Disclaimer

This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC member
countries.

The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADRC. The
boundaries and names shown and the designations used on the maps in the report also
do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the ADRC.

1|Pa geCOUNTRY REPORT
INDIAGeneral Information
Geography
India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural
heritage. It covers an area of 3,287,590 sq. km extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights
to the tropical rain forests of the south. As the 7th largest country in the world, India stands apartfrom the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct
geographical entity. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at theTropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and theArabian Sea on the west.
Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland extends between latitudes 8° 4' and 37° 6'
north, longitudes 68° 7' and 97° 25' east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between
the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes. It hasa land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep
Islands and Andaman & Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km. The Indian peninsula is separated frommainland Asia by the Himalayas. The Country is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, theArabian Sea in the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south. Indian neighbours consist ofAfghanistan and Pakistan to the north-west; China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north; Myanmar to theeast; and Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow
channel of sea, formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
Climate
The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical monsoon one. But, in spite of much of thenorthern part of India lying beyond the tropical zone, the entire country has a tropical climate marked
by relatively high temperatures and dry winters. There are four seasons:Winter (December-February)
Summer (March-June)
South-west monsoon season (June-September)
Post monsoon season (October-November)

2|Pa gePEOPLE

India's population, as on 1 March 2011 stood at 1,210,193,422 (623.7 million males and586.4 million females). India’s population consists of approximately 16.7% (1/6 th) of theworld population.
More than 50% of the population is below 25 years of age and more than 65% is below 35
years.
The average annual exponential growth rate stands at 1.64 per cent during 2001-2011.
The Crude Birth and death rates were 18.3 and 7.3 respectively in 2009.
Sex Ratio - 940 females per 1000 males according to 2011 census.
Population density is 382 persons/sq. km. as per 2011 census.

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Natural Hazards in India
GeneralIndia, due to its, physio-graphic and climatic conditions is one of the most disaster prone areas of theworld. It is vulnerable to windstorms from both the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. There are active
crustal movements in the Himalaya leading to earthquakes. About 58.7 % of the toatal land mass isprone to earthquake of moderate to very high intensity. The region was hit by Uttarkashi Earthquake(1991), Killari Earthquake (1993), Koyana Earthquake (1997), Chamoli Earthquake (1999), and Bhuj
earthquake (2001), Jammu & Kashmir Earthquake (2005). The Himalayas being a fairly young
mountain range is undergoing constant geological changes resulting in landslides. Floods brought
about by heavy rain and drought in arid and semi arid areas. About 12 % of the o f the total landmass is flood prone and 68 % of the arable land is vulnerable to drought. The Western region of thecountry is represented by the Thar Desert and the central India by the Deccan Plateau face recurring
droughts due to acute shortage of rainfall. India has increasingly become vulnerable to tsunamis.
India has a coastline running 7600 km long; as a result is repeatedly threatened by cyclones.

Some Basic Facts at a glance:Indian Subcontinent : amongst the world’s most disaster prone areas
58.6% of land vulnerable to earthquakes
68% of cultivable area is prone to drought
8.5% land vulnerable to cyclones – 5700 KMs out of 7516 KMs of coastline
12% land vulnerable to floods
 Around 15% area is prone to landslides (0.49 million Sq. KMs) – around 20 states areaffected by various degree•

Himalayan states are prone to snow-avalanche, and flash floods

The map below prepared by the UNDP shows multi-hazards zones in India.

3|Pa geThe table below shows major disasters in the known history of India:
Sr.
No.

Name of Event

Year

1.

Maharashtra Earthquake

1618

2,000

2.

Bengal Earthquake

1737

300,000

3.

Bengal Cyclone

1864

60,000

4.

The Great Famine ofSouthern India

1876-1878

Fatalities/Damages

5.5 million

4|Pa ge5.

Maharashtra Cyclone

1882

100,000

6.

The Great Indian famine

1896-1897

7.

Kangra earthquake

1905

20,0008.

Bihar Earthquake

1934

6,000

9.

Bengal Cyclone

1970

500,000 (include Pakistan
and Bangladesh also)

10.

Drought

1972

200 million people affected11.

Andhra Pradesh Cyclone

1977

10,00012.

Drought in Haryana & Punjab

1987

300 million people affected

13.

Latur Earthquake

1993

7,928 death and 30,000
injured

14.

Orissa Super Cyclone

1999

10,00015.

Gujarat Earthquake

2001

25,00016.

Indian Ocean Tsunami

2004

10,749deathspersons missing

17.

Kashmir Earthquake

2005

86000
deaths(includeKashmir & Pakistan)

18.

Kosi Floods

2008

527
dead
and
reportedly missing

19.

Cyclone Nisha of Tamil Nadu

2008

204

20.

Leh Flash Flood

6th August, 2010

255 killed and 29 missing.
Economic loss – 133 crore
rupees21.

Sikkim Earthquake

2011

60
dead
and
huge
economic loss to the tune of7425 crore rupees

1.25 million to 10 million

5,640

3500

Earthquake
India is having a high risk towards earthquakes. More than 58 per cent of India’s land area is under
threat of moderate to severe seismic hazard. During the last 20 years, India has experienced 10
major earthquakes that have resulted in more than 35,000 deaths. The most vulnerable areas,according to the present seismic zone map of India include the Himalayan and sub-Himalayan
regions, Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Bureau of Indian Standards has divided the

5|Pa gecountry into four seismic zone – Zone II to Zone V. Zone II represents the low risk zone and zone V
represents the highest risk zone.
Though the regions of the country away from the Himalayas and other inter-plate boundaries wereconsidered to be relatively safe from damaging earthquakes, the presence of a large number of nonengineering structures and buildings with poor foundations in these areas make these regions also
susceptible to earthquakes. In the recent past, even these areas also have experienced earthquake,of lower magnitude than the Himalayan earthquakes. The North-Eastern part of the country
continues to experience moderate to strong earthquakes. On an average, this region experiences anearthquake with magnitude greater than 5.0 every year. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are
situated on an inter-plate boundary and therefore are likely to experience damaging earthquakes
frequently. The increase in earthquake risk in India in recent times is caused due to a spurt indevelopmental activities driven by urbanization, economic development and the globalization ofIndia’s economy. The increase in the use of high-technology equipment and tools in manufacturing
and service industries have also made them susceptible to disruption due to relatively moderate
ground shaking.

Earthquakes Facts 10.9% land is liable to severe earthquakes (intensity MSK IX or more) – Zone V 17.3%landis liable to MSKVIII(similar to Latur/ Uttarkashi) – Zone - IV
6|Pa ge 30.4% land is liable to MSK VII (similar to Jabalpur quake) – Zone II & III
Biggest quakes in: Andamans, Kuchchh, Himachal, Kashmir, N. Bihar and the North East

Flood and Drought
The country receives an annual precipitation of 400 million - hectare meters. Of the annual rainfall,
75% is received during four months of monsoon (June- September) and, as a result, almost all therivers carry heavy discharge during this period. The flood hazard is compounded by the problems of
sediment deposition, drainage congestion and synchronization of river floods with sea tides in the
coastal plains. The area vulnerable to floods is 40 million hectares and the average area affected byfloods annually is about 8 million hectares. About 30 million people are affected by flood every year.
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. The maps below show the flood hazard zonation and areas/states prone to flooding.

Floods

Floods in the Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra plains are an annual feature on an average, a few
hundred lives are lostmillions are rendered homelesslakhs of hectares of crops are damaged every year

Around 68% arable land of the country is prone to drought in varying degrees. Drought prone areas
comprise 108. 11 million hectares out of a total land area of 329 Million hectares. About 50 million

7|Pa ge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. From 1800 till date the country has
experienced 10 severe drought years (> 39.5% area of the country was affected) and 5 years ofphenomenal drought (> 49.5% of the area of the country was affected).
CycloneIndia’s long coastline of 7,516 kilometer is exposed to nearly 10 per cent of the world’s tropical
cyclones. Of these, the majority has their initial genesis over the Bay of Bengal and strike the east
coast of India. On an average, five to six tropical cyclones form every year, of which two or three
could be severe visit the coastal areas. Cyclones occur frequently on both the coasts (The west
coast - Arabian Sea; and the east coast - Bay of Bengal). More cyclones occur in the Bay of Bengal
than in the Arabian Sea and the ratio is approximately 4:1. An analysis of the frequency of cyclones
on the east and west coasts of India between 1891 and 1990 shows that nearly 262 cyclones
occurred (92 severe) in a 50 km wide strip on the east coast. Less severe cyclonic activity has been
noticed on the west coast, with 33 cyclones occurring in the same period, out of which 19 of thesewere severe.
In India, Tropical cyclones occur in the months of May-June and October-November. The cyclones
of severe intensity and frequency in the north Indian Ocean are bi-modal in character, with theirprimary peak in November and secondary peak in May. The disaster potential is particularly high at
the time of landfall in the north Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) due to theaccompanying destructive wind, storm surges and torrential rainfall. Of these, storm surges are thegreatest killers of a cyclone, by which sea water inundates low lying areas of coastal regions andcauses heavy floods, erodes beaches and embankments, destroys vegetation and reduces soil
fertility.

Wind and Cyclones

1877-2005: 283 cyclones (106 severe) in a 50 km wide strip on the East Coast
Less severe cyclonic activity on West Coast (35 cyclones in the same period)
In 19 severe cyclonic storms, death toll> 10,000 lives
In 21 cyclones in Bay of Bengal (lndia +Bangladesh) 1.25 million lives have been lost

LandslideIn the hilly terrain of India including the Himalayas, landslides have been a major and widely spreadnatural disasters that often strike life and property and occupy a position of major concern. One of
the worst tragedies took place at Malpa Uttarkhand (UP) on 11th and 17th August 1998 when nearly
380 people were killed when massive landslides washed away the entire village. This included 60
pilgrims going to Lake Mansarovar in Tibet. In 2010 Cloudburst led flash mudslides and flash floods
killed 196 people, including six foreigners and injured more than 400 and swept away number ofhouses, sweeping away buildings, bus stand and military installations in trans Himalaya Leh town of
Jammu and Kashmir. Landslides occur in the hilly regions such as the Himalayas, North-East India,

8|Pa gethe Nilgiris, and Eastern and Western Ghats. The maps below show the cyclone wind hazard andPMSS map and landslide hazard zones of the country.

Avalanche
Avalanches constitute a major hazard in the higher reaches of the Himalayas. Heavy loss of life andproperty has been reported due to avalanches. Parts of the Himalayas receive snowfall round theyear and adventure sports are in abundance in such locations. Severe snow avalanches areobserved during and after snowfalls in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the Hills ofWestern Uttar Pradesh. Major causes of the avalanches are: Inclination of slope where avalanche
occurs; scale of slope, shape of slope, location (ridge line or toe of slope); orientation of slope; depthof snow -cover, depth of snowfall, wind velocity, atmospheric and snow temperatures etc. In
Himalayas, avalanches are common in Drass, Pir Panijat, Lahaul-Spiti and Badrinath areas. As per
Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), of Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO), on an average around 30 people are killed every year due to this disaster invarious zones of the Himalayas. Beside killing people, avalanches also damage the roads andothers properties and settlements falling in its way.
Forest Fire
Forest or bush fire, though not causing much loss to human life, is a major hazard for forest cover inthe country. As per Forest Survey of India report, 50 per cent of the forest cover of the country is fire

