Disaster Management in India

Disaster management has been a tedious task in India keeping in view the aspects related to it. Although, definite steps have been taken in this direction still it lacks in some respects. This article deals with disaster management in India from the time of India’s independence, and what changes have been done in each successive phase.

Disasters can be caused due to many factors such as natural, human-induced, biological, etc. Since Biological disasters have a composite nature incorporating both natural and human-related phenomena, this has been discussed in greater detail. Further, it being a continuous process involving the political, environmental, social, and economic angles minimizing has been an impressive area of research all over the world so that lives can be enhanced and disasters can be minimized. As is usually understood by many individuals, disaster management involves reducing the occurrence of disasters but disaster being an unavoidable circumstance, disaster management deals with minimizing the effects of disaster.

Disaster Management in India

What is Disaster?

Disaster is usually a naturally occurring phenomenon, though not confined to it, which makes it unavoidable and involves a significant impact on all the aspects of the environment (the surroundings), which when exceed the threshold can even cause the loss of livelihoods of the economy and further can aggravate the situation making it difficult to manage.

What is Disaster Management?

Disaster Management is the continuous process of working in the field of reducing the impact of disasters which can have a positive impact to the economy.

Two points needs to be kept in mind.

1. Disaster management should help in mitigating the impact of disasters.
2. Disaster management should have a positive impact on the society and economy as a whole.

Disaster Management Cycle

Evolution of Disaster Management paradigm in India

Post-Independence : Reactive Approach Phase

1. This deals with the reactive based approach which can provide relief to the society.
2. This doesn’t served the actual purpose because of lack of proper institutional mechanism.
3. The primary responsibility for the management of disasters was given to the states with the center just playing the role of assisting them.

UN-driven change in perspective about Disaster Management

1. The UNGA designates the decade of 1990’s as the international decade for natural disaster reduction which makes it an over-burning challenge and thus upgraded its priority in the international arena.
2. The first such conference on natural disasters was thus adopted in 1994 as the Yokohama strategy for safer world.

Decade of 1990’s : Early Beginnings in Disaster Management setup

1. The period marked the setting up of Disaster Management Cell in Ministry of Agriculture.
2. As a result, the National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM) was setup in 1995.
3. A series of disasters struck India like the Latur Earthquake (1993), Orissa Supercyclone (1990), Malpa Landslide (1998), etc. which has laid bare open the inadequacies of the disaster response in India.
4. The JC Pant Committee on disaster management (1999) was setup which recommended setting up a Disaster Management Ministry but this did not fructify.

Early 2000s : Institutionalization of disaster management in India

After Bhuj Earthquake (2001), an All Party National Committee on disaster management (chaired by PM) which recommended for the creation of NDMA under MHA. Therefore, in 2002 the Disaster Management Division was shifted to the MHA which marked the beginning of hierarchical structure for disaster management in India. The 10th FYP (2002-07) document had for the first time a detailed chapter on disaster management.

Paradigm shift : Advent of pro-active approach

After the Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004), the government decided to enact the Disaster Management Act in 2005 which was hailed as a significant development in the paradigm of disaster management in India.

Significance of enactment of Disaster Management Act, 2005 : Why is it considered a paradigm shift

1. There was a paradigm shift from the erstwhile relief-centric response to a pro-active prevention, mitigation and preparedness driven approach to minimize loss of life, property and livelihood.
2. The new approach is obtained from the conviction that development cannot be sustained unless disaster mitigation is built into the development process.
3. This paradigm shift underpins that disasters can be managed through adequate planning and preparedness for response.
4. The new approach also originates from the belief that investments in mitigation are much more cost effective that expenditure on relief and rehabilitation.

Therefore, with the enactment of Disaster Management Act, 2005, one can say that disaster management in India has evolved from an activity based reactive setup to a pro-active institutionalized structure, and from a relief based approach to a multi-dimensional holistic approach for reducing disaster risk.

Agencies involved in the management of disasters in India

The organizational structure is hierarchical in nature with three levels of operation, i.e., centre, state and district. Apart from this, it is also a multi-stakeholder framework in which several key ministries, departments and administrative entities are involved.

Institutional arrangement at National Level

1. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
2. National Executive Committee (NEC) of NDMA
3. NDMA Advisory Committee
4. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
5. National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM)
6. Disaster Management Division, MHA
7. National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR)
8. National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC)

Institutions at State Level

1. State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)
2. State Executive Committee (SEC) of SDMA

Institutions at District Level

District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)

Financial arrangements under the Disaster Management Act

National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)

It is a fund constituted by the central government under the Disaster Management Act for meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation. It supplements the State Disaster Response Fund in case of a disaster of severe nature provided adequate funds are not available in the SDRF. Currently, a National Calamity Contingency Duty (NCCD) is levied to finance the fund and additional budgetary support is provided as and when necessary. This fund is placed under the public account of GoI.

State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)

It is a primary fund available with the state governments for responses to notified disasters. The centre contributes 75% of the SDRF allocation for general category states and 90% for special category states.

National Disaster Mitigation Fund

It is a fund that may be constituted by the central government under the Disaster Management Act for projects exclusively for the purpose of mitigation. However the NDMA has not been setup until now as there are sufficient schemes to take care of mitigation measures such as PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana) which aims to improve the water use efficiency and reduce the water wastage thus helping in mitigating the agricultural droughts.

National Disaster Response Reserve (NDRR)

The 13th Finance Commission recommended for the creation of NDRR with a corpus of Rs. 250 crore to meet the immediate requirement of relief material or equipment after a disaster. The purpose of creating NDRR is to mitigate the sufferings of the victims of a disaster and readily available the items required for providing relief such as generators, tents, cranes, etc. The NDRR will be procured and maintained by the NDRF and distributed on the specific demands of the state.

Drawbacks of the Disaster Management Act

1. It has been accused of fostering an hierarchical, bureaucratic, command-and-control, top-down approach that gives the center, states and district authorities of sweeping powers.
2. The act has been criticized for marginalizing NGOs, elected local representatives (PRIs), local communities and civil society.
3. Issues in implementation – According to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, 2015 on “Disaster Preparedness in India”
   1. The implementation of the Disaster Management Act has been slow and slack. For instance, there was a seven year delay from 2006-2013 in finalizing the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) which was finally released in 2016.
   2. The center, states and districts did not constitute the mitigation funds which could be used for disaster preparedness, restoration, etc.
   3. Many mitigation projects taken up by the NDMA were incomplete.
   4. Several critical posts in the NDMA were lying vacant.

Biological Disasters

Disasters which occur as a result of biologically active ingredients/pathogens which has the ability to create havoc in the economy and whose conversion rates can’t be predicted in advance making it’s area of influence unpredictable are considered as biological disasters. Examples include the recent outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic which had lasted for quite a few years and is still making its toll to a greater public.

Biological Disasters – Important points for UPSC

1. Biological disasters can be classified into epidemic and pandemic level disasters.

2. Epidemic level disasters refers to a disaster which affects a greater number of population within a specified region.

3. Pandemic level disaster indicates a disaster affecting a much larger population, sometimes a country or the whole continent.

4. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare acts as the nodal ministry to deal with epidemic level disasters.

5. Health being a state legislated subject, the primary responsibility lies with the state governments to deal with biological disasters.

Legislations for prevention of biohazards in India

1. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974

The act deals with the prevention of water pollution mainly at the source of its generation which can effect the water resources of India. It deals with both point and diffused sources. It concentrates on reducing the water logging and polluting agents thus preventing the pathogens to cause biohazards.

2. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

The act provides for the legislation of air pollutants thus mitigating the effect of disasters caused due to the same.

3. Disaster Management Act, 2005

Legal Framework for Biological Disasters

1. The Epidemics Diseases Act, 1897 was enacted to manage of 1897 bubonic plague of Mumbai.

2. The law provides the government with some special powers in mitigating biological disasters.

• The power to legislate policies and norms and restricting the right to travel lies with the central government.
• The power to legislate the disaster affected area including the imposition of travel restrictions and to implement the executive action lies with the state governments.

3. Section 188 of IPC deals with the penalty proposed under Biological disasters and provides for the protection of peoples acting under the legislation to any legal proceedings.

Prevention of Biological Disasters

1. Proper maintenance of sewage and drainage pipelines can reduce the occurrence of disasters caused due to flies and mosquitoes.
2. Integrated disease surveillance system should be put in place to deal with the early surveillance of biological disasters.
3. Proper conduct between the international organizations and agencies can help in continuous flow of information relating to diseases.
4. Awareness among the general public regarding the personal hygiene should be propagated.
5. Details about the biological disasters and its prevention needs to be started at the local level and hence education to the general public in the vernacular language is the need of the hour.

Multiple Choice Questions

1: Which body is responsible for disaster management in India?

A) National Disaster Management Authority

B) State Disaster Management Authority

C) National Disaster Response Force

D) State Disaster Response Force

Answer-

The correct answer is A) National Disaster Management Authority.

2: Who heads the National Disaster Management Authority?

A) Union Home Minister

B) Cabinet Secretariat to the Prime Ministers’ Office

C) Prime Minister

D) Union Defence Minister

Answer-

The correct answer is C) Prime Minister.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explain the steps to be taken in individual capacity to mitigate disaster impact in India?

1. Planting trees can help as the shock absorbers in the event of disasters.
2. Utilizing more of public transport can help in reducing the pollution, which can further help in mitigating the atmospheric based disasters.
3. Not over-utilizing the water resources as they help in maintaining the natural balance of the ecosystems.

Describe the importance of Disaster Management Act in light of urban areas.

1. Urban areas had seen many instances of heat island in the recent past, which is leading to extreme weather events.
2. Improper guidelines while constructing any structure leads to the trapping of more sunlight.
3. Overflooded drainage systems too results into disastrous effects.

Can a disaster affect both animals and plants at the same time?

Disasters has the ability to affect both animals and plants thus causing a natural havoc. Disasters like tsunamis, droughts affects the ecosystem as a whole whereas the pandemic level disasters affects the specific species of a kingdom.

What is meant by contingency in disaster management plans?

Contingency refers to the involvement of different agencies in resolving the disputes between contradictory questions about the disasters and its occurrence. It is a basic building block of every legislation to enable a hassle free mitigation of disasters and its effects.

What is the aim of Disaster Management in India?

Disaster Management aims for the reduction of disasters and its potential hazardous effects to the society at large. It provides for the effective implementation of disaster management related plans and policies to be integrated in the national policy formulation.