven, Pro-Active, Multi-Hazard and Multi-Sectoral strategy for building a
Safer, Disaster Resilient and Dynamic India.
NDMA Vision
"To build a safer and disaster resilient India by a holistic, pro-active, technology driven and sustainable
development strategy that involves all stakeholders and fosters a culture of prevention, preparedness
and mitigation."
35
Functions and Responsibilities
NDMA, as the apex body, is mandated to lay down the policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster
Management to ensure timely and effective response to disasters. Towards this, it has the following
responsibilities:-
▪ 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 plans 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 the mitigation, or preparedness
and capacity building for dealing with threatening disaster situations or disasters as it may
consider necessary.
▪ Lay down broad policies and guidelines for the functioning of the National Institute of Disaster
Management.
Nodal Ministries/Department for Disaster Management at the National Level:
36
The coordination between various nodal ministries/departments is done by National Executive

Committee (NEC), which is headed by Home Secretary. The NEC has to prepare the national plan for
disaster management based on the National Disaster Management Policy.
Role of Non-Government and Inter-Government Agencies

1. Role of the Union Government:
Although the State Government concerned has the primary responsibility for crisis management, the
Union Government plays a key supportive role in terms of physical and financial resources and
providing complementary measures, such as early warning and co-ordination of efforts of all union
ministries, departments and organisations. At the apex level, a Cabinet Committee on Natural
Calamities reviews the crisis situation.
A high level committee of ministers under the chairmanship of Minister of Agriculture deals with the
issue of financial support to be provided to the State Governments from the National Disaster
Response Fund, if the funds available with the State Governments under State Disaster Response Fund
are not adequate. Matters relating to nuclear, biological and chemical emergencies are looked after
by the Cabinet Committee on Security.
2. National Crisis Management Committee:

The Cabinet Secretary, as the highest executive officer, heads the National Crisis Management
Committee (NCMC). Secretaries of ministries and departments concerned and heads of other
organisations are members of NCMC, which reviews and monitors crisis situations on a regular basis
and gives directions to the Crisis Management Group, as deemed necessary. The NCMC can give
directions to any ministry, department or organisation for specific action needed for meeting the crisis
situation.
As disaster management is a multi-disciplinary process, all Central Ministries and Departments have a
key role in the field of disaster management. In view of the highly technical and specific nature of
certain disaster events such as aviation disasters, rail accidents, chemical disasters and biological
disasters etc.; the ministries dealing with that particular subject have the nodal responsibility for
handling that particular type of disaster.
Nodal Ministries/Department for Disaster Management at the National Level:
i. Droughts – Ministry of agriculture
ii. Epidemics and Biological Disasters – Ministry of Health
iii. Chemical or Industrial Chemical Disasters – Ministry of Environment & Forest
iv. Nuclear Accidents – Department of Atomic Energy
v. Railway Accidents – Ministry of Railways
vi. Air Accidents – Ministry of Civil Aviation
vii. Natural Disasters except Drought & Epidemics and Civil Strife – Ministry of Home Affairs
The Secretaries of the Nodal Ministries and Departments of GOI, i.e. the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), Agriculture, Civil Aviation, Environment and Forests, Health, Atomic Energy, Space, Earth
37
Sciences, Water Resources, Mines, Railways etc. are all members of the NEC and function as nodal
agencies for specific disasters based on their core competencies or as assigned to them.
The coordination between various nodal ministries/departments is done by National Executive

Committee (NEC), which is headed by Home Secretary. The NEC has to prepare the national plan for
disaster management based on the National Disaster Management Policy.
3. Crisis Management Group:

The Crisis Management Group (CMG) consists of nodal officers from various concerned ministries.
Apart from CMG, the National Executive Committee headed by the Home Secretary performs the
statutory coordination and functions as per the DM Act, 2005.
The CMG’s functions are to review annual contingency plans formulated by various ministries,
departments and organisations in their respective sectors, measures required for dealing with natural
disasters, coordinate the activities of the Union Ministries and State Governments in relation to
disaster preparedness and relief, and to obtain information from the nodal officers on all these issues.
In the event of a disaster, the CMG meets frequently to review relief operations and extends all
possible assistance required by the affected states to overcome the situation. The Resident
Commissioner of the affected state is also associated with such meetings.
4. Funding Mechanism:
Each state has a corpus of funds, called State Disaster Response Fund, administered by a state level
committee headed by the Chief Secretary of the State Government. The size of the corpus is
determined with reference to the expenditure normally incurred by the state on relief and
rehabilitation over the past ten years.
In case the funds under State Disaster Response Fund are not sufficient to meet the specific
requirements, State Governments can seek assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund—a
fund created at Central Government level. Both these funds, as the names suggest, are meant for
relief and rehabilitation and do not cover either mitigation or reconstruction works, which have to be
funded separately by the State or Union Government.
5. Role of State Government:

In India, the basic responsibility to undertake rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures in the event
of natural disasters rests with the state government. Since the very beginning, the entire structure of
crisis administration in the state governments had been oriented towards post disaster relief and
rehabilitation.
Most of the states have Relief Commissioners who are in charge of the relief and rehabilitation
measures. Most of the states have switched over to a Disaster Management Department with the
required linkages with the various development and regulatory departments concerned with
prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
Every state has a Crisis Management Committee under the chairpersonship of the Chief Secretary,
consisting of secretaries in charge of concerned departments, which reviews crisis situations on a day-
to-day basis at the time of crisis, coordinates the activities of all departments and provides decision
support system to the district administration. At the ministers’ level, a Cabinet Committee on Natural
Calamities under the chairpersonship of the Chief Minister takes stock of situations and is responsible
for all important policy decisions.
38
6. Role of District Administration:

The District Magistrate/Collector has the responsibility for overall management of disasters in the
district. He has the authority to mobilise the response machinery and has been given financial powers
to draw money under the provisions of the General Financial Rules/Treasury Codes.
All departments of the State Government, including the police, fire services, public works, irrigation
etc., work in a coordinated manner under the leadership of the Collector during a disaster, except in
metropolitan areas where the municipal body plays a major role. The District Collector also enjoys the
authority to request for assistance from the Armed Forces if circumstances so demand. NGOs have
also been effective in providing relief, rescue and rehabilitation in recent times.
7. Role of Local Self-Governments:

Local self-governments, both rural and urban, have emerged as important tiers of governance, after
the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution. For the people, they are also the nearest units of
administration and are among the first responders to any crisis besides being closely knit with the
communities. These units can thus play an important role in crisis management under the overall
leadership of the District Administration.
8. Role of Public/NGO/Civil Society/Media:

The local community is usually the first responder in case of a disaster. Local community also carries
traditional knowledge and relevant counter measures regarding disaster management. So the role of
local community must be utilised with the help of NGOs and media.
They should be encouraged to play an active role in all three phases of disaster management. District
administration should also focus on capacity building, participation and empowerment of these
stakeholders in disaster management.
Mobilisation of community action supported by local NGOs, along with government machinery is a
must for quick, efficient and effective response. For this, healthy coordination must exist between
local administration and local community/NGOs. Local NGOs and civil society must work on
developing a deep culture of safety and prevention in society.
NGOs, civil society and media also play an active role as pressure groups in a democracy so that any
laxity on part of the government can be traced and fixed. So, the public and the NGOs should keep a
close vigil over the functioning of the government regarding disaster management and render their
services as a watchdog.
ROLE OF NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Introduction
• “NGO‟s are Non – profit organizations or associations of private citizens with a common interest to
assist the disaster affected people”.
• NGOs play and important role in disaster response,mitigation, disaster reduction and recuse,
coordination indifferent regions.
• NGO response focused on emergency food relief, temporary shelter, emergency medical aid, debris
removal and habitat restoration, trauma counseling, and raising families.
39
• The shift is from a relief centric approach to a multidimensional endeavor involving diverse scientific,
engineering financial and social processes to adopt amulti-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach.
• Provides support like health, education, water supply and sanitation, shelter and infrastructure,
NGOs are active in responding to various disasters in different phases.
• In the pre – disaster phase should include awareness generation, education, training, and formation
of village level Task Force. Disaster Management Committees and Teams, development of Disaster
Management Plans, conduct of mock drills, vulnerability assessment and coordination with
Government and non-government agencies.
• Play a key role in the immediate aftermath of disasters by extending assistance in rescue and first
aid, sanitation and hygiene, damage assessment and assistance to external agencies bringing relief
materials.
• During the post disaster phase, the NGOs can take a lead by providing technical and material support
for safe construction, revival of educational institutions and restoration of means of livelihood and
assist the government in monitoring the pace of implementation for various reconstruction and
recovery program me.
• Restoration of livelihood, food security and nutrition, environment, etc.,
• NGOs have also started to collaborate with corporate entities in Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
projects and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the field of DM at State, District and
Sub-district levels.
• NGOs are organizations registered under various Indian laws such as the Societies Registration Act,
1860, Section 25(1) of Companies Act, 1956 meant for non-profit companies, or Statespecific Public
Charitable Trust Acts.
• NGOs have also come together through networks, coalitions and alliances so as to offer value added
humanitarian services, notable examples being Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI),
Voluntary Action Network India (VANI), Sphere India, Alliance for Adaptation and Disaster Risk
Reduction (AADRR), and Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA).
Fundamental Principles of Disaster Response The following principles of ideal humanitarian response
are largely aspirational and they reflect the good practices in humanitarian response in disaster
contexts. Most governments and international, national and local level NGOs try to adhere to these
principles while responding to disasters in their jurisdictions.
40

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UNIT-4 Disaster Mitigation

DISASTER PROFILE OF INDIA

Climate Conditions & Disaster

Common Type of Disasters in India

The entire Himalayan Region is considered to be vulnerable to high intensity earthquakes of a

Cold Wave and Fog

▪ Disaster risks in India are further compounded by increasing vulnerabilities related

urbanization, development within high-risk zones, environmental degradation, climate

• Accidents in storage facilities of chemicals

• Accidents during the transportation of chemicals, misuse of chemicals

• Improper waste management

• Accidents in treatment plants

• Technological system failures

• Failures of plant safety design

• Arson and sabotage

(B) Road Accidents

Mega Disasters in India

Uttarakhand Flash Floods

The Indian Ocean Tsunami

Odisha Super Cyclone

The Great Famine

The Bengal Famine

COVID-19 pandemic in India

In recent times, there have been

o fire accidents in hospitals due to negligence and non implementation of existing

o collapse of various infrastructure constructs like flyovers, metro tracks and

Disaster Management Act, 2005

i) prevention of danger or threat of any danger

ii) mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences

iii) capacity building

iv) preparedness to deal with any disaster

v) prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster

vi) assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster

vii) evacuation, rescue and relief

viii)rehabilitation and reconstruction”

National Executive Committee

State Disaster Management Authority

District Disaster Management Authority

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

State and District level Institutions

b) State Executive Committee (SEC)

c) District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)

d) Institutional Framework for Metropolitan Cities

Financing of Relief Expenditures

Financing of Disaster Management Through Five Year Plans

National Policy on Disaster Management

What does the National Policy deal with?

Background of National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM) 2009:

Who is responsible for Disaster Management?

Disaster Management is a multidisciplinary activity which is to be performed in cohesive synergy

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

• Rescued more than 4.5 lakh human lives.

• Retrieved more than 2000 dead bodies.

• Trained Community Volunteers – around 40,00,000.

National Guidelines on disaster Management

Guidelines for Earthquake Management

Mainstreaming Earthquake Mitigation

The Six Pillars of Earthquake Management

Time line for Implementation

Guidelines for Biological Disaster Management

Prevention of Biological Disasters: