DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

1. INTRODUCTION OF DISASTER1.1 Disaster- An Introduction

Disasters - natural or human-made are common throughout the world. Disasters continue to occur without warning and are perceived to be on an increase in their magnitude, complexity, frequency and economic impact. Hazards pose threats to people and assume serious proportions in the under developed countries with dense population. During the second half of the 20th century, more than 200 worst natural disasters occurred in the different parts of the world and claimed lives of around 1.4 million people. Losses) in the developing countries than in industrialized one. Asia tops the list of casualties due to natural disasters.due to natural disasters are 20 times greater (as % of GDP2 TYPES OF DISASTERDisasters can take many different forms, and the duration can range from an hourly disruption to days or weeks of ongoing destruction. Below is a list of the various types of disasters both natural and man-made or technological in nature that can impact a community. Natural Types of Disasters

Agricultural diseases & pests

Damaging Winds

Drought and water shortage

Earthquakes

Emergency diseases (pandemic influenza)

Extreme heat

Floods and flash floods

Hail

Hurricanes and tropical storms

Landslides & debris flow

Thunderstorms and lighting

Tornadoes

Tsunamis

Wildfire

Winter and ice storms

Sinkholes

Hurricanes and tropical storms are among the most powerful natural disasters because of their size and destructive potential. Tornadoes are relatively brief but violent, potentially causing winds in excess of 200 mph. Both earthquakes and tornadoes strike suddenly without warning.

Flooding is the most common of natural hazards, and requires an understanding of the natural systems of our environment, including floodplains and the frequency of flooding events. Wildfires are more prevalent in the event of a drought. Disasters impacting food supply can be extremely costly; American officials say that a food contamination scare similar to the one that hit the Belgian poultry industry in the 1990s could jeopardize U.S. agricultural exports in excess of $140 billion.

Man-Made and Technological Types of Disasters

Hazardous materials

Power service disruption & blackout

Nuclear power plant and nuclear blast

Radiological emergencies

Chemical threat and biological weapons

Cyber attacks

Explosion

Civil unrest

Disasters also can be caused by humans. Hazardous materials emergencies include chemical spills and groundwater contamination. Workplace fires are more common and can cause significant property damage and loss of life. Communities are also vulnerable to threats posed by extremist groups who use violence against both people and property.

High-risk targets include military and civilian government facilities, international airports, large cities and high-profile landmarks. Cyber-terrorism involves attacks against computers and networks done to intimidate or coerce a government or its people for political or social objectives.2.Natural DisastersThe Indian sub continent is highly prone to natural disasters. Floods, droughts, cyclones and earthquakes are recurrent phenomena in India. Susceptibility to disasters is compounded by frequent occurrences of man-made disasters such as fire. The changing topography (topo = land) due to environmental degradation also increasing vulnerability to natural disasters. In 1988, 11.2%of total land area was flood prone, but in 1998 floods inundated 37% geographical area. Four major disasters that India has experienced in the recent past are the earthquake in Latur (Maharashtra in 1993), super cyclone in Orissa (1999), the earthquake in Gujarat (2001) and Tsunami in Tamil nadu and Andhra Pradesh in December 2004. Frequent disasters lead to enormous loss of life and property. Physical safety-especially that of the vulnerable groups is routinely threatened by hazards. Natural disasters cannot be prevented but their damaging impact can be reduced through better forecast, and preparedness to take up effective rescue measures. Disaster risk management is essentially a development problem. Preparedness and planning for disaster management have to be taken up along with environmental concerns that the country is facing todays

Type of disasters

There are two types of disasters namely natural disasters and manmade disasters. For example: fire, accidents (road, rail or air), industrial accidents or epidemics are some of

The examples of man-made disasters, both natural and man-made disasters which have devastating input resulting loss of human life, loss of livelihoods, property and environmental degradation. Disasters disrupt normal functioning of society and leave long lasting impact.

Earth quake, cyclone, flood and drought are examples of natural disasters.1.2 The cost and consequences of disasters

India is vulnerable to extreme weather events. Over the decade of the 1990s, both the number and severity of such events have increased. Weather events can be classified as extreme on the basis of various factors such as the impact, the socio-economic losses, environmental degradation and long term damages etc. With more than 70 percent of Indias population relying on agriculture directly or indirectly, the impact of extreme weather on human life and other living beings is critical. In the state of

Orissa, 49 years have experienced floods, 30 have had droughts, and 11 faced cyclones. These analyses have yielded a 30-year cyclicity of the Indian monsoons. Droughts were more common in the 1960s. Of the 14 major drought years in the 85-year record, eight occurred in the first 30 year period (1891-1920) whereas there was only one in the second 30 year period (1921- 1950). In the 25-year period from 1951 1981, five major drought years were recorded. In 1972 and 1979 deficient rainfall (about 25% below normal) was recorded in one half to two thirds of Indias plains. In 1994, monsoon rainfall was deficient (between 20% and 43%) in 10 of the 31 meteorological subdivisions of India.

Floods and droughts occurring in India are closely associated with the nature and extent of the summer monsoon. The inter-annual fluctuations in the summer monsoon rainfall over India are sufficiently large to cause devastating floods or serious droughts. Floods anddroughts affect vast areas of the country, transcending state boundaries. One-sixth area of the country is drought-prone. Out of 40 million hectares of the flood prone area in the country, on an average, floods affect an area of around 7.5 million hectares per year.

The cost of natural disasters in India, in terms of human life, loss of property and assets and loss of shelter and livelihoods, is immense. Between 1980 and 1999 the total number of people killed in disasters was 110,131. Between 1988-1997 disasters affected 24.79 million every year in India. In 1998, 9,846 people died and 34.11 million people were affected by disasters. Between 1985-95, disasters caused an annual economic loss of around US$ 1,883.93 million. A World Bank Study in 2003 reported that India lost US$13.8 billion between 19962001 in natural disaters. Experience and studies show that the actual figures greatly exceed the documented ones. The average damage to crops, houses and public utilities from floods during the period 1953-95 was estimated at Rs 972 crore every year, while the maximum damage was Rs 4,630 crore in 1988. In 1998, floods inundated 37% of the country.

In 1987, one of the worst droughts of the century affected 285 million people and 5860% of cropped area. In India, with its large tribal and rural population and people still engaged in traditional occupations such as agriculture, this is a major calamity.

In 2000, floods took a toll of 1,262 lives in West Bengal, 400 lives in Uttar Pradesh and 258 lives in Bihar. And drought affected 94 lakh people in Chhattisgarh, 291 lakh in Gujarat, 127 lakh in Madhya Pradesh and 119 lakh in Orissa, where almost 30 starvation deaths were reported in the month of August 2001 alone. In recent years, Bihar has been repeatedly hit by floods in 2002, then again in 2004. In August 2007, 11 million people were believed to be affected in what was termed unprecedented flooding. Despite several measures being documented for avoiding this in future, in 2008, 2000 lives were lost and 2.3 million people were displaced as the Kosi river broke its embankments.

Most injuries such as lacerations that occur during cyclones or fractures during earthquakes occur during or immediately after the catastrophe. In developing countries, the number of injured are estimated only by the number admitted to hospital, but there are hundreds more who never get to a hospital, and many thousands more suffering psychosocial and post-traumatic stress disorders who go completely unrecorded and untreated.

Further, the death or disability of a family's earning member during a disaster could mean a lifetime of loss of income and possible destitution for the entire family. Suicides by indebted farmers in the country since 1997 now total 182,936.

The death of livestock, or the loss of capital or the tools of ones trade can likewise lead to a complete devastation of earning capacity. During floods, saltwater contamination of land can lead to the loss of not one, but several, harvests. For an already malnourished people, this could mean a rise in mortality as a secondary result of disasters.

Epidemics resulting from disasters are also a major worry in South Asia, where poor sanitation and the prevalence of many communicable diseases keep disease rates inordinately high. Typhoid, malaria and gastrointestinal diseases are constant threats in disaster hit zones where even clean drinking water can become unavailable for days or even weeks, as was the case after the Orissa super cyclone. The sardine can population density in urban areas and certain coastal regions multiplies the number of disaster victims.

The poor are worst affected

The worst affected and vulnerable are the poor and marginalized sections and communities of India. They suffer the most in terms of human and property loss. Unfortunately, poverty is most widespread in areas that are more vulnerable to natural disasters the flood prone regions of north Bihar, east Uttar Pradesh and north Bengal, and the drought-prone regions of Rajasthan, Marathwada in Maharashtra and north Karnataka.

Not only are the poor the worst hit, but their capacity to recover from a disaster is also limited by their social, economic and political situation. In India, the vulnerabilities are inextricably linked to certain processes of marginalization that protect the interests of particular groups and areas at the cost of others. The nature and direction of economic development followed over the past 50 years has been unsuccessful in expanding or even distributing, social opportunity across the country.

1.3 Development and natural disasters

'Natural' disasters are often described as the wrath of God. In fact, they are the wrath of nature. Thus, 'natural' disasters are human made to a startling degree. Recurring floods and droughts are precipitated by the unrestricted felling of forests, serious damage to mountain ecology, overuse of groundwater and changing patterns of cultivation. When forests are destroyed, rainwater runs off, causing floods and diminishing the recharging of groundwater. The spate of landslides in the Himalayas in recent years can be directly traced to the rampant deforestation and network of roads that have been indiscriminately laid in the name of development. It is by now a well-established fact that human made structures, including canals, dams and embankments have worsened the flood situation in the country as the repeated flooding of the Kosi river in Bihar shows. Big dams also pose a seismic threat. Despite this, numerous dams, vulnerable to seismic activity, are being built in the Himalayan foothills. The Tehri dam, a major hydroelectric project faced stiff opposition from environmental organizations and local people because it is located in the Central Himalayan Seismic Gap, a geologic fault zone. A major earthquake in the region could cause severe havoc in Hardwar, Rishikesh and other mountain towns. This apart, the dam poses a serious threat to the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas. In spite of all this, the Tehri dam continues to operate in June 2006, it generated its first unit of electricity.

India has learnt no lessons from the world's most devastating reservoir induced earthquake on December 10, 1967, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, which struck Koynagar in Maharashtra, killing 200 people and injuring 1,500. The epicenter and aftershocks all occurred near the 103mhigh dam or under its reservoir. Land degradation, which today affects 175 million of India's 329 million hectares, is also increasing because of human intervention. Natural grasslands are disappearing because of overgrazing. Water logging, over fertilization and mining are degrading huge tracts of land. The effect of this on people's lives can be seen in western Orissa where deforestation, mining and the decline of traditional irrigation and agricultural systems has caused land degradation on a large scale, leading to one of the worst drought conditions in the country. This in turn leads to large scale seasonal and permanent migration to urban slums. Some 33 million people have been displaced by 'development projects' in India, according to the State of the Worlds Refugees 2006 report, a figure that is a third higher than the number of conflict induced. Internally Displaced People worldwide. The fell hand of man can be seen in what is now regarded as a fact global warming which has changed weather patterns and will as acerbate natural disasters and the scale and frequency with which they occur. Findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has been established by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), show that the global average surface temperature increased by 0.6C over the course of the 20th century. Scientists have recorded the 1990s as the hottest decade in the world since the industrial revolution began. As a result of global warming, snow extent has decreased by about 10% since the 1960s, while mountain glaciers have retreated rapidly. The global average sea level rose by 10 to 20cm during the 20th century, and the amount of heat stored in the ocean has measurably increased since observations began in the 1950s.PHASES OF DISASTERThe National Governors Association designed a phase of disaster model to help emergency managers prepare for and respond to a disaster, also known as the life cycle of comprehensive emergency management. The four phases of disaster: 1) mitigation; 2) preparedness; 3) response; and 4) recovery.

The model helps frame issues related to disaster preparedness as well as economic and business recovery after a disaster. Each phase has particular needs, requires distinct tools, strategies, and resources and faces different challenges. The issues addressed below relate to the resiliency and recovery of the local economy and business community before and after a major disaster

MITIGATIONPre-Disaster Mitigation Efforts

PREPAREDNESSEducation, Outreach and Training

Business Continuity & Emergency Management Planning

RESPONSE

Immediate Response to Stakeholders

Establish Business Recovery Center

RECOVERY

Post-Disaster Economic Recovery Plan

-The issues addressed below relate to the resiliency and recovery of the local economy and business community before and after a major disaster.

Phases of Disaster

Mitigation

Mitigation involves steps to reduce vulnerability to disaster impacts such as injuries and loss of life and property. This might involve changes in local building codes to fortify buildings; revised zoning and land use management; strengthening of public infrastructure; and other efforts to make the community more resilient to a catastrophic event.

Preparedness

Preparedness focuses on understanding how a disaster might impact the community and how education, outreach and training can build capacity to respond to and recover from a disaster. This may include engaging the business community, pre-disaster strategic planning, and other logistical readiness activities. The disaster preparedness activities guide provides more information on how to better prepare an organization and the business community for a disaster.Response

Response addresses immediate threats presented by the disaster, including saving lives, meeting humanitarian needs (food, shelter, clothing, public health and safety), cleanup, damage assessment, and the start of resource distribution. As the response period progresses, focus shifts from dealing with immediate emergency issues to conducting repairs, restoring utilities, establishing operations for public services (including permitting), and finishing the cleanup process.

Triage efforts assess and deal with the most pressing emergency issues. This period is often marked by some level of chaos, which can last a month or more, depending on the nature of the disaster and the extent of damage. Federal resources, such as action from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (in the case of a major disaster declaration) and non-profit resources such as the Red Cross are deployed immediately

Business re-entry into the economy begins during this phase. Businesses initially may face issues with access to their site, preliminary damage assessment, and communications with staff, vendors, suppliers and customers. Ongoing issues may include access to capital and workers, the repair of damaged property or inventory, and a diminished customer base. It is in this phase that long-term future of a regions business base will be saved or lost.

Business Recovery Centers are quickly set up in a community to centralize small business recovery resources (e.g. SBA, SBDC, SCORE, CDFI, etc), local bank officers, technical assistance providers, and other critical assistance for maintaining business continuity and/or get businesses up and running.

Federal resources from SBA, FEMA, HUD, EDA, USDA, etc., as well as state programs, start to arrive; temporary housing goes up; and the planning for the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, facilities, and areas begins. The response phase typically continues through the sixth month, again depending on the nature of the disaster.

It is not uncommon for disasters to reveal a weakened economic development landscape, with significant gaps in organizational capacity, staff and resources. Thus, economic development agencies and stakeholders may need additional staff, capacity building assistance, and training.Recovery

Recovery is the fourth phase of disaster and is the restoration of all aspects of the disasters impact on a community and the return of the local economy to some sense of normalcy. By this time, the impacted region has achieved a degree of physical, environmental, economic and social stability.

The recovery phase of disaster can be broken into two periods. The short-term phase typically lasts from six months to at least one year and involves delivering immediate services to businesses. The long-term phase, which can range up to decades, requires thoughtful strategic planning and action to address more serious or permanent impacts of a disaster. Investment in economic development capacity building becomes essential to foster economic diversification, attain new resources, build new partnerships and implement effective recovery strategies and tactics. Communities must access and deploy a range of public and private resources to enable long-term economic recovery1.4 Disaster Risk Reduction

Disaster Risk Reduction can take place in the following ways:

1. Preparedness

This protective process embraces measures which enable governments, communities and individuals to respond rapidly to disaster situations to cope with them effectively. Preparedness includes the formulation of viable emergency plans, the development of warning systems, the maintenance of inventories and the training of personnel. It may also embrace search and rescue measures as well as evacuation plans for areas that may be at risk from a recurring disaster. Preparedness therefore encompasses those measures taken before a disaster event which are aimed at minimizing loss of life, disruption of critical services, and damage when the disaster occurs.

2. Mitigation

Mitigation embraces measures taken to reduce both the effect of the hazard and the vulnerable conditions to it in order to reduce the scale of a future disaster. Therefore mitigation activities can be focused on the hazard itself or the elements exposed to the threat. Examples of mitigation measures which are hazard specific include water management in drought prone areas, relocating people away from the hazard prone areas and by strengthening structures to reduce damage when a hazard occurs. In addition to these physical measures, mitigation should also aim at reducing the economic and social vulnerabilities of potential disasters.

