• India’s geo-climatic conditions as well as its high degree of socio-economic vulnerability, makes it one of the most disaster prone country in the world.A disaster is an extreme disruption of the functioning of a society that causes widespread human, material, or environmental losses that exceed the ability of the affected society to cope with its own resources.
• India is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, losing about two percent of the GDP on an average to disasters. 
• Definition of Disaster:A disaster is a physical event, phenomenon or human activity that leads to sudden disruption of normal life, causing severe damage to life and property to an extent that available social and economic protection mechanisms are inadequate to cope. Its origin can be natural or man-made.
  Disasters could be, natural (geological, hydro-meteorological and biological) or induced by human processes (environmental degradation and technological hazards).
  Disasters proceed by cause-effect due to endogenous (inherent) and exogenous (external) factors, which combine to excite the phenomenon into a large-scale destructive event.
  Disaster is disturbance of ‘equilibrium’ which can be restored/ remedied by proactive Policy in this regard. Hence, traditional perception of disasters as natural phenomena outside the realm of human intervention is not true. Disaster Management is an attempt to inquire into the process of a potential damage (hazard) turning to disaster, to identify the causes and rectify the same through public policy.
• Classification Of Disasters:

• Disaster Management: A continuous and integrated process of planning, organizing, coordinating and implementing measures which are necessary or expedient for prevention of danger or threat of any disaster; mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences; capacity building; preparedness to deal with any disaster; prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster; assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster; evacuation, rescue and relief; and rehabilitation and reconstruction
• Till recently, the approach to Disaster Management has been reactive and relief centric. A paradigm shift has now taken place at the national level from the relief centric syndrome to holistic and integrated approach with emphasis on prevention, mitigation and preparedness. These efforts are aimed to conserve developmental gains as also minimize losses to lives, livelihood and property.

NATIONAL VISION

• To build a safer and disaster resilient India by developing a holistic, pro-active, multi-disaster and technology-driven strategy for disaster management through collective efforts of all Government Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations.

EVOLUTION OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT

National Center for Disaster Managementis one of the principal agencies for coordination of relief and rehabilitation during natural calamities. After the Bhopal gas tragedy, the Disaster Management Institute was created to conduct public awareness programs with the help of non-governmental organizations.The Tenth Five-Year Plan Document had, for the first time, a detailed chapter on Disaster Management. The Government of India (GOI), in recognition of the importance of Disaster Management as a national priority, had set up a High-Powered Committee (HPC) in August 1999 and also a nation committee after the Gujarat earthquake, for making recommendations on the preparation of Disaster Management plans and suggestion effective mitigation mechanisms.On 23 December 2005, the Government of India enacted the Disaster Management Act, which envisaged the creation of the 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.Also, District Disaster Management Authorities were set up with the District Collectors as the Chairpersons with the electedrepresentatives of the local bodies as the Co chairpersons.

POWERS & FUNCTIONS OF NDMA

The NDMA constituted under Section 3 of the DM Act, 2005, has the responsibility of laying downthe policies, plans and guidelines for effective DM.

As mandated, the NDMA may:

• lay down policies on disaster management
• approve the National Plan
• approve plans prepared by the ministriesor departments of the Government of Indiain accordance with the National Plan
• lay down guidelines to be followed by theState Authorities in drawing up the State Plan
• lay down guidelines to be followed by thedifferent ministries or departments ofthe Government of India for the purposeof integrating the measures forprevention of disaster or the mitigation ofits effects in their development plans andprojects
• coordinate the enforcement andimplementation of the policy and plan forDM
• recommend provision of funds for thepurpose of mitigation
• take such other measures for the preventionof disaster, or the mitigation, orpreparedness and capacity building fordealing with the threatening disastersituation
• lay down broad policies and guidelines forthe functioning of the National Institute ofDisaster Management (NIDM).

