The concept of community participation is contained in national health policy. The broad areas of community participation at grass roots level are seen in the village health services scheme, the Anganwadi scheme of ICDS, and the formation of village level committees. Community action has also been successfully used in disease control programmes such as malaria and in areas such as the provision and maintenance of drinking water schemes and sanitation. The main constraint to community action is the low priority given to health by the community in contrast to schemes that provide direct financial benefit. Floods in India affect about 30 million people annually and drought about 50 million.
Coastal areas experience two or three tropical cyclones of varying intensity each year.
The Himalayan regions are prone to earthquakes. A Health Sector Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme has been in place since 1980. Crisis management groups have been used since 1980 and are constituted at national, state and district levels. In the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Emergency Medical Relief Division is the responsible technical unit. Limited studies have shown the need to improve competencies of grass root level functionaries in disaster prone areas, as well as to strengthen monitoring of activities.