1.5 Disaster Management Cycle

Disaster Risk Management includes sum total of all activities, programmes and measures which can be taken up before, during and after a disaster with the purpose to avoid a disaster, reduce its impact or recover from its losses. The three key stages of activities that are taken up within disaster risk management are:

1. Before a disaster (pre-disaster).Activities taken to reduce human and property losses caused by a potential hazard. For example, carrying out awareness campaigns, strengthening the existing weak structures, preparation of the disaster management plans at household and community level, etc. Such risk reduction measures taken under this stage are termed as mitigation and preparedness activities.

2. During a disaster (disaster occurrence).

Initiatives taken to ensure that the needs and provisions of victims are met and suffering is minimized. Activities taken under this stage are called emergency response activities.3. After a disaster (post-disaster)

Initiatives taken in response to a disaster with a purpose to achieve early recovery and rehabilitation of affected communities, immediately after a disaster strikes. These are called as response and recovery activities.

In the subsequent chapters we would discuss in detail some of the major hazards prevalent in our country its causes, impact, preparedness and mitigation measures that need to be taken up.DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN INDIAMany international organizations, voluntary agencies and national governments have been working towards reducing the impact of disasters and minimize the loss of life and property on account of manmade and natural disasters. These efforts have been directed at identifying the vulnerability of areas and local communities and developing organisational systems and institutional capacity for risk reduction and disaster response programmes.

In India, the Disaster Management Act, 2005 was enacted on December 26, 2005 to develop plans for prevention and mitigation, and procedures to strengthen capacity building and awareness among people. The Act also permits states to have their own legislation on disaster management. Under the Act, a ten member National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was constituted with the prime minister as the chairperson. The Authority, with the assistance of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Secretaries is responsible for: Preparing national policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management. Approving disaster management plans developed by the states. Coordinate enforcement and implementation of the policy and plan, Arrange for funds and take effective measures for disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and capacity management. Provide assistance to countries affected by disasters. Each state has its own disaster management authority, which is chaired by the chief minister. The state authority, assisted by a State Executive Committee, forms policies and plans for disaster management in the state. A district disaster management authority has also been established by every state in each district. The district authority is headed by the district magistrate.

The local authority trains its officers and employees and maintains the necessary tools and equipments for relief and rescue operations. It also ensures that all construction projects under it conform to the standards and specifications laid down by the state government.

Under the Act, several institutions and funds at the state and district levels were set up.

National Disaster Response Force, consisting of eight central paramilitary battalions

National Institute of Disaster Management: responsible for planning and promoting training and research in the area of disaster management National Fund for Disaster Response for which the funds are decided by the central government. This is made available to the NEC, which meets the expenses towards emergency response, relief and rehabilitation National Fund for Disaster Mitigation will be directly managed by the National Disaster Management Authority, and will be used exclusively for the purpose of mitigation. The Act requires every ministry or department of the Government of India to set aside funds in its annual budget for the activities and programmes set out in its disaster management plan.

Schemes for financing expenditure on relief and rehabilitation in the wake of natural calamities are governed by the recommendations of Finance Commissions appointed by the Government of India every five years. Under the Tenth Finance Commission, in operation for the period 1995-2000, each state had a corpus of funds called the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF), administered by a state level committee, headed by the chief secretary of the state government. The size of the corpus was determined on the basis of the vulnerability of the state to different natural calamities and the magnitude of expenditure normally incurred by the state on relief operations. The corpus was built by annual contributions from the union government and the state governments concerned in the ratio 3:1. The Eleventh Finance Commission modified the financial arrangements under the Tenth Finance Commission and recommended the setting up of a National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF). The Twelfth Finance Commission, for the period 2005-10, has recommended that the Calamity Relief Fund should continue in its present form with contributions from the Centre and states in the ratio of 75:25.

3.Natural Disaster Droughts

Drought in India has resulted in tens of millions of deaths over the course of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on the climate of India: a favorable southwest summer monsoon is critical in securing water for irrigating Indian crops. In some parts of India, the failure of the monsoons result in water shortages, resulting in below-average crop yields. This is particularly true of major drought-prone regions such as southern and eastern Maharashtra, northern Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.