National Disaster Management Plan 2016

Objective: To make India disaster resilient and reduce loss of lives

Legal Provisions:

NDMP is mandated under Disaster Management Act, 2005. As per the Act, the national plan must lay down the guidelines for preparation of state-level disaster management plans as well as plans by each Central ministry and department.

Major Themes:

Based on “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-30”, 4 major themes are :

Understanding disaster risk

Improving disaster risk governance

Investing in disaster risk reduction and

Disaster preparedness

Important Features:

It covers all phases of disaster management: prevention, response, mitigation and recovery

It provides for vertical and horizontal integration among all the Government agencies and departments

It also spells out the roles and responsibilities of all levels of Government right up to Urban Local Body (ULB) and Panchayat level in a matrix format

The plan has a regional approach, which will be beneficial for disaster management and also for development planning

It has been designed in such a way that it can be implemented in all phases of disaster management in a scalable manner

The plan also identifies major activities such as early warning, medical care, information dissemination, fuel, search and rescue, transportation, 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

It emphasizes on a greater need for Information, Education and Communication activities to prepare communities to cope with disasters

The plan incorporates provisions for strengthening disaster risk governance and lays down six thematic areas

TYPES OF DISASTER

EARTHQUAKES

• Earthquakes have caused huge damage to life and property worldwide and pose a significant threat to India also because of falling of almost 59% of its geographical area in earthquake vulnerable zones. 
• The most clearly observable impacts of an earthquake are the loss of human lives and property, economic & social losses and environmental degradation. Over the last century, about 75% of fatalities attributed to earthquakes have been caused by the collapse of buildings.
• Besides, ignorance of basic tips of earthquake survivability in the mindset of common people during shaking of earth increases the casualty in many folds. Further, least expertise by rescuers in search & rescue in collapse buildings and no knowledge of first-aid technique for earthquake victims make the situation worst during any post earthquake scenario.

What to Do Before an Earthquake

• Repair deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
• Anchor overhead lighting fixtures to the ceiling.
• Follow BIS codes relevant to your area for building standards
• Fasten shelves securely to walls.
• Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
• Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in low, closed cabinets with latches.
• Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, settees, and anywhere people sit.
• Brace overhead light and fan fixtures.
• Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks.
• Secure a water heater, LPG cylinder etc., by strapping it to the wall studs and bolting it to the floor.
• Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.
• Have a disaster emergency kit ready
• Develop an emergency communication plan
• Help your community get ready.Publish a special section in your local newspaper with emergency information on earthquakes. Localize the information by printing the phone numbers of local emergency services offices and hospitals

What to Do during an Earthquake
If indoors

• DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
• Protect yourself by staying under the lintel of an inner door, in the corner of a room, under a table or even under a bed.
• Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
• Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
• Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, load bearing doorway.
• Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
• Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
• DO NOT use the elevators.

If outdoors

• Stay there.
• Move away from buildings, trees, streetlights, and utility wires.
• Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits, and alongside exterior walls. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.
• If in a moving vehicle
• Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.
• Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

If trapped under debris

• Do not light a match.
• Do not move about or kick up dust.
• Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
• Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

FLOOD

• Floods are recurrent phenomenon, which cause huge loss of lives and damage to livelihood system, property, infrastructure and public utilities
• Inadequate capacity of the rivers to contain within their banks the high flows brought down from the upper catchment areas following heavy rainfall, leads to flooding
• Areas with poor drainage facilities get flooded by accumulation of water from heavy rainfall
• Flash floods are characterized by very fast rise and recession of flow of small volume and high discharge, which causes high damages because of suddenness. This occurs in hilly and not too hilly regions and sloping lands where heavy rainfall and thunderstorms or cloudbursts are common.
• India is highly vulnerable to floods and out of the total geographical area of 329 mha, more than 40 mha is flood prone.
• On an average every year, 75 lakh hectares of land is affected, 1600 lives are lost and the damage caused to crops, houses and public utilities is Rs. 1805 crores due to floods
• Cyclones, cyclonic circulations and cloud bursts cause flash floods and lead to huge losses. The fact that some of the rivers causing damage in India originate in neighboring countries, adds another complex dimension to the problem
• Urban Flooding: Flooding in the cities and the towns is a recent phenomenon caused by increasing incidence of heavy rainfall in a short period of time, indiscriminate encroachment of waterways, inadequate capacity of drains and lack of maintenance of the drainage infrastructure.
• Institutional Framework: As per the constitutional provisions, FM is a state subject and as such the primary responsibility for flood management lies with the states

Activities for Minimizing Flood Risk and Losses

• The activities proposed to be undertaken aim at minimizing the flood risk and losses and are to be implemented in three phases in addition to recurring activities.

Phase-I

• These activities include identification and marking of flood prone areas on maps, preparation of close contour and flood vulnerability maps, formulating plans for expansion and modernization of flood forecasting and warning systems, identification of priority flood protection and drainage improvement works, identification of reservoirs for review and modification of operation manuals and rule curves and undertaking special studies on problems of river erosion

Phase-II

• These include implementation of the schemes for expansion and modernization of the flood forecasting and warning network, execution of flood protection and drainage improvement schemes, modification and adoption of revised reservoir operation manuals, enactment and enforcement of flood plain zoning regulations and planning and preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for storage reservoirs and implementation of the schemes for real-time collection of hydro meteorological data on rivers in Nepal, Bhutan and China.

Phase-III

• Implementation of activities, which include construction of dams and catchment area treatment (CAT) works in India as well as neighboring countries, is likely to take considerable time as they entail major environmental, social, inter-state and international implications

Recurring Activities

• These activities which include inspection of dams, embankments and other structural measures, execution of restoration and strengthening works and expansion and modernization of flood forecasting and warning systems, are to be taken on a regular basis for ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of various measures for minimizing flood risk.

DO’S & DONT’S

Before a Flood

• Avoid building in a flood prone area unless you elevate and reinforce your home
• Elevate the furnace, water heater, and electric panel if susceptible to flooding
• Install "check valves" in sewer traps to prevent floodwater from backing up into the drains of your home
• Contact community officials to find out if they are planning to construct barriers (levees, beams, floodwalls) to stop floodwater from entering the homes in your area
• Seal the walls in your basement with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage

During a Flood

• Listen to the radio or television for information
• Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.
• Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without such typical warnings as rain clouds or heavy rain.

If you must prepare to evacuate, you should do the following:

• Secure your home. If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. Move essential items to an upper floor
• Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water

If you have to leave your home, remember these evacuation tips:

• Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.
• Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away.

CYCLONES

• The actions that need to be taken in the event of a cyclone threat can broadly be divided into four classes, viz., (i) immediately before the cyclone season; (ii) when cyclone alerts and warnings are on; (iii) when evacuations are advised; and (iv) when the cyclone has crossed the coast

Before the Cyclone season:

• Check the house; secure loose tiles, carry out repair works for doors and windows
• Remove dead woods or dying trees close to the house; anchor removable objects like lumber piles, loose tin sheds, loose bricks, garbage cans, sign-boards etc. which can fly in strong winds
• Keep some wooden boards ready so that glass windows can be boarded if needed
• Keep a hurricane lantern filled with kerosene, battery operated torches and enough dry cells
• Demolish condemned buildings
• Keep some extra batteries for transistors
• Keep some dry non-perishable food always ready for emergency use

When the Cyclone starts

• Listen to the radio (All India Radio stations give weather warnings).
• Keep monitoring the warnings. This will help you to prepare for a cyclone emergency. Pass on the information to others.
• Ignore rumors and do not spread them; this will help to avoid panic situations. Believe in the official information
• When a cyclone alert is on for your area continue normal working but stay alert to the radio warnings.
• Remember that a cyclone alert means that the danger is within 24 hours. Stay alert.
• When your area is under cyclone warning get away from low-lying beaches or other low-lying areas close to the coast
• Leave early before your way to high ground or shelter gets flooded
• Do not delay and run the risk of being marooned
• If your house is securely built on high ground take shelter in the safer part of the house. However, if asked to evacuate do not hesitate to leave the place.
• Board up glass windows or put storm shutters in place.
• If you do not have wooden boards handy, paste paper strips on glasses to prevent splinters. However, this may not avoid breaking windows.
• Get extra food, which can be eaten without cooking. Store extra drinking water in suitably covered vessels.
• If you are to evacuate the house move your valuable articles to upper floors to minimize flood damage.
• Have hurricane lantern, torches or other emergency lights in working conditions and keep them handy.
• Small and loose things, which can fly in strong winds, should be stored safely in a room.
• Be sure that a window and door can be opened only on the side opposite to the one facing the wind
• Switch off electrical mains in your house.

When Evacuation is instructed

• Pack essentials for yourself and your family to last you a few days, including medicines, special foods for babies and children or elders.
• Head for the proper shelter or evacuation points indicated for your area.
• Do not worry about your property
• At the shelter follow instructions of the person in charge.
• Remain in the shelter until you have been informed to leave

Post-cyclone measures

• You must get inoculated against diseases immediately.
• Strictly avoid any loose and dangling wires from the lamp posts.
• If you are to drive, drive carefully.
• Clear debris from your premises immediately.
• Report the correct loss to appropriate authorities

LANDSLIDES & AVALANCHE

• Landslides are downward and outward movement of slope materials such as rock debris and earth, under the influence of gravity
• Snow Avalanche is a slide of snow mass down a mountainside. It is a rapid, down slope movement of large detached mass of snow, ice and associated debris such as rock fragments, soil and vegetation.
• Landslides & Avalanches are among the major hydro-geological hazards that affect large parts of India, especially the Himalayas, the Northeastern hill ranges, the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris, the Eastern Ghats and the Vindhyas, in that order. 
• Our country experiences landslides year after year especially during the monsoons and periods of intense rain. This hazard affects about 15 per cent of our country covering over 0.49 million square kilometers
• The northeastern region is badly affected by landslide problems of a bewildering variety.Landslides are also very common in the Nilgiris, characterized by a lateratic cap, which is highly landslide prone.

Strategies for Landslide Risk Treatment

• Landslide risk treatment is the ultimate objective of the risk management process which aims to mitigate the effects of the hazard. This encompasses a Six-pronged strategy comprising:
• Treating vulnerable slopes and existing hazardous landslides.
• Restricting development in landslide-prone areas.
• Preparing codes for excavation, construction and grading.
• Protecting existing developments.
• Monitoring and warning systems.
• Putting in place arrangements for landslide insurance and compensation for losses

NUCLEAR DISASTER

• When the impact of a nuclear or radiological emergency, caused by a nuclear attack (as happened atHiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan) or large-scale release of radioactivity from nuclear/radiological facilities (like that at Chernobyl in Ukraine) is very high, it assumes the dimension of a nuclear disasterleading to mass casualties and destruction of large areas and property.
• Nuclear emergencies can still arisedue to factors beyond the control of theoperating agencies; e.g., human error, systemfailure, sabotage, earthquake, cyclone, flood, etc.Such failures, even though of very low probability,may lead to an on-site or off-site emergency
• For nuclear facilities, the inbuilt safetymeasures, including biological shields,safety systems and interlocks, safetyaudits combined with operations andadministrative safety procedures,mitigate the consequences of accidents.
• Periodic regulatory inspections by theAERB and surveillance by plant safetypersonnel are carried out to ensure thata mitigation mechanism is in place

The practical goals of nuclear emergency preparedness are:

• To reduce radiation-induced health effectsby preventing, to the extent possible, theoccurrence of severe deterministic effectsin workers and in the public
• To limit, to the extent practicable, theoccurrence of stochastic effects in thepopulation

Handling a Plant Emergency

• Alerting the plant personnel by soundingthe emergency siren and making anemergency announcement.
• Adequate means for communicating anotification to the emergency responseorganizations at the facility, the districtand state authorities, CMG of DAE andthe central government authorities
• Formation of rescue teams and activationof a treatment area and decontaminationcentre.
• Provision of a fleet of vehicles forevacuation of plant personnel from thesite to a safer place.
• Suitable prophylaxis to be made availableat all assembly areas for administrationto plant personnel, in case the situationdemands.
• Radiation survey around the plant andoutside the plant and site boundaries
• Assessment of wind speed, winddirection and the affected sector aroundthe nuclear facility
• Whenever required, the nuclear facility isable to mobilize the services of theambulance and paramedical staff at itssite.

CHEMICAL DISASTER

• The growth of chemical industries has led toan increase in the risk of occurrence of incidentsassociated with hazardous chemicals (HAZCHEM)
• Common causes for chemical accidentsare deficiencies in safety management systems andhuman errors, or they may occur as a consequenceof natural calamities or sabotage activities
• Chemical accidents result in fire, explosion and/ortoxic release
• Meteorological conditions such as wind speed,wind direction, height of inversion layer, stabilityclass, etc., also play an important role by affectingthe dispersion pattern of toxic gas clouds

Sources of Chemical Disasters

• Manufacturing and formulation installationsincluding during commissioning andprocess operations; maintenance anddisposal.
• Material handling and storage inmanufacturing facilities, and isolatedstorages; warehouses and godownsincluding tank farms in ports and docksand fuel depots
• Transportation (road, rail, air, water, andpipelines)

Causative Factors Leading toChemical Disasters

• Fire.
• Explosion.
• Toxic release.
• Poisoning.
• Combinations of the above

Emergency Plan:

• Identification of hazards and hazardanalysis
• Emergency response procedures includingprocedures for quick response to medicalemergencies, transport to assemblypoints/shelters evacuation, temporary/finalrehabilitation and relief, both physical andmedical.
• To find out and critically evaluate unsafepractices requiring correction

Safety Promotional Activities

• Installation of sensors and monitors, theirregular maintenance and calibration at theplant perimeter to trigger alarms to the plantpersonnel as well as public
• Safety competitions, exhibitions, film/videoshows, seminars, debates
• Safety hoardings at strategic points.
• Frequent visit to other model industries.
• Institution of chemical safety award system

CONCLUSION

Main Findings

• In the past two decades, India’s public policy on disaster management has shifted from a focus on relief and rehabilitation efforts to holistic management of disasters. This new policy approach incorporates pre-disaster issues of prevention, mitigation, and preparedness, as well as post-disaster issues of response, recovery, and reconstruction.
• New initiatives, such as mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in development, building capacity through education and greater awareness at all levels, and utilizing advanced technologies, have enhanced India’s preparedness for each phase of disaster management.
• Unsafe building practices in rapidly growing urban settlements constitute one of India’s greatest challenges for disaster management. A major earthquake in any of India’s densely and heavily populated cities in seismic zones would be catastrophic in terms of fatalities.
• Climate change has far-reaching implications for managing disaster risk in India, as the frequency and intensity of flash floods, landslides, droughts, cyclones, and storm surges are expected to increase in upcoming decades.

Policy Implications

• While significant achievements have been made in post-disaster response and reconstruction, there are still formidable challenges to reducing the risk of future disasters.
• Disaster management policies must incorporate programs to protect the most vulnerable segments of society—the poor, marginalized, women, children, disabled, and elderly.
• Mechanisms must be designed and adopted for transferring lessons learned for pre- and post-disaster management between communities.
• Given that natural disasters do not always follow national boundaries, cross-boundary issues of disaster management should be addressed through enhanced regional cooperation.
• Furthermore, an effective regional response system should be developed to pool capacity for mutual benefit.