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Disaster Management – Updated 2023

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Definition of Disaster

Disaster Management Act of 2005 defines a disaster as a catastrophic mishap, calamity or a grave occurrence from a natural or man-made cause.

What is disaster management?

Disaster management or Disaster Risk management is concerned with

  • Policy formulation
  • Policy Implementation

to reduce the risk associated with disaster. The critical component is to reduce the current level of vulnerability to disaster.

Prevention and Mitigation

  • Appropriate response mechanism
  • Post-disaster rehab and reconstruction

India’s Vulnerability

  • 85% of the country is vulnerable to multiple disasters
  • 50% is in a high seismic zone
  • 70% is drought prone
  • 40 million hectares is flood-prone
  • On average, 2.25% of GDP is lost due to disaster

Types of Disaster

  • Geological
    • Earth Quake (earthquake resistant buildings)
    • Landslide (mitigation possible)
  • Climatic
    • Flood and drought (mitigation possible)
  • Environment Degradation
    • Deforestation
    • Land Slides
    • Soil Erosion and Degradation
  • Accidents
    • Bhopal Gas Tragedy
    • Industrial Accidents
    • Lg Polimars Vizag
  • Public Health
    • Corona
    • Dengue
    • H1N1
  • Man-made
    • Mob, crowd, stampede
    • War, terrorism

Changing paradigm in Disaster Management – post 2005 Disaster Management Act

  • Change in nodal agencies ( Ministry of Agriculture to Home Affairs)
  • Change in the legislative and institutional framework
  • NDMA – National Disaster Management Authority headed by Prime Minister
  • SDMA – State Disaster Management Authority headed by Chief Minister
  • DDMA – District Disaster Management Authority headed by District Magistrate
  • NDRF – National Disaster Response Force was formed
  • NIDM – National Institute of Disaster Management was constituted
  • R3 to P4 = Rescue, Relief & Rehab to Prediction, Prevention, Protection and Preparedness
  • From Adhoc response to systematic and institutional response
  • Rule-based Decision Making (Statutory basis)
  • Global recognition and intervention since disasters have a worldwide and humanitarian impact – e.g Kyoto protocol, Hyogo framework….etc
  • Focus on sustainable development – intergenerational equity
  • Building national, local and community level capabilities through disaster awareness, improving risk management, mitigation and building resilience (absorb and again getup)
  • Use as a window of opportunity – “Build Back Better ” – e.g Surat after the plague and Odisha after the 1999 super cyclone

What are the Steps and Strategies for Disaster Management

  • Risk reduction – legal and institutional framework
  • Hazard and Vulnerability analysis. e.g EIA
  • Planning for risk reduction
  • Promoting a culture of Safety
  • Innovation in learning and education
  • Building resilience at all levels
  • Encourage mitigation based on technology, traditional wisdom and environmental sustainability
  • Main Stream disaster management into developmental planning
  • Focus on the creation and enforcement of environmental safeguards
  • Identification and monitoring of disaster risk
  • Promoting partnership with media LSG, Civil society
  • Use financial instruments in risk reduction e.g crop insurance
  • Install early warning systems and predication mechanism

What should be the Risk Response

  • Trigger mechanism – SOP’s
    • Standard Operation procedure
    • Safety Operation protocol
  • Immediate rescue & relief
  • Coordination among agencies
  • Install info dissemination system, dedication helplines and control centre
  • Special focus on vulnerable sections

Risk recovery

  • Build resilience – use the window of opportunity – rehab with sustained livelihood.