The primary cause of any drought is deficiency of rainfall and in particular, the timing, distribution and intensity of this deficiency in relation to existing reserves. A prolonged period of relatively dry weather leading to drought is a widely recognized climate anomaly. Drought can be devastating as water supplies dry up, crops fail to grow, animals die, and malnutrition and ill health become widespread The environmental effects of drought, including Stalinization of soil and groundwater decline, increased pollution of freshwater ecosystems and regional extinction of animal species.

In India around 68 percent of the country is prone to drought in varying degrees. Of the entire area 35 percent receives rain falls between 750 mm and 1125 mm which is considers drought prone while 33 percent which receives rainfalls between less than 750 mm is considered to be chronically drought prone.Millions of people in western India are suffering their worst drought in more than four decades, with critics blaming official ineptitude and corruption for exacerbating the natural water shortage. The 1972 drought led to a massive shortage of food grains and prices of all commodities rocketed, forcing Indias government to increase imports, while another widespread drought in 2009 also inflated prices and hardship. While last years monsoon picked up late in western parts of India, low rainfall in the crucial month of June led to water deficiency throughout the season.Agriculture is the immediate victim of drought disaster impacting crop area, crop production and farm employment. Droughts in the beginning of the season adversely affect the sown area leaving large portions of agricultural lands as fallow. Mid-season droughts result in poor crop growth and reduction in crop yields. Reduction in income and purchasing power of farmers turns the small and marginal farmers into agricultural laborers leading to increase in unemployment. Consequently, farmers and farm workers tend to migrate to urban areas in search of employment opportunities.

Shortage of drinking water and starvation for food are the other consequences that emerge. Fodder problem drives away the animals to distress sales. Thus climate is the initial causative factor for drought; the implications are manifested by human interactions with the situation.

2.1 Drought: causes and effects

Drought is defined in many ways, like, a period of dry weather; a condition of abnormal dry weather resulting in a serious hydrological imbalance, with consequences such as losses of standing crop and shortage of water needed by people and livestock8; a temporary reduction in water or moisture availability significantly below the normal or expected level for a specified period, and a creeping situation of scarcity without recharging of resources. The variables10 to be used are, for example, rainfall, run-off aquifer level; duration considered annual, seasonal, instantaneous minimum; truncation level percentage, quartile, standardized anomaly, and area of region single site, river basin, country zone, etc.. Drought has been categorized under different classification systems based on the characteristics of occurrence. Drought is responsible for many direct and indirect economic, social and environmental consequences throughout the world. Certain impacts are unavoidable but can be reduced significantly through planned interventions, whereas few other impacts can be mitigated by way of drought resistance.

2.2 Impact of drought: Indian scenarioThe disaster risks associated with drought is a recurrent feature in India. There are evidences of continuous famine for 12 years during 310298 BC during the region of Chandra Gupta Maurya. During a severe drought in 19171918, the River Jhelum dried up completely in Kashmir.. The country has experienced 22 large-scale droughts; five of them were severe. The drought-prone areas are confined mainly to the peninsular and western parts of the country, and there are only few pockets in the central, eastern, northern and southern parts. These regions suffer drought mostly due to the cumulative effects of changing precipitation pattern, excessive water utilization and ecologically unsuitable agriculture practices. It has been reported that 26 mha (795 mha of geographical area) is subjected to different degrees of water stress and drought conditions, which includes 38.7 mha of arid areas and of 7 mha of cold deserts. About 107 mha of the country spread over administrative districts in several states is affected by drought. However, most drought response strategies in India accounted on net sown area or crop yield. Emphasis on ecosystems, particularly forests and wetlands, and urban drought is lacking. Over the past 200 years India has faced a number of Droughts. Some of these were very severe, posed a threat to the food security and caused human mortality all over the country. Drought occurrence, people affected and impacts in India during 19002002.

2.3 Drought disaster challenges and mitigation in India

Drought is the most widespread hydro-meteorological syndrome of prolonged period of water scarcity affecting natural resources, environment and, thereby, the people. Environmental changes, viz. climate change, land-use changes and natural resource degradation have aggravated drought occurrences and vulnerability, thus disrupting the normal socio-economic settings. All the regions of India suffer with drought incidences of varying periodicity, with 13 states repeatedly declared as drought-prone. Complexities of drought symptoms and impacts have sought for an understanding of an ecosystem approach for drought management, rather than as a hardcore meteorological discipline. Regions of Rajasthan, Bundelkhand, Karnataka and Orissa are typical examples of drought-related deprivation and resultant conflicts, whereas drought in states like Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, etc. are the result of improper agriculture practices and poor water management. In this article, the strategies of drought monitoring, data management, impacts and mitigation approach are critically assessed in the Indian perspective.

