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|PageCOUNTRY REPORT
INDIAA.General 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)

2|Page

Post monsoon season (October-November)

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% (1/6th) 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.







B.Natural Hazards in India
GeneralIndia, due to its, physio-graphic and climatic conditions is one of the most disaster prone
areas of the world. 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 total land mass is prone to earthquake of moderate to very highintensity. 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 total
land mass is flood prone and 68 % of the arable land is vulnerable to drought. The
Western region of the country 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
Heat and Cold waves affect northern part of country every year

3|Page

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

4|Page

The table below shows major disasters in the known history of India:

Name of Event

Year

Fatalities/Damages

1.

Maharashtra Earthquake

1618

2,000

2.

Bengal Earthquake

1737

300,000

3.

Bengal Cyclone

1864

60,000

4.

The Great Famine of Southern India

5.

1876-1878

5.5 million

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
PakistanandBangladesh also)10.

Lahul valley Avalanche

1977

200 people
killed11.

Andhra Pradesh Cyclone

1977

10,00012.

Drought in Haryana & Punjab

1987

300 million people
affected

13.

Latur Earthquake

1993

7,928 death
30,000 injured

14.

Orissa Super Cyclone

1999

10,00015.

Gujarat Earthquake

2001

25,00016.

Indian heat wave

2002

Killed more
1000 people

17.

Indian Ocean Tsunami

2004

10,749 deaths 5,640
persons missing

18.

Kashmir Earthquake

2005

86000
deaths(include Kashmir &Pakistan)19.

Mumbai Catastrophes

2005

Killing
5000

1.25 million to 10
million

at

were

and

than

leased5|Page20.

Cyclone Nisha of Tamil Nadu

2008

204

21.

Eastern India Storm

2010

91,000dwelling
units were destroyed

22.

Sikkim Earthquake2011

60 dead and hugeeconomic loss to thetune of 7425 crore
rupees23.

Uttarakhand Flash Flood

2013

Killing
1000

24.

Maharashtra Drought

2013

Millions of people
are risk of hunger

25.

Earthquake in the North East (Manipur)

2016

At least 11 people
were killed and other
200 were injured

more

than

C.VARIOUS DISASTERs IN INDIA(a) Earthquake

1. India has been divided into four seismic zones according to the maximum intensity ofearthquake expected (Figure 4). Of these, zone V is the most active which comprises ofwhole of Northeast India, the northern portion of Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh,
J&K, Gujarat and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. India has highly populous cities and theconstructions in these cities are predominantly not earthquake resistant. Regulatory
mechanisms are weak, thus any earthquake striking in one of these cities would turninto a major disaster. Six major earthquakes have struck different parts of India over aspan of the last 15 years
2. The entire Himalayan Region is considered to
be vulnerable to high intensity earthquakes of amagnitude exceeding 8.0 on the Richter Scale,and in a relatively short span of about 50years,
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 havewarned that very severe earthquakes are likely tooccur any time in the Himalayan Region, which
could adversely affect the lives ofseveral million people in India.
6|Page(b) Cyclone
India’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

© .Land.slide
Landslides constitute a major natural hazard in our country, which accounts for considerable
loss of life and damage to communication routes, human settlements, agricultural fields andforest lands. Based on the general experience with landslides, a rough estimate of monetaryloss is of the order of ` 100 crore to ` 150 crore per annum at the current prices for thecountry as a whole.
Landslides mainly affect the Himalayan region, the western ghats of India and North East like
Mizoram. 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 theworld, are not a single long landmass but comprises aseries of seven curvilinear parallel folds
running along a grand arc for a total of 3400 kilometers. 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 ghats. The State of Mizoram usually faced a serious
problems due to landslide caused by heavy monsoon rain during summer. Heavy loss of life andproperty is reported every year in the state due to landslide. In the Nilgiris, in 1978 alone,
unprecedented rains in the region triggered about one hundred landslides which caused severe

7|Page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 tones per sq km.

(d)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.
(e) flood
India is one of the most flood prone countries in the world. The principal reasons for flood lie
8|Pagein the very nature of natural ecological systems in this country, namely, the monsoon, thehighly 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,Mizoram and over most of the Brahmaputra valley amounts to more than 2500 mm. Most of thefloods 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, specially 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. The flood hazard map of India may be seen in the Figure 2.
Twenty-three of the thirty five states and Union Territories in the country are subject tofloods 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 anddamages for the period 1953 to 2004 in India as per Water Data Complete Book 2005 andCentral Water Commission, 2007).

(f)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 fireprone, 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.
(f)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

9|Page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.
(g) Tsunami
A tsunami (in Japanese „tsu‟ means harbor and „nami‟ means wave) is a series of water waves
caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean. In the
Tamil language it is known as “Aazhi Peralai”. Seismicity generated tsunamis are result ofabrupt deformation of sea floor resulting vertical displacement of the overlying water.
Earthquakes occurring beneath the sea level, the water above the reformed area is displaced
from its equilibrium position. The release of energy produces tsunami waves which havesmall amplitude but a very long wavelength (often hundreds of kilometer long). It may becaused by non-seismic event also such as a landslide or impact of a meteor.
For a tsunami to hit Indian coast, it is necessary that earthquake of magnitude > 7 should
occur.
Two such possible zones are• Andaman-Sumatra• Makran
Historical Tsunamis in India• 12 Apr, 1762 (Earthquake in Bay of Bengal)• 31 Dec, 1881 (Car Nicobar Earthquake)• 27 Aug, 1883 (Eruption of Karkatoa volcano (Sunda Strait) Indonesia)• 26 Jun, 1941 (Andaman Earthquake)• 27 Nov, 1945 (Makran Earthquake)• 26 Dec, 2004 (Sumatra Earthquake)(h)

Man made Disaster

In India there occurs a lots of man made disasters such as:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Industrial and chemical disaster
Stampede
Roads Accident
Rail Accident
Mine disaster

D. Disaster Management System
10 | P a g e

Institutional Setup and Legal framework
1.The National Disaster Management Authority
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was initially constituted on May 30,
2005 under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister vide an executive order. Following
enactment of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the NDMA was formally constituted inaccordance with Section-3(1) of the Act on 27th September, 2006 with Prime Minister as its
Chairperson and nine other members, and one such member to be designated as ViceChairperson.
The NDMA has been mandated with laying down policies on disaster management andguidelines which would be followed by different Ministries, Departments of the Governmentof India and State Government in taking measures for disaster risk reduction. It has also tolaid down guidelines to be followed by the State Authorities in drawing up the State Plans
and to take such measures for the management of disasters, Details of these responsibilities
are given as under :(a) Lay down policies on disaster management;(b) Approve the National Plan;(c) Approve plans prepared by the Ministries or Departments of the Government of India in
accordance with the National Plan;(d) Lay down guidelines to be followed by the State Authorities in drawing up the State Plan;(e) Lay down guidelines to be followed by the different Ministries or Departments of theGovernment of India for the purpose of integrating the measures for prevention of disaster orthe mitigation of its effects in their development plans and projects;(f) Coordinate the enforcement and implementation of the policy and plan for disastermanagement;(g) Recommend provision of funds for the purpose of mitigation;(h) Provide such support to other countries affected by major disasters as may be determinedby the Central Government;(i) Take such other measures for the prevention of disaster, or the mitigation, or preparedness
and capacity building for dealing with the threatening disaster situation or disaster as it may
consider necessary;(j) Lay down broad policies and guidelines for the functioning of the National Institute ofDisaster Management.
Besides the nine members nominated by the Prime Minister, Chairperson of the Authority,
the Organisational structure consists of a Secretary and five Joint Secretaries including one
Financial Advisor. There are 10 posts of Joint Advisors and Directors.

11 | P a g e

2. 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).

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3. 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.
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:

13 | P a g e

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
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

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:

14 | P a g e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

4. State Policies on Disaster Management
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.

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.

5. In the district level the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is headed by theDistrict Magistrate, with the elected representative of the local authority as the Co-Chairperson.
DDMA is the planning, coordinating and implementing body for disaster management at district level.
It will, inter alia prepare the District Disaster Management Plan and monitor the implementation of
the National and State Policies and the National, State and the District Plans. DDMA will also ensurethat the guidelines 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.

15 | P a g e

6. The Local Authorities both the rural local self governing institutions (Panchayati Raj
Institutions) and urban local bodies (Municipalities, Cantonment Boards and Town Planning
Authorities) These bodies will ensure capacity building of their officers and employees for
managing disasters, carry out relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the affectedareas and will prepare DM Plans in consonance with guidelines of the NDMA, SDMAs and
DDMAs.
7.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
Vision• To be a premier Institute of Excellence for training and research on disaster risk mitigationand management in India and to be recognized as one of the leading Institutions at theinternational level.
• To strive relentlessly towards making a disaster free India by developing and promoting aculture of prevention and preparedness at all levels,
Mission• To work as a think tank for the Government by providing assistance in policy formulationAnd;To facilitate in reducing the impact of disasters through:▪ Planning and promoting training andcapacity building services including strategic learning.
▪ Research, documentation and development of national level information base.▪ Systemdevelopment and expertise promo- tion for effective disaster preparedness and mitigation.
▪ Promoting awareness and enhancing knowledge and skills of all stakeholders.
▪ Strengthening institutional mechanisms for training and capacity building of all

16 | P a g e

8.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 generalsuperintendence. 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.

E. Financing the Relief Expenditure:Financial assistance in the wake of natural calamities is provided in accordance with theschemes of relief funds. These schemes are based on the recommendations of the successive
Finance Commissions. While the budgetary provision of these relief funds is dealt with by
Ministry of Finance, the processing of request of the state government for these funds is doneby the Ministry of Home Affairs (DM Division). The present scheme of State Disaster
Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) are based on therecommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, operative from 1st April 2010 to 31stMarch 2015.

1. Recommendation of 13th Finance Commission:On the recommendation of the 13th Finance commission, the Minister of Finance GOI has
allocated funds for strengthening disaster management institutions, capacity building andresponse mechanisms. Allocation made by Finance Commission towards erstwhile calamity
Relief Fund is given in figure below.
Allocation made by Finance Commission towards erstwhile calamity Relief Fund

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2. National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF):Section 46(1) of DM Act 2005 provides for constitution of NDRF for meeting any
threatening disaster management situation or disaster. Accordingly, DM Division issued
notification for the constitution of NDRF on 28th September 2010. The Finance Ministry has
also issued guidelines to the state for operation of NDRF.
Sourcing of National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF): The Government of India raised thisFund by levying the “National Calamity Contingency Duty” on imported petrol and products,
crude oil, motor cars, imported multi utility vehicles, two wheelers, mobile phones, panmasala and certain specific tobacco products. The collection for year 2009-10 was ` 3160.00
crore and was expected to be around ` 3900.00 crore in the financial year 2010-2011. For theyear 2011-12, the estimate is ` 4525.00 crores.

3. State Disaster Response Fund:Section 48 (1) of Disaster Management Act 2005 provides for constitution of State Disaster
Response Fund (SDRF) by the state Governments. The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued
the guidelines to the state for operation of SDRF. Allocations to the State Relief Funds havebeen made based on the recommendations of the successive Finance Commissions. While
allocating the funds to various states for a period of five years the factors considered include
the expenditure incurred by the state government on relief operations during the last about 10
years, vulnerability of the state to natural disasters and economic status of the state.
Currently, as per the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, the GoI has
approved an allocation of ` 33580.93 crore in the State Disaster Relief Fund to all the states,
comprising of ` 25847.93 crore as central share and ` 7733.00 crore as state share. The

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scheme of SDRF provides for release of the central share SDRF in two equal installments inthe
months of June and December.

4. Capacity Building Grant:On the recommendation of the 13th Finance Commission, Rs 525.00 crore has been allocatedto the states for taking up activities for building capacity in the administrative machinery. The Ministryof Finance has issued the guidelines for the utilization of the fund. The guidelines provide forpreparation of an action plan for the entire period of 2010-15 as well as action plans for eachfinancial year. These plans would inter alia include items for training and capacity building ofstakeholders and functionaries in states, preparation of disaster management plans based on
hazard, risk and vulnerability analysis and setting up and strengthening of emergency
operations centres in states.

5. National Disaster Mitigation Fund:Section 47 of the Disaster Management Act 2005 provides for constitution of National
Disaster Mitigation Fund. The provisions of the Act are as under:(a) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute a fund tobe called the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) for projects exclusively for the
purpose of mitigation and there shall be credited thereto such amount which the Central
Government may, after due appropriation made by parliament by law in this behalf.
(b) The National Disaster Mitigation Fund shall be applied by the National Disaster
Management Authority.
The modalities of constitution of NDMF have been discussed by MHA with the MoF,
Planning Commission(NITI) and NDMA from time to time. A reference was made to 13th FinanceCommission. The 13th Finance Commission has given its report and as per its
recommendations: “Mitigation and reconstruction activities should be kept out of theschemes funded through Finance Commission grants and met out of overall development
plan funds of the centre and the states.” The issue is under consideration of Ministry of HomeAffairs
with other concerned Ministries.

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Mizoram
Since India is very large in term of size and population, it is very difficult to cover each and every
states and its people. It is therefore suggested to touch thestate of Mizoram in a bit detail.

Area of the State: 21,087 Sq. kms

Length and width: north to south- 277kms, east to west- 121 kms

Nos. of districts: 8 nos.

Population: 10,91,014

Density: 42 per sq.m

Total nos. of inhabited villages :704 nos.
Total nos. of household : 2,14,705 ( As on 31.3.2009)
Rainfall: 254 cm per annum

Av temp: 11-21c in winter; 20-33c in summer

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ABOUT THE STATE :Mizoram is a mountainous region which became the 23rd State of the Indian Union in
February, 1987. It was one of the districts of Assam till 1972 when it became a Union Territory.
Sandwiched between Myanmar in the east and south and Bangladesh in the west, Mizoram
occupies an area of great strategic importance in the north-eastern corner of India. It has 722 km.
long boundary with Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Mizoram has a pleasant climate. It is generally cool in summer and not very cold inwinter. During winter, the temperature varies from 110 C to 210 C and in the summer it varies
from 200C and 330C. The entire area is under the direct influence of the monsoon. It rains
heavily from May to September and the average rainfall is 254 cm per annum. Winter inMizoram is rain-free and is very pleasant; the skies are wonderfully blue, and in the morning themist formed between the hills gives an enchanting view of wide stretches of a vast lake of cloud.
Mizoram has great natural beauty and an endless variety of landscape and is also very rich inflora and fauna. Almost all kinds of tropical trees and plants thrive in Mizoram.
Mizoram has a population of 8,91,058 according to 2001 Census, out of which 94.46%
belong to Scheduled Tribe. According to the 2001 census, 52.57% of the people of Mizoram areworking under the classification of main and marginal workers. However, only 10% are in the
Government service. About 70% are engaged themselves in jhum cultivation in their fields.
Mostly people belonging to rural areas take up farming as their main source of livelihood. Per
capita income of the state has seen a steady increase from Rs. 17,489 per annum in 2000 – 2001
to Rs. 21,327 per annum in 2003 – 2004 (at current prices).

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AIZAWL THE CAPITAL CITY

VULNERABILITIES OF MIZORAM TO VARIOUS NATURAL HAZARDS :The unique geology and geographical conditions of Mizoram make the State vulnerable tovarious natural disasters. The main hazards in the State are Earthquake and Landslides. Highwinds and floods damage houses and properties during the monsoon season.
i)Vulnerability to floods:
The State, being hilly does not have major flood problem. However, during rainy season
floods damage river banks thereby causing land erosions. In September 2007, severe rainfall
caused flooding in Bairabi town of Kolasib district and Tlabung town of Lunglei district,disrupting normal life and communication network for a month and a number of houses werealso damaged. The minor problem of flash floods are being witnessed in some parts of Mizoram,
especially in low lying areas causing some damage to house, property and crops.
ii) Vulnerability to cyclones/windstorm:
The speed of windstorm in the whole State is 55m/s (198 km/h) which is the highest
value specified in the country. In such events weakly built homes of wood, bamboo, thatched etc,
as in Category X in the atlas and sloping roofs such as thatched and tiles and those of AC sheet
and Corrugated Galvanised Iron (CGI) sheet roofs which are not fully anchored and integrated
suffer much damage. The damages which occur in such high winds usually are of localised
nature.
During the summer, the Sub-tropical high pressure belt and the thermal equator are
displaced northward in response to the changing pattern of heating of the earth. From the ocean,particularly from the north Indian Ocean or Bay of Bengal, they move towards the land mass andblow over the Asian continent. These are called South-West monsoon and they usually reach
Mizoram between May and October. The summer monsoon is characterised by highly variable
weather with frequent spells of drought and heavy rains. Besides this, the winter monsoon alsoprevails, which is a gentle drift of air in which the winds generally blow from the north east. This
retreating monsoon causes sporadic rainfall especially in Mizoram and other north eastern States,
sometimes producing heavy cyclonic rains. Mizoram is vulnerable to the impact of tropical
cyclone which develops in the North Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal) and the cyclones of the postmonsoon season (October to December) are more intense than those of pre monsoon season(April & May). Cyclones are associated with strong winds, torrential rains and storms. The
impact of cyclone/windstorm and hailstorm has often led to damage houses, power line cut-off,blockage of road, damage to crops and plantation, loss of live stocks, etc. (Source :Environmental studies of Aizawl City using Remote Sensing And GIS, A project report,
2005, Mizoram State Remote Sensing Centre, S&T, Planning Dept’ Mizoram)
22 | P a g eiii) Vulnerability to Earthquakes:
The State is located in Zone V which is one of the most severe seismic zones in the
country and which is referred to as Very High Damage Risk Zone. A large number of moderate
to high intensity earthquakes occurred within the State boundary as well as within a 100 km
distance around it.
The entire N.E. India lies in the consumable Plate Boundaries as per Plate Tectonic
Hypothesis and many of the epicentres of the past earthquakes lie at the Plate boundaries in the
Arunachal Himalayas in the north, and in the Naga-Patkoi and Lushai ranges in the south. which
extends from Mediterranean Sea in the west to Myanmar in the east.. In this wide diffuse
continental zone, shallow and intermediate earthquake focuses are common.
N.E. India is situated in one of the most geologically unstable regions of the world,
mainly because the Main Boundary Fault line which runs in a East-West direction along the Foot
Hills of the Sub-Himalayas as a boundary of the North Brahmaputra Plain, while another thrustfault runs in the same East-West direction along the southern margin of the Shillong Plateau, andmerges with the North East – South West trending thrust zone in Nagaland & Assam, known as
Belt of Schuppen. The great earthquake of 1897 occurred due to slipping along this fault. The
Himalayas and the folded geosynclinals belt of Nagaland and Manipur are located on an
orogenic active belt where numerous complicated thrusts and faults are in active condition.
Hence it is one of the most earthquake-prone zones not only in India but also in the world. N.E.
India experienced devastating earthquakes in 1869, 1897, 1930 and 1950, which were 6-8
intensity on the open-ended Richter Scale’
The seismic zoning map of India as per Indian Standard Seismic Zoning recent recategorisation of zones by the GSI, the country has been divided into four zones and Mizoram
falls under Zone V i.e. very high damage risk zone.
iv) Vulnerability to Landslide :Mizoram, being a hilly terrain is prone to landslides. Every year a number of landslides
have been reported from various localities. This causes a lot of misery to the public resulting inloss of life and property, disruption of communication network and also economic burden on thesociety. This is primarily attributed to high slope and relief, immature geology, neo-tectonic
activity, heavy rainfall and unplanned and improper land use practice in the state. (Source :Environmental studies of Aizawl City using Remote Sensing And GIS, A project report, 2005,
Mizoram State Remote Sensing Centre, S&T, Planning Dept’ Mizoram). In 1992, landslide in
the stone-quarry at South Hlimen locality claimed 66 lives (Tiwari & Kumar, 1996). 17 houses
were destroyed. In 1993, Aizawl Venglai, Ramthar and Armed Veng localities were sinking, thatcaused severe damage to 65 houses. Since 1991, there was a long-line crack at Hunthar locality

23 | P a g ealongside Aizawl to Sairang road (National Highway 54). In May, 2011, massive “Ngaizel
Landslide” stranded the national highway for many days (Verma, 2012, 2013).

v) Vulnerability to Biological Hazards:
Bamboo Flowering : Bamboo flowering is the main biological hazard causing famine inMizoram which occurrs in a cycle of about 48 years interval.
Mizoram has a large expanse of bamboo forest which covers about 6446 sq.kms. This
area represents about 31% of the total geographical area of the state. About 26 bamboo species
are found in Mizoram. Among these, Melocanna baccifera (Mautak) accounts for about 90% of
the bamboo found. According to history, Mizoram has experienced gregarious flowering of
Melocanna baccifera and Bambusa tulda at a cycle of 48 years interval. The incidence offlowering of bamboo in Mizoram has been accompanied by severe famine which is called
Mautam in Mizo due to flowering of Melocanna baccifera and Thingtam due to flowering ofBambusa tulda. Documents regarding bamboo flowering and accompanying famine are scanty.
The last incident of Mautam Famine occurred in 1959 when Mizoram was a district in Assam.
Documented records are not available for this famine as well. However, testimonies of people
who were present at the last Mautam can be of major significance. According to these
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testimonies, bamboo flower created abundance of food for rodents, who in turn multiply at very
fast pace and destroy crops , paddy etc thus in turn leading to famine.

BRIEF OF PAST DISASTER EVENTS IN THE STATE :Mizoram, like other parts of northeast India, is highly prone to natural disasters, viz.,earthquake, cyclone, flood, landslide etc. Shocks of small amplitude are quite common in theState. Some of the past disaster events in the State are briefly mentioned here under :1)
Earthquake, 1950 : The northeast region
was struck by an earthquake withthmagnitude of 8.5 on 15 August, 1950 with an epicenter at 322 miles north of Sadiya in Assam.
At that time, Mizoram was under the administrative control of Government of Assam. This
earthquake is one of the greatest earthquakes in human history both in magnitude and destruction
in many places near the epicentre. But documented records are not available on how Mizoram
was affected by this earthquake. However, testimonies of people who were present at that time
can be of major significance. But the casualties and loss of property was not much in Mizoram.
This may be due to less population concentration and physical resources at that time. Population
has increased many times since then and a great number of development projects have come up
in the State. If the earthquake of matching magnitude hits the region now, the devastation would
be enormous.
2)
Landslides :a) Hlimen Landslide, 1992 : Large scale landslide occurred on the fateful morning of 9thAugust, 1992 involving complete collapse of a stone quarry of 300m length and 250m thick. Dueto this disastrous incident, 67 persons lost their lives including villagers and labourers. The
incident took place at Hlimen village, about 5 Km south of Aizawl city, the capital of Mizoram.
This quarry was considered one of the best in the State due to it’s hard and compact cubes ofsandstones which were used in the building constructions.
b) Saiha and Lawngtlai Landslides, 1995 due to Cloudburst : Heavy rains and cyclonicstorms occurred during 16th – 18th May, 1995 at Saiha and Lawngtlai districts. This caused large
scale destruction of houses and blockade of roads to both Saiha and Lawngtlai towns. The
following paragraphs illustrate in brief the damages in these districts.
i)
ii)

150 houses were totally damaged and 20 people lost their lives in Saiha town alone.
In Lawngtlai town, 72 houses were totally damaged and 14 people lost their lives.
Heavy landslide totally disrupted internal town communication in Saiha andLawngtlai. No vehicle could initially move including light vehicles. As such, Saiha
and Lawngtlai towns were cut off from the rest of the State for more than a week.
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iii)
iv)
v)
vi)
vii)

Shortcut road from Saiha to Lawngtlai was seriously affected and PWD suspension
bridge at Tuisumpui was washed away.
Hydel Power Station at Tuipui Ferry, which supply the electric power to Saiha andLawngtlai was totally destroyed and the engines were under mud.
Landslides blocked the road from Saiha to Kawlchaw village and Kawlchaw village
to Lawngtlai. In fact, the blockade continued upto Mat river in Lunglei District.
BRTF suspension bridge at Tuitlawk near Saiha and two other culverts were washedaway.
Apart from destruction to properties/assets, the incessant rains and soil erosion has
caused heavy loss to standing crops and also damage to permanent cultivable land
including terrace/WRC and horticulture crops.

3)
Landslide and Flood, 2007 : Torrential rains started from the third week of August 2007
and lasted up to the first week of September. Rainfall was heavy and lasted for unusually long
periods. Due to the rains, all corners of the state witnessed road blocks due to landslides,
electrical power lines and houses damaged or endangered and water sources being
affected .There were also reports on lives lost due to flash flood, landslide and lightning. As per
the report and assessment made by the Government of Mizoram, the damages seen by the Stateduring this period are given below:o Due to landslides and flood, 690 houses were fully damaged, 396 severely damaged and1157 were partially damaged. The estimated value of the damage was Rs.1354.68 lakhs.
o The cost of slide clearance and estimated cost of restoration for damaged road were
Rs.1741.77 and Rs.3551.84 lakhs respectively.
o Public infrastructures like cobbled stone pavements, masonry steps link roads and publicdrains were also damaged. The estimated amount required for restoration work was
Rs.760.07 lakhs.
o Paddy cultivation was damaged due to floods in low lying areas and by landslides in the
hilly regions. The total damaged area was 2547.40 hectares with approximate value ofloss at Rs.496.16 lakhs.
o Minor irrigation also reported damages requiring restoration worth Rs.270.67 lakhs.
o Horticulture and sericulture departments reported damages worth Rs.7825.26 and Rs.15
lakhs respectively.
o Electric lines were damaged at many places. Damage to power infrastructure required
restorations worth Rs.830.20 lakhs.
o Water supply system suffered severe damages due to landslide in various areas. The only
public water supply scheme at Aizawl also suffered heavily due to collection of debris
and silt in the main intake chamber. Restoration of public water supply system isestimated at Rs.576.68 lakhs.
4). Laipuitlang Rockslides :- On 11 May 2013 (Saturday) early morning around 3.24

A.M, a rockslide occurred at the confluence of Laipuitlang and Ramhlun Venglai
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locality located between 23044’60’’ N & 92043’16’’ S i.e at the eastern side of
Aizawl, Mizoram at 1120 m above mean sea level. 17 persons were died and 8
persons were rescued by the State Disaster Response Force. The rockslide
completely destroyed 15 houses (7 RCC buildings and 8 Assam type buildings)
including community hall and an evacuated 4 storeyed RCC building of Public
Works Department (PWD) of Mizoram. Seventeen vehicles, including eight fourwheelers, have been buried under the debris.

Various set up for disaster and its related matters in Mizoram:
1. State Disaster Management Authority.
2. State Steering Committee.
3. District Disaster management Authority.
4. Block Disaster Management Committee.
5. Village/ local Disaster management Committee.
All the set ups has its own responsibilities and authority etc. Mizoram
is very fortunate that there is a very active and strong Nongovernmental Organization called Young Mizo Association(YMA).
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This YMA is the real work force other than designated staff andforces of DM in case of disasters at the local level. Now with theenforcement of DM Act 2005,the village/local DM team is arranged
in a more suitable and effective committee as under:

Village DM Teams

Evacuation, Search & Rescue TeamFirst Aid & Medical Team

Shelter Management & Sanitation TeamFood & Water Supply Team

Relief Coordination Team

Information & Damage Assessment Team

Trauma Counselling Team

Carcass Disposal Team

Patrolling TeamADRC Counterpart

Disaster Management Division
Ministry of Home Affairs
Government of India
NDCC-II New Delhi
Website: www.ndmindia.nic.in(Country”s Report prepared by : Andrew Lalhruaia, Deputy Director, Government of Mizoram, India,
Visiting Researcher, 2015B, ADRC, Kobe, Japan.)28 | P a g e