The April 25 Nepal disaster is yet another reminder for us to develop a sound policy for disaster preparedness strategy for the central Himalayan region. Being vulnerable to both floods and earthquakes, this region requires special attention. Special efforts need to be mounted to develop hazard scenarios and models using land zonation maps. Today’s computing […]
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The Nepal earthquakes are a painful reminder for all of us that almost the entire South Asian population lies in harm’s way. Consider the fact that 80 per cent of India’s building stock is non-engineered. Even the balance stock is not necessarily capable of withstanding earthquakes of the magnitude that struck Nepal. While the risk […]
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India’s unique climate and socio-economic realities make it vulnerable to a number of natural, as well as man-made disasters such as floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and forest fires. Out of 35 states and union territories in the country, 27 —about 77 per cent, are disaster prone. According to a document, ‘Disaster Management in […]
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My tenure as Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), Odisha where cyclone Phailin made a landfall, marked a very significant career milestone. While I felt the pain of the 13 million people who were devastated by the Cyclone, I also experienced the pleasure of a job well done, with timely evacuation and relief saving thousands lives. […]
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According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC 2007, human utilisation of the coastal zone, worldwide, increased dramatically during the 20th century and this trend appears to be certain to continue during the 21st century. India will be no exception. Climate change and its resultant sea-level rise can significantly increase the vulnerability of a […]
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India’s hazard profile is dependent on the geo-climatic conditions and topographic features, and the underlying vulnerabilities cause annual disasters of varying degrees like floods, droughts, cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and forest fire in the country. It is estimated that about 59 per cent of India’s land area is prone to earthquakes and the Himalayas […]
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The Alaknanda disaster in Uttarakhand in northern India during 15-16 June 2013 is one of the worst human tragedies in recent history. The impact of this event has reminded us once more of the increased and undesirable human interventions on the natural systems. The trigger for this event was an unusual natural process–cloud burst at […]
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The Himalayan regions of India are geologically fragile and highly eco-sensitive, and hence prone to certain types of natural disasters. Among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand has been notable for a plethora of such disasters in recent decades, including floods and landslides in almost every monsoon season. Hence, except for the heavy toll of pilgrims and […]
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Extreme rain events, severe floods and hydrometeorological disasters are serious issues that is believed, will intensify the hydrological cycle under a changing global climate regime. Experiences suggest that the extreme rain events are large scale embedded (for the country as a whole), long period intense rainfall activities during the summer monsoon period. Every year some […]
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The year 2010 witnessed a series of unprecedented floods not just in India but globally. From floods in Himachal Pradesh (July 2010) and Leh (August 2010), floods occurred in several parts of Karnatka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and south Orissa during November-December 2010. Globally, severe floods in east China (May 2010), Rio Lorogo, Brazil (June […]
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