A drought is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. Drought is not a purely physical phenomenon, but instead is interplay between natural water availability and human demands for water supply. There is no universally accepted definition of drought. It is generally considered to be occurring when the principal monsoons, i.e. southwest monsoon and northeast monsoon, fail or are deficient or scanty. Monsoon failure causing crop failure, drying up ecosystems and shortage of drinking water results in undue hardship to the rural and urban communities.

Although droughts are still largely unpredictable; they are a recurring feature of the climate. Drought varies with regard to the time of occurrence, duration, intensity and extent of the area affected from year to year.

Land abuse during periods of good rains and its continuation during periods of deficient rainfall is the combination that contributes to desertification.

Dry regions in India include about 94 mha and about 300 million people (one-third of Indias population) live in these areas; more than 50% of the region is affected by drought once every four years.

Different countries and states have developed codes, manuals, procedures, processes and policies for monitoring and management of drought with varying understanding. Over the years, India has developed a fairly elaborate governance system of institutionalized drought monitoring, declaration and mitigation at different levels.

Indias response to the need for enhanced drought management has contributed to overall development. For example, the drought of 19651967 encouraged the green revolution, after the 1972 drought employment generation programmes were developed for the rural poor; the 19871988 drought relief effort focused on preserving the quality of life.

2.4 Drought assessment: tools and techniquesDrought risk is due to a regions exposure to this natural hazard in the context of its vulnerability to extended periods of water shortage. To reduce the serious consequences of drought, a drought-prone nation or region must understand the temporal and spatial variation of the hazard and establish comprehensive and integrated drought early warning systems (EWS) that incorporate climate, soil and water supply factors such as precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, snow pack, reservoir and lake levels, groundwater levels and stream flow. Analysis of drought assessment after instrumental measurements is required, in addition to indices that are used as threshold in drought declaration. Drought assessment parameters Rainfall, temperature, evaporation, vegetation health, soil moisture, stream flow, etc. are some of the critical parameters that are used in drought risk analysis. Continuous measurement and analysis of these parameters are done by different agencies, and used in the assessment of climatic change and spatial distribution of drought conditions on a global, regional, drainage basin and local level event preparedness. A nodal agency coordinates the information and analyses it prior to declaration of drought warnings.

2.5 Drought management and challengesUnsustainable land and water management practices are the main culprits of drought intensification in both developing and developed nations. In many situations, drought assistance or relief measures provided by governments and donor agencies exacerbate the societal vulnerability to drought and also move societies away from their traditional wisdom and pro-active risk management approach, making people more dependent on externalities.

The goal of risk management is to promote adoption of preventive or risk-reducing mechanisms and strategies that will mitigate the impacts of future drought events, and thereby reducing societal vulnerability. This paradigm shift in disaster management emphasizes preparedness, mitigation and improved EWS over emergency response and relief assistance. Thus, the role of science and technology in sustainable drought management needs to be propagated and popularized. 2.6 Drought management framework in IndiaThe Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) is operational since 1973, in 971 blocks of 183 districts in 16 states. The Desert Development Programme (DDP) has been implemented in 235 blocks of 40 districts in seven states. Seventy per cent of India's cultivated land is in rain fed areas, which often suffer a decline in agricultural production in years of low rainfall, and face drought conditions. A programme titled National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) which was launched in 1990-91 is under implementation in drought prone areas of all the states. This programme adopts development measures for all the spatial components of watersheds, that is, arable land, no arable land and drainage lines as one organic geo-hydrological entity. The objective is to achieve conservation of rain water, control of soil erosion, regeneration of green cover and promotion of dry land farming systems including horticulture, agro forestry, pasture development and livestock management as well as household production systems. In the first four years of the Tenth Plan, an area of 1.59 million hectares was developed at an expenditure of Rs 793.82 crore.

There are large areas of degraded land of over 100 million hectares in the country which could be reclaimed. Most of the land needