Disaster management agencies too need to be empowered to play a more pro-active role. Little can be done to prevent natural events, but man-made influences like unregulated construction can certainly be minimised
The creation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in 2005, prompted by the 1999 Odisha super cyclone and the 2004 tsunami, was a timely decision. Over the years, the NDMA has done commendable work in disaster mitigation, risk assessment and reduction, and post-disaster response, rescue and relief. It has also developed competencies in newer threats like heatwaves. Nearly every state now has a disaster management agency of its own, though some function less effectively than others. But the damage caused by landslides in the Northeast in the aftermath of cyclone Remal that hit the West Bengal coastline on Sunday night is the latest reminder of the urgent need to upgrade and overhaul the disaster management system.
The nature of disasters that the country faces has changed drastically in the last 20 years. Disasters, especially those that are a result of extreme weather events, have become more frequent and intense. Climate change has been playing an important role in exacerbating the impacts. Events that were not looked at as potential disasters earlier, like the summer heat, have emerged as new threats. The most worrying development has been the rise in what are known as multi-hazard disasters, one event triggering another, or a series of other disasters, the cascading impacts of which result in a destruction that is much higher in magnitude. Heavy rainfall leads to breach of glacial lakes and landslides in hilly areas which results in flash floods downstream. Or, extreme heatwave triggers largescale forest fires. The recent episode of landslides in the Northeastern region, which has claimed at least 30 lives, was a similar multi-hazard disaster. Cyclone Remal caused heavy rainfall in the area which triggered landslides at several locations.
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Disaster management agencies need to be empowered to play a more pro-active role in dealing with these. More resources and capacity-building needs to flow in. There is little that can be done to prevent natural events, like extreme rainfall or cyclones or heatwaves. But man-made influences like unregulated construction can certainly be minimised. India is in the process of building infrastructure for its future. Resilience to disasters needs to be built into each of these. Old infrastructure also needs to be retrofitted. India has created an international organisation, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), specifically to promote disaster resilient infrastructure worldwide. It would be helpful to create the right templates at home first.
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First uploaded on: 30-05-2024 at 08:10 IST