Risk Returns

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Disaster risk reduction and the

building of a disaster-resilient India

M Shashidhar Reddy, Vice-Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India

ndia ranks second in the world on the basis of population

and seventh in terms of land mass, with a wide range of

geo-morphological conditions. The country is highly vulner-

able to many disasters, which are further compounded by

demographic disparities and pressures. Urbanization and the

concentration of population in cities means that more people

are becoming vulnerable to localized disasters, with the econom-

ically and socially weaker segments of the population being the

most seriously affected.

India has a progressive and forward-looking development agenda

of inclusive growth which can be undermined by disasters. The

development process must, therefore, be sensitive toward disaster

prevention, preparedness and mitigation. Thus, disaster risk reduc-

tion (DRR) is the focus of our developmental agenda.

India’s vision for DRR

The National Policy on Disaster Management (2009) spells out the

vision for a disaster-resilient India:

‘To build a safe and disaster-resilient India by developing a holis-

tic, proactive, multi-disaster oriented and technology-driven strategy

through a culture of prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response.’

The underlying theme of the above is the involvement of commu-

nities at every level of decision making, the use of science and

technology in understanding and handling of disasters,

and the establishment of sustainable partnerships of all

the stakeholders in every endeavour.

Institutional mechanisms

Though a number of DRR initiatives were undertaken

in India in the past and also in wake of the Orissa

super-cyclone (1999), Gujarat earthquake (2001) and

the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), the real impetus was

provided by the enactment of disaster management

legislation (the DM Act) in December 2005, putting in

place much-needed institutional mechanisms.

The Act provided for the setting-up of a National

Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the

chairmanship of the Prime Minister, State Disaster

Management Authorities under the chairmanship of

the Chief Ministers, and District Disaster Management

Authorities under the chairmanship of District

Magistrates.

It also provided for the setting up of the

National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), the

premier institute in the country responsible for training

and capacity development of government functionaries

and other stakeholders. These activities are supported

by many state-level administrative training institutes.

The Act mandates the constitution of the National

Disaster Response Fund and similar funds at the state

level.

One of the most significant provisions of the DM

Act has been the constitution of a specialized field

organization called the National Disaster Response

Force (NDRF) under the NDMA. The NDRF has devel-

oped into a well-trained, dedicated force with around

11,000 personnel spread throughout the country. They

have state-of-the-art equipment required for various

response actions. The NDRF has developed the capa-

bility to respond to all kinds of natural and man-made

disasters, including chemical, biological, radiological

and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies. The NDRF is helping

to train similar state-level response forces. Besides

being deployed to handle disasters, the forces also

get pre-positioned in an impending disaster situation.

The NDRF is also playing a major role in enhancing

community-based disaster preparedness, particularly in

the areas of life-saving skills and hands-on approaches.

In a very short timespan, around 100,000 people have

been sensitized across the country. NDMA is keen to

2042b

NDRF team rescuing school children during Cyclone Aila

Image: NDMA