CAG’s Observation on Disaster Management

  • A national plan for Disaster management is not yet formulated
  • NDMA’s project management capacity is deficient – bcos of poor planning and incomplete projects
  • Poor SDRF – State Disaster Response Fund status
  • Communication projects incomplete or not operational
  • NDRF’s fund is utilized for other purposes – so NDRF has not emerged as a well-equipped, well trained and specialised force
  • E.g
    • Uttarakhand Floods
      • Raises questions on the development model in ecologically fragile states.
      • Exposed poor disaster management and coordination
    • Kashmir
      • Poor city planning
      • Absolutely un-prepared state machinery
      • Uran flood phenomenon – human loss of life with economic costs
      • More a military-driven operation rather than NDRF, State and district efforts
      • NDMA’s organisation was headless – No role clarity and goal clarity

NDMA Weakness

  • No role and goal clarity
  • No proper allocation of funds
  • Insiders observe that members were politically appointed.
  • Top-heavy
  • No domain expertise
  • Taskforce set up to re-organize NDMA recommended the reduction of members and downgrading their status from Ministry of state to secretary

NDRF

  • It needs to improve its competence, reaction time and presence
  • Need for ground-level coordination. e.g In Kashmir, orders were being issued by CM but there was no one to execute it.
  • Lack of uninterrupted communication networks
  • No capacity to interpret data .e.g rising water levels in Jhelum didn’t trigger flood warning
  • Lack of coordination, monitoring and robust decision support system
  • Need to move from simple forecasting to impact forecasting
  • Need to have a one-point interface like a Disaster management section instead of having multiple agencies which either duplicate or either lack synergy -coordination

Case study of Odisha

  • 1999 – Super Cyclone – 10000 casualties
  • 2013 – Phalin
  • 2014 – Hud-Hud – 1 Million evacuated

Even the UN appreciated India for reducing exposure to risk. They highlighted the combined efforts of state, district, civil societies and political executives.

Recommendations given by Disaster Management Act 2005

  1. Establishment of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) for disaster management at the national and state levels.
  2. Preparation of disaster management plans at the national, state, and district levels, and integration of these plans with development plans.
  3. Establishment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for specialized response to disasters and crises situations.
  4. Creation of a National Disaster Mitigation Fund to provide financial assistance for disaster preparedness, prevention, and mitigation activities.
  5. Provision of relief and rehabilitation to the affected people, and compensation to the victims of a disaster.
  6. Establishment of a National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) for research, training, and capacity building in disaster management.
  7. Development of a communication strategy for effective dissemination of disaster-related information and warnings to the public.
  8. Strengthening of early warning systems for natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, cyclones, and landslides.
  9. Preparation of disaster risk assessments and management plans for vulnerable areas and critical infrastructure.
  10. Coordination and cooperation among various agencies and stakeholders in disaster management.
  11. Establishment of a National Disaster Response Fund and State Disaster Response Funds to provide financial resources for relief and rehabilitation in the event of a disaster.
  12. Identification of vulnerable sections of society, such as women, children, and the elderly, and provision of special assistance to them in the event of a disaster.
  13. Development of a system for monitoring and evaluation of disaster management efforts at all levels.
  14. Establishment of a National Centre for Disaster Management to support research, training, and capacity building in disaster management.
  15. Provision of legal and institutional frameworks for effective disaster management.

Recommendations mentioned in 2nd ARC Report

  1. Creation of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) for a systematic and integrated approach to disaster management.
  2. Development of a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for specialized response to disasters and crises situations.
  3. Establishment of Disaster Mitigation Funds at the national and state levels to provide financial assistance for disaster preparedness, prevention, and mitigation activities.
  4. Implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies including risk assessment, land-use planning, building codes, and standards.
  5. Encouragement of public-private partnerships for disaster preparedness and management.
  6. Creation of a comprehensive database of disaster-related information to aid in decision making and planning.
  7. Establishment of a National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) for research, training, and capacity building in disaster management.
  8. Development of a communication strategy for effective dissemination of disaster-related information and warnings to the public.
  9. Preparation and implementation of disaster management plans at the national, state, and district levels.
  10. Building community resilience and capacity for disaster preparedness and response.
  11. Integration of disaster risk reduction measures into development planning at all levels.
  12. Strengthening of early warning systems for natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, cyclones, and landslides.
  13. Development of standardized protocols and procedures for disaster response, relief, and recovery.
  14. Creation of a system for monitoring and evaluating disaster management efforts at all levels.
  15. Ensuring the availability of adequate resources and funding for disaster management activities.