Basic Data: Name of the Country Total Area: 32, 87, 2631 sq km Total Population: 102.

9 crores Urban: 37.7 crores2 (2011 estimate) Rural: 83.3 crores2 (2011 estimate) GDP per capita: 1440.841 (1729.013 bn GDP/1.2 bn population, in US$) Sectoral Distribution of GDP: GDP-Agriculture: 17.2%4 GDP-Industry: 29.1%4 GDP-Service: 52.7%4 GDP-Other: 1%4 Overview Main Hazards: Specify the hazards and vulnerable areas in the country. India is one of the ten worst disaster prone countries of the world. Each of the five broad geographic categorizations of the country faces more than one disaster vulnerability. Like the Himalayan belt, being the young mountain range is prone to landslides, earthquakes and cloudbursts; and the great northern plains are prone to annual floods, earthquakes and hot/cold waves. The desert region in the west is susceptible to droughts and earthquakes, while the coastal regions suffer from the devastation of hurricanes, cyclones and tsunami. The Deccan plateau is by all measures most secured but recent tectonic activity may prove it wrong. Overall 58.6 per cent of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity; over 40 million hectares (12 per cent of land) is prone to floods and river erosion; of the 7,516 km long coastline, close to 5,700 km is prone to cyclones and tsunamis; 68 per cent of the cultivable area is vulnerable to drought and hilly areas are at risk from landslides and avalanches. Vulnerability to disasters/ emergencies of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) origin also exists5. What is the extent of damage experienced in previous disasters? As recent as 2001, an earthquake in Bhuj, Gujarat killed more than 10,000 people and caused enormous loss to the property. It was in many ways a stark reminder of the devastation caused by 1993 earthquake at Latur, Maharastra where approximately 8,000 people were killed and to an extend of 1991 earthquake in Uttarkashi that killed around 700 people. Landslide alone had taken a toll of 1000 people in three strikes (at Nagaland (1993), Assam (1991) and Malpa (1998)). Floods have caused death of more than 2000 people in 1994 in the states of Assam, Arunanchal Pradesh, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Kerala and Gujarat. Cyclones have hit the coastal regions of Orissa twice (in 1971 and in 1999) and had taken a cumulative toll of 19,000 lives. In the 1999 cyclone more than 18 million people were affected (compiled from various sources from Internet). Disaster Management Framework in the Country: What are the institutional arrangements in the country for disaster management? The highest institution dealing with the Disaster Management (DM) is National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) which is headed by Prime minister, Chief Ministers of the 28 states and District collectors of the districts. NDMA is responsible for laying down policies,

plans and guidelines for DM, their implementation and coordinate response in time of disaster. It can also undertake active steps related to the prevention of disaster situations. The central ministries and state government are supposed to extend necessary help to NDMA in carrying out its objectives. At the state level DM is handled by State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) which is headed by States Chief Minister and at District level by District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) which is headed by district collector. The related civic agencies like municipalities, boards are expected to carry out the plans and implement policies as developed by NDMA, SDMA or DDMA. The research, training and developing expertise in the field of DM, National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) is created. Specify existing acts and legal frameworks for DM, if any. In 2005, GOI had enacted Disaster Management Act that lays down institutional, legal, financial and coordination mechanisms at all the three levels, namely national, state and district level. Prominent activities being undertaken for mitigation. Many such activities have been undertaken at different level and effectiveness. One such activity is the early warning system for Tsunami, which was taken after the devastation and huge losses caused by 2004 tsunami. As per the newspaper reports, the system worked well in assessing the tsunami threat during recent earthquake in Indonesia. Challenges: Short term: Minimizing human casualties in urban and rural risk zones Long term: Sustainable development, environment conservation, population control Recommendations: What would you suggest to improve the mitigation efforts in your country? More emphasis on indigenous knowledge on disaster and coping mechanisms Capacity building for women with emphasis of their role in post-disaster phase Imparting of education in schools and colleges References: 1. http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/area_and_population.aspx 2. http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india/Rural_Urban_2011.pdf 3. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/india/gdp 4. http://business.mapsofindia.com/india-gdp/sectorwise/
5. National Policy on Disaster Management. 2006. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi pg 1