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dissemination of information and constant interaction

with decision makers are just some of the priority tasks

of the DSC. Furthermore, the DSC also provides support

to the International Charter on Space and Major

Disasters.

Floods and cyclones

Since a flood is a dynamic disaster, monitoring them

and the timely dissemination of flood information plays

a crucial role in the management task. During

monsoon season, floods and cyclones are continuously

monitored and mapped in near-real time through aerial

and satellite data.

All weather space images from

microwave sensors are also of immense help to map

flood events.

Using hydro-meteorological data, a

constant watch is kept on the flood/cyclone situation

in the country. Accordingly, optical and microwave

synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data is planned and

acquired from Indian and foreign satellite missions

respectively. Currently, images from Resourcesat 1,

Radarsat and are being used extensively. Indigenously

developed SAR instruments mounted on an aircraft can

also be flown over the affected areas, depending on the

requirement.

Automated procedures have been developed to delin-

eate flood inundation layers from satellite images. Flood

maps are composed at various scales from 1:500,000 to

1:25,000 showing administrative boundaries, settle-

ments, roads and rails and the extent of inundation.

high-powered committee – as well as a national committee after the

Gujarat earthquake in 2002 – for making recommendations on effec-

tive management of disasters in the country.

In December 2005 the Government enacted a Disaster

Management Act, which envisaged the creation of the National

Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster

Management Authorities to develop and implement holistic

approaches for disaster management. The NDMA is responsible

for evolving policies, plans and guidelines for disaster manage-

ment, as well as coordinating the enforcement and implementation

of said policies. There are a number of organizations in the country

such as the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the India

Meteorological Department, the Geological Survey of India and

the National Geophysical Research Institute, which are closely

associated with the NDMA and regularly contribute to disaster

management activity in a significant way.

Having more than two decades’ experience in the application of

remote sensing technology for operational disaster monitoring and

risk assessment, the Indian Government’s Department of Space

(DOS) has embarked upon the Disaster Management Support

Programme (DMSP), to take the benefits of aerospace technology

and apply them to disaster risk reduction in the country.

The Decision Support Centre (DSC) has also been established at

National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) to serve as a single-window

delivery point for disseminating value-added information on five

types of natural disaster. The DSC keeps a constant watch on the

prevailing disasters in the country by gathering information from

different sources. Analysis of space/airborne images, integration with

ground data, generation of user-friendly information products, timely

Flood hazard zonation map

Map showing the flood hazards for the Bhadrak district, Orissa state

Source: Flood reports of NRSA, India