Lok Sabha Question No. 1226 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-03
Subject: Mitigating the Impact of Extreme Weather Events
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Adv K. Francis George

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1226

TO BE ANSWERED ON 3 RD  DECEMBER, 2024

## MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS

## 1226. ADV K. FRANCIS GEORGE:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  fatalities,  crop  losses,  livestock  deaths  and  infrastructure  damage marked by extreme weather events, including  heatwaves, cyclones, lightning,  floods,  and landslides, specifically in Kerala (notably the landslide in Wayanad), Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra;
- (b) the specific measures that are being undertaken by the Government to mitigate the impact  of  these  events  and  to  enhance  the  resilience  of  communities,  agriculture  and infrastructure to such extreme weather conditions;
- (c) whether the Government is considering a shift from a disaster response model to a proactive approach focused on risk reduction and climate resilience; and
- (d) if so, the steps that have been taken or are planned to implement this shift, along with the  timeline  for  achieving  measurable  outcomes  in  reducing  future  risks  associated  with extreme weather?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI BHAGIRATH CHOUDHARY)

- (a) & (b): Data  on  fatalities,  crop  losses,  livestock  deaths  and  infra  structure  damage marked  by  extreme  weather  events  is  not  maintained  centrally.  However,  as  per  the information  received  from  the  Kerala,  Madhya  Pradesh  and  Maharashtra,  the  details  of damages in wake of hydrometeorological disasters during 2024-25 are as follows:

| S. No.   | State          | Year 2024-25           | Year 2024-25      | Year 2024-25               |
|----------|----------------|------------------------|-------------------|----------------------------|
| S. No.   | State          | Human Lives lost (No.) | Cattle Lost (No.) | Houses/ huts damaged (No.) |
| 1        | 2              | 3                      | 4                 | 5                          |
| 1        | Kerala         | 359                    | 351               | 2153                       |
| 2        | Madhya Pradesh | 378                    | 1204              | 8247                       |
| 3        | Maharashtra    | 206                    | 551               | 99                         |

The primary responsibility for disaster management rests with the State Governments concerned. The Central Government provides requisite logistics and financial support to the efforts  of  the  State  Governments.  The  State  Governments  provide  financial  relief  to  the affected people in the event of 12 notified natural disasters which includes cyclone and flood, from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), already placed at its disposal, in accordance with approved items and norms of Government of India. However, in the event of disaster of a  severe  nature,  additional  financial  assistance  is  extended  from  the  National  Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), as per laid down procedure, which includes an assessment based on  the  visit  of  an  Inter-Ministerial  Central  Team.  The  financial  assistance  provided  under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation.

(c) & (d): Disaster Management is a continuing and evolving process of the governance.

After the Disaster Management Act of 2005, there is a shift in the Government approach from a disaster response model to a proactive approach focused on disaster risk reduction through preparedness,  capacity  building,  response,  mitigation,  recovery  &  reconstruction.  In  this regard key measures taken by the Government are listed below:

- i. Government set up a robust institutional mechanisms at the National, State & District level  in  the  country  viz.  National  Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA),  State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) & District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) respectively to develop appropriate preparedness, coordination and prompt response mechanism for effective management of natural calamity.
- ii. National Institute of Disaster Management has been established to provide capacity building, research and documentation in disaster management.
- iii. NDMA has developed the first National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) in 2016. The plan was revised in 2019 and is aligned with the Sendai Framework and Prime Minister's ten-point agenda.
- iv. NDMA has  issued  thirty-eight  (38)  guidelines  for  management  of  hazard  specific disaster  on  various  thematic  and  cross-cutting  issues  for  guidance  of  the  stake holders.
- v. Women's leadership  and  greater  involvement  for  women  empowerment  and  their leadership role in disaster risk management has been given prominence. Participation of  women  in  disaster  risk  management  is  increased  through  imparting  training  to women as Aapda Mitra volunteers, maintenance and management of Cyclone Shelter Management  &  Maintenance  Committees  (CSMMC)  in  the  country  through  50% women participation.
- vi. NDMA has developed a web-based Dynamic Composite  Risk Atlas  and  Decision Support System (Web-DCRA & DSS tool) for cyclone risk mitigation and response planning.
- vii. Government has taken steps to update hazard risk information and make it easily accessible to all infrastructure sectors so that all projects are disaster resilience.
- viii. Flood  Hazard  Atlas  have  been  developed  by  National  Remote  Sensing  Centre (NRSC) for flood prone states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and Uttar Pradesh and for comparatively less flood affected states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
- ix. Building Material & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) has developed a digital atlas that captures the vulnerability of various parts of the country to different hazards. All States and UTs have been sensitised to use this information in project preparation.
- x. NRSC has prepared a comprehensive data set of 28,000 glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayan Region.
- xi. National Centre for Seismology has prepared a seismic micro-zonation of Delhi and has supported seismic micro-zonation of several other cities.
- xii. India  Metrological  Department  issues  regular  and  precise  weather  forecasts  & warning bulletins including for cyclones to all the affected/ likely affected States/ UTs.
- xiii. A number of new mobile Applications such as Damini, Mausam, Sachet etc. have been developed for timely dissemination of early warnings and alerts to the common people.
- xiv. NDMA also uses social media channels to  update the  public on  ongoing  disaster events and the governments' response to them. The Social Media is also used to amplify the reach of content delivered on print media (such as OpEd written by NDMA officers) and broadcast media (such as "Aapada Ka Samna' programmes).
- xv. The National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) has been implemented in 8 coastal  states.  Multi-purpose  cyclone  shelters  and  Early  Warning  Systems  have proved to be of great help in saving lives during various cyclones.
- xvi. 'Common  Alerting  Protocol  (CAP)  based  'Integrated  Alert  System'  has  been implemented with an outlay of Rs. 354.83 Crore, for dissemination of geo targeted early warnings/alerts related to disasters to the citizens of India for all 36 States/UTs. Over 4300 crore sms alert have been issued so far.
- xvii. Indian Universities and Institutions Network (IUINDRR-NIDM) has been established, under the aegis of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), to highlight the role of education, research and training in disaster resilience and to develop model curricula for DRR with its integration at various levels.
- xviii. In order to deepen disaster preparedness and response capacity at the local level in the country, Aapda Mitra Scheme, with a total outlay of Rs. 369.40 Crore, has been implemented, under which 1,00,000 community volunteers have been trained in disaster rescue in 350 multi-hazards disaster prone districts, covering all States/UTs.
- xix. Mock  exercises,  School  Safety  Programme  (SSP)  and  community  awareness programmes  are  regularly  conducted  by  NDMA  and  NDRF  to  create  awareness among people.
- xx. National  Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture  under  the  National  Action  Plan  on Climate Change is implemented to make agriculture more resilient to climate change.
- xxi. The  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  implements  National  Innovations  in Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  (NICRA)  to  study  the  impact  of  climate  change  on agriculture and to develop climate resilient technologies.

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