9|Pa geprone, out of which 6.17 per cent is prone to severe fire damage causing extensive loss to forest
vegetation and environment. Average annual physical loss due to forest fire in the country is
estimated to worth Rs. 440 crores. The major loss due to forest fire is caused to the environment
which gets adversely affected by this calamity. The degradation of climate, soil and water quality,
loss of wildlife and its habitat, deterioration of human health, depletion of ozone layer, etc. along withdirect loss to timber are the major adverse impact of forest fires. The coniferous forests in the
Himalayan region are very susceptible to fire and every year there are one or more major fireincidences in these areas. The other parts of the country dominated by deciduous forest are also
damaged by fire up to an extent. It is worth mentioning that in India 90 per cent of the forest fires are
man-made. In India, the hilly areas vulnerable to forest fires lie in the States Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim,
Tripura and Uttranchal Pradesh. Forest fire incidents are not very uncommon. In the recent past, thefire in 1995 in the Uttranchal had destroyed more 375,000 hectares of forest wealth.
Pest Infestation
Food losses due to pests, disease, wild animals, insects and weeds are considerable. It is estimatedthat 35% of world crop production is lost in spite of pesticide and other control programs. The
primary pests are insects, disease and weeds. Losses due to birds and wild animals are low
compared to these. Causes of pest infestation include temperature, monoculture of crops, andintroduction of plants new locations, weather pattern and migration of pest’s species.
In India the locust infestation prone States are: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharshtra. A desert area of over 200,000 sq.km covers the States ofRajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana. Locusts caused substantial damage in the past. In recent
years Indian experienced large-scale locust invasion in 1978. Again during July 1993, the country
experienced unprecedented level of locust invasion. The swarming activity continued till
October1993 and a total of 172 swarms entered the country.
Recent Major Natural Disasters

Event

Losses and Damages

Sikkim Earthquake(Mw = 6.9)
Leh Flash Flood

18th September, 2011

Kosi Flood, Bihar

August, 2008

6th August, 2010

97 deadDamages US & 18.2 billion approx.
255 killed 29 missing
Property damages approx. 13.30 million INR
434 dead; 3 million people affected; 300,000
houses destroyed; 340,000 hectares of crop
damagedDisaster Management System
Administrative System in the Country
Indian is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system ofGovernment. We have Central Government which looks after the affairs of the Union and State

10 | P a g e

Governments which looks after the affairs of the respective States. The States have districts andwithin districts we have Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). EachState has its legislature too. The Indian Legislature comprises of the Lok Sabha (House of thePeople) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) forming both the Houses of the Parliament at thenational level. India consists of 28 States and 7 Union Territories. The President of India is the Headof the State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of the Government, and runs office with thesupport of the Council of Ministers who form the Cabinet Ministry. Chief Minister is the political headof the State and UTs are governed by the Central Govt. Generally for each State we have one
Governor appointed by the Union Government.
The constitution provides for clear cut area of responsibility between the union and the states.
Disaster management is basically the responsibility of States. At the State level most of the disasters
are managed at the local level (L1). In cases where the local capacity for response is inadequate theState Government assists the district administration (L2). In disasters of bigger magnitude (L3)
response from Centre and international community is needed. Disaster mitigation and preparedness
is done at all levels – local, district, state and national.
A Qualitative Shift in India's Strategy
The Government recognized the need for a shift from a post disaster reactive approach to a predisaster pro-active approach of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, relief, recovery andrehabilitation and enacted the Disaster Management Act 2005 - enacted on 23rd December, 2005
which lays down institutional and coordination mechanism at all level and provides for establishment
of Disaster Mitigation Fund and Disaster Response Fund at national, state and district level.
Laws, Policies and Plans
Disaster Management Act 2005
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (http://nidm.gov.in/DM_act2005.pdf) came into the statute bookon 26 December 2005 by a Gazette notification, exactly on the first anniversary of the devastatingtsunami of 2004, which killed nearly 13,000 people in India alone and affected 18 million people. The
Act provides a legal and institutional framework for “the effective management of disasters and formatters connected therewith or incidental thereto.” It provides for establishment of National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and District Disaster
Management Authorities (DDMA) at the National, State and District levels with adequate financial
and administrative powers and creation of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM)
with the mandate of undertaking training and capacity building, Develop Training Modules on various
aspects of Disaster management, Undertake Research and Documentation, Formulate andimplement comprehensive HRD Plan covering all aspects of DM, Provide assistance in national level
policy formulation and Provide assistance to state governments and State Training Institutions. The
act also provides guidelines for creation of National Disaster Response Fund, National Mitigation
Fund, Establishment of funds by State Government and Allocation of funds by Ministries andDepartments for Emergency procurement. The act also provides for establishment of National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

11 | P a g e

National Policy on Disaster Management 2009
The National Policy on Disaster Management (http://nidm.gov.in/PDF/policies/ndm_policy2009.pdf)
was approved by the Government in November 2009. This comprehensive policy document lays
down policies on every aspect of holistic management of disasters in the country. The main aim thepolicy espouses to achieve is to minimize the losses to lives, livelihoods and property, caused bynatural or manmade disasters with a vision to build a safe and disaster resilient India by developing
a holistic, proactive, integrated, multi-disaster oriented and technology driven strategy. With thisnational Policy in place in India, a holistic and integrated approach will be evolved towards disastermanagement with emphasis on building strategic partnerships at various levels. The themes
underpinning the policy include community based disaster management, capacity development in all
spheres, consolidation of past initiatives and best practices and cooperation with agencies atnational and international levels with multi-sectoral synergy.
The Policy is also intended to promote a culture of prevention, preparedness and resilience at alllevels through knowledge, innovation and education. It encourages mitigation measures based on
environmental sustainability. It seeks to mainstream disaster management into the developmental
planning process and provides for Institutional and Financial arrangements at national, State, andDistrict-levels for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness and Response as it ensuresadequate budgeting for disaster mitigation activities in all Ministries and Departments.
State Policies on Disaster Management
The States of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh have formulated State Disaster
Management Policies. Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh, Uttranchal, Meghalaya, Bihar, Rajasthan, Delhi,
Orissa and West Bengal have prepared draft policies.
State Relief Codes/ DM Codes
Many States have manuals and codes for management of drought, floods and other disasters andrelief measures to be taken, etc. Now many states are in the process of changing their State Relief
codes into Disaster Management Manuals.
The Civil Defence (Amendment) Act, 2009 (2 of 2010) – enacted on 21 January, 2010
The Civil Defence Act 1968 has been amended in 2009 and disaster management has been added
as one of the activities of Civil Defence organization. This amendment has been notified on 21 st
January, 2011.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or Responding to Natural Disasters, 2010
The Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India has issued SOPs for responding to natural disasters
2010 (http://nidm.gov.in/PDF/manuals/sop_ndm_2010.pdf) which outlines procedures for various
ministries, departments and organizations for responding to disasters. The SOPs covers entire
phases of disasters.

12 | P a g e

Institutional Framework
The Disaster Management Act 2005 has provided the legal and institutional framework for disastermanagement in India at the national, state and district levels. In the federal polity of India the primary
responsibility of disaster management vests with the State Governments. The Central Government
lays down policies and guidelines and provides technical, financial and logistic support while the
district administration carries out most of the operations in collaboration with central and state levelagencies.
In the Central Government there are existing institutions and mechanisms for disaster management
while new dedicated institutions have been created under the Disaster Management Act of 2005.
The Cabinet Committee on Management of Natural Calamities (CCMNC) oversees all aspects
relating to the management of natural calamities including assessment of the situation andidentification of measures and programmes considered necessary to reduce its impact, monitor andsuggest long term measures for prevention of such calamities, formulate and recommend
programmes for public awareness for building up society's resilience to them. The Cabinet
Committee on Security (CCS) deals with the matters relating to nuclear, biological and chemical
emergencies
The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) under the Cabinet Secretary oversees theCommand, Control and Coordination of the disaster response.
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 has created new institutions at the national, state, district andlocal levels. The new institutional framework for disaster management in the country is as under:

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister
is the apex body responsible for laying down policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management
and for coordinating their enforcement and implementation throughout the country. The policies andguidelines will assist the Central Ministries, State Governments and district administration toformulate their respective plans and programmes. NDMA has the power to approve the National
Plans and the Plans of the respective Ministries and Departments of Government of India. The
general superintendence, direction and control of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are
vested in and will be exercised by the NDMA.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) is mandated to assist the NDMA in the discharge of its
functions and further ensure compliance of the directions issued by the Central Government. The
NEC comprises of the Union Home Secretary as the Chairperson, and the Secretaries to the GOI in
the Ministries/Departments of Agriculture, Atomic Energy, Defence, Drinking Water Supply,
Environment and Forests, Finance (Expenditure), Health, Power, Rural Development, Science andTechnology, Space, Telecommunications, Urban Development, Water Resources and the Chief ofthe Integrated Defence Staff of the Chiefs of Staff Committee as members. Secretaries in the
Ministry of External Affairs, Earth Sciences, Human Resource Development, Mines, Shipping, Road
Transport & Highways and Secretary, NDMA are special invitees to the meetings of the NEC. The

13 | P a g e

National Executive Committee is responsible to prepare the National Plan and coordinate andmonitor the implementation of the National Policy and the guidelines issued by NDMA.

Figure showing the Institutional Framework for DM in India
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Central Government has the overall responsibility fordisaster management in the country. For a few specific types of disasters the concerned Ministries
have the nodal responsibilities for management of the disasters, as under:
Drought

Ministry of Agriculture

Epidemics & Biological Disasters Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Chemical Disasters

Ministry of Environment & Forests

Nuclear Disasters

Ministry of Atomic Energy

Air Accidents

Ministry of Civil Aviation

Railway Accidents

Ministry of Railways

14 | P a g e

At the State Level the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), headed by the Chief Minister,
lays down policies and plans for disaster management in the State. It is also responsible tocoordinate the implementation of the State Plan, recommend provision of funds for mitigation andpreparedness measures and review the developmental plans of the different departments of theState to ensure integration of prevention, preparedness and mitigation measures. The State Disaster
Management Department (DMD) which is mostly positioned in the Revenue and relief Department is
the nodal authority.
In the district level the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is headed by the District
Magistrate, with the elected representative of the local authority as the Co-Chairperson. DDMA is theplanning, coordinating and implementing body for disaster management at district level. It will, interalia prepare the District Disaster Management Plan and monitor the implementation of the Nationaland State Policies and the National, State and the District Plans. DDMA will also ensure that theguidelines for prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response measures laid down by the NDMA
and the SDMA are followed by all departments of the State Government at the district level and the
local authorities in the district.
The Local Authorities both the rural local self governing institutions (Panchayati Raj Institutions) andurban local bodies (Municipalities, Cantonment Boards and Town Planning Authorities) Thesebodies will ensure capacity building of their officers and employees for managing disasters, carry out
relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the affected areas and will prepare DM Plans inconsonance with guidelines of the NDMA, SDMAs and DDMAs.
National Institute of Disaster Management
The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) functions as the nodal centre for Human
Resource Development in the area of Disaster Mitigation and Response. It is a premier nationalorganization working for human resource development at national level in the area of disastermitigation and management. The NIDM came into existence since October 16, 2003 by aGovernment of India order upgrading the National Centre for Disaster Management (NCDM) locatedin New Delhi, and established by the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture andCooperation, Government of India, in March 1995. The DM Act, 2005 has brought the institute under
the MHA and has assigned roles as per the Act.
The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has the mandate for human resource
development and capacity building for disaster management within the broad policies and guidelines
laid down by the NDMA. 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 toundertake any other function as assigned to it by the Central Government
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
The Disaster Management Act has mandated the constitution of a Specialist Response Force to athreatening disaster situation or a disaster. This Force functions under the National Disaster
Management Authority which has been vested with its control, direction and general

15 | P a g e

superintendence. This is a multi-disciplinary, multi-skilled, high-tech force for all types of disasters
capable of insertion by air, sea and land. All the eight battalions are equipped and trained for all
natural disasters including four battalions in combating nuclear, biological and chemical disasters.
Presently this Force is constituted of eight battalions, two each from the BSF, CRPF, CISF and ITBP.
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. These NDRF battalions are located at ninedifferent locations in the country based on the vulnerability profile to cut down the response time for
their deployment. During the preparedness period/in a threatening disaster situation, proactive
deployment of these forces is carried out by the NDMA in consultation with state authorities.
India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN)IDRN portal initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India was launched in
September 2003 in collaboration with UNDP under the Government of India-UNDP Disaster Risk
Management (DRM) Programme (2002-09) to systematically build up the India Disaster Resource
Network Inventory as an organized information system for specialist equipment and disaster
expertise for disaster response, so that disaster managers can identify the location of the resources
and will be able to access it for disaster response with the minimum loss of time. The on-line
inventory clearly lists out sequential details on specific equipments, types, their functions performed,
human expertise in search and rescue operations and contact details of expertise and suppliers forprompt mobilization. IDRN was designed as a web enabled information system to provided updated
inventory of related items every quarter, entered at two levels i.e. at district and state level. The
portal has been hosted to the central server at NIC National Information Centre, who is providing
technical support to Ministry of Home Affairs. The portal has an on-line dual accessible interface
system for users from state disaster management /relief & rehabilitation department officials (Relief
Commissioners), district administrators (District Magistrate/Collectors) and other state and district
nodal officers, corporate members and public who can browse the portal. The user can obtaincatalogued information as well as query based data and list of resources available at district andstate level. The on line inventory user manual and details can be accessed at http://www.idrn.gov.in.
Technical support was extended by UNDP to systematically formulate the resource inventory
through an organized information system designed to collate and assimilate information forauthorities in 563 district and 35 state/union territories. Currently the portal is being maintained by
the NIDM.
NDMA Guidelines/Reports on various issues of Disaster Management

The
National
DisasterManagement
Authority
has
issuedguidelines/reports(http://ndma.gov.in/ndma/guidelines.html) on the 19 subjects – Earthquakes, floods, urban flooding,drought management, landslide, radiological emergencies, chemical disasters (industrial), chemical(terrorism) disasters, mass casualty management, biological disasters, psycho-social care,formulation of state disaster management plans, incident response system, disaster management
information and communication system, revamping of civil defence and strengthening of fire services,
strengthening of safety and security of transportation of POL tankers, management of dead in theaftermath of a disaster and role of NGOs in disaster management.

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National Platforms
First India Disaster Management Congress
In order to provide a national platform to various stakeholders of disaster management the National
Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) organized the First India Disaster Management Congress
in Vigyan Bhavan New Delhi on 29-30 November 2006. Dr. Manmohan Singh Prime Minister of India
inaugurated the Congress. More than 1200
hundred delegates from all over the country
attended and 350 technical papers were
presented in 18 Thematic Sessions organizedaround Thematic Clusters. This was the largest
knowledge conference on disaster management
ever held in this part of the world. MHA, NIDM,
IMD, NRSA, ISRO, ICAR, Universities, IITs,
ICMR, CII, ASSOCHAM partnered to organize
this event.
SecondIndia
Congress

DisasterManagement

Second India Disaster Management Congress was held in New Delhi on 4-6 November, 2009 on aneven larger scale. The Congress was held in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi and a total of 26 TechnicalSessions were organized in around 13 Thematic Clusters. The Congress brought together 1500
scientists, scholars and practitioners working on different aspects of disaster risk reduction andmanagement across the world. GOI, NDMA, UNDP, USAID, UNISDR, UNICEF, WHO, SDC,GFDRR, NIDM parterened together to organize this event.
Progress of the Implementation of Hyogo Framework of Action (2005-15)

Priority 1 – Make Disaster Risk Reduction a Priority
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Government of India has established a policy framework for disaster management with a focus
on mainstreaming disaster risk reduction (DRR) into development planning and programmes.
The present focus is to strengthen the implementation of various provisions of Disaster
Management Act 2005.
The successive Five Year Plans emphasize on the need of mainstreaming of DRR intodevelopment planning process and programs.
The Civil Defense Act, 1968 has been amended to include disaster management in their
domain.
Dedicated and adequate resources are available to implement disaster risk reduction plans andactivities at all administrative level.
Community Participation and decentralization is ensured through the delegation of authority andresources to local levels.
National multi-sectoral platform for DRR is functioning in the shape of India Disaster
Management Congress.

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Priority 2 – Know the Risk and Take Action

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National and local risk assessments based on hazard data and vulnerability information areavailable (Vulnerability Atlas of India) and include risk assessments for key sectors.
Disaster losses and hazards systematically reported, monitored and analyzed – EWS agencies
identified.
Nodal agencies have been identified to provide and maintain key hazard data and information.
Hazard Specific Mitigation Guidelines have been formulated, circulated and made available
through web site (NDMA) for easy access.
Government of India has identified key departments and organizations to provide early warnings
on different natural hazards.
Respective state governments have set up their emergency control rooms/ Operation Centersand early warning communication systems (audio, video and data communication facilities) toreach out to vulnerable districts and communities.
The country hosts the SAARC Disaster Management Centre which aims to put in place aregional disaster management system to reduce disaster risks.

Priority 3 – Build Understand and Awareness

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India Disaster Knowledge Network is functioning for knowledge sharing and development
among various stakeholders.
State specific web portal are being developed by the State Disaster Management Authorities for
information sharing and knowledge Management.
Hazard Specific Centers for Excellence have been established to provide knowledge inputs andtraining.
DM introduced in Elementary and Higher Education by many educational boards across thecountry.
Many Universities have been conducting professional courses on DM.
NIDM conducting courses in DM at the national level and ATI doing so at the state level.
The level of awareness about disaster preparedness has increased considerable at all levels
and continuous efforts are being made to reach out to the vulnerable communities with disaster
preparedness information through print and electronic media.

Priority 4 – Reduce Risk

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National Action Plan for Climate Change has been formulated which recognizes inter-linkages
between Climate change and DRR.
Many legislations are in place to protect the environment and natural resources.
Many programmes and schemes such as MNREGS, pension schemes etc. to address thevulnerable groups in the society.
National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) to provide insurance coverage and financial
support to the farmers in the event of a crop failure due to natural calamities, pest attacks andother crop diseases.
Watershed development projects in many sectors.
There is an increasing emphasis to incorporate hazard safety measures at the settlement
planning level in Master Plans and City Development Plans.

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
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There are hazard specific codes by Bureau of Indian Standard to ensure structural safety
against natural hazards like floods, Cyclone, Landslides and Earthquakes.
Building Back Better has become the guiding principles for recovery and reconstruction
programs in India.
Government of India has introduced a system of Disaster Resilient Audit on Self Certification
Basis which will be applicable right from the inception and the Planning stage of all new
centrally sponsored schemes.
Ministry of Finance has issued instructions to all Ministries to include DRR features into all new
projects and establish a check mechanism at project formulation, appraisal and approval stage.

Priority 5 – Be Prepared and Ready to Act

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Institutional Mechanism at all level in place as envisaged under the Disaster Management Act,
2005.
Dedicated fund through 13th Finance commission has been provided for Training and Capacity
Building of various stakeholders for the period (2010-2015) to the states.
Disaster Contingency & Crisis Management Plans are being prepared, reviewed and updated
by the state governments annually.
National and State Disaster Response Funds notified and funds provided.
Established mechanism to track information about various hazards and to disseminate disaster
related information. Early Warning Systems have been established at National and State
Emergency Operation Centers have been established.
(Source: National Progress (Interim) Report on HFA 2011-13, GOI)

Recent Major Project on Disaster Risk Reduction
Sr.
No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Name of the Project/Scheme

Budget (in Million
US $)
105
94
20
6717
265

Training and Capacity Building for Disaster Response (FC-XIII GIA)
Strengthening of Fire Services
Revamping of Civil Defence System
Disaster Response Fund
Allocation to Hazard Proofing Sectoral Development Investments (e.g.
Transport, Agriculture, Infrastructure, etc.)
National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project300
GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Reduction Programme (2009-12)
20
Strengthening of Fire Services
40
National School Safety Programme
51
Disaster Management Support Programme (ISRO) & USAID funded
9.7
DRM
National Emergency Communication Plan for NDRF
15
Flood Management Programme
3200(Source: National Progress (Interim) Report on HFA 2011-13, GOI)

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ADRC Counterpart
Disaster Management Division
Ministry of Home Affairs
Government of India
NDCC-II New Delhi
Website: www.ndmindia.nic.in(Report compiled by: DC Rana, Joint Secretary to the Government of Himachal Pradesh, India,
Visiting Researcher, ADRC, Kobe, Japan.)

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