DISASTER MANAGEMENT MITIGATION IN INDIA

Abstract

India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disaster on account of its unique geo-climate conditions. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, and landslides have been recurrent phenomena. About 60% of the landmass is prone to earthquake of various intensities; over 40 million hectares is prone to floods; about 8 % of total area is prone to cyclones and 68% of the areas is susceptible to drought. In the decade 1990-2000, an average of about 4344 people lost their lives about about 30 million people were affected by disaster every year. The loss in terms of private, community and public assets has been astronomical. At the global level, there has been considerable concern over natural disaster. Even as substantial scientific and material progress is made, the loss of life and property due to disaster has not decreased. In fact human toll and economic losses have mounted. It was in this background that the UN general assembly in 1989 declared 1990-2000 as the International decade of natural disaster reduction with the objective to reduce loss of lives and property and restrict socioeconomic damage through concerted international action. The Government of India have adopted mitigation and prevention as essential components of their development strategies. The Tenth Five Year Plan documents has a detailed chapter on Disaster Management. The plan emphasizes the fact that development can not be sustainable without mitigation being built into development process. Each State is supposed to prepare a plan scheme for disaster mitigation in accordance with the approach outlined in the plan. In brief, mitigation is being institutionalized into development planning. The Finance Commission makes recommendation with regard to devolution of funds between Central Government and State Government as also outlays for relief and rehabilitation. The Government of India have issued guidelines that where there is a self of projects, projects addressing mitigation with be given priority. It has also been mandated that each projects in a hazard prone area will have disaster prevention/mitigation as a term of reference and the project documents has to reflect as to how project addresses that term of reference. In the sections are discussed the measures shortcoming, measures taken for the mitigation of the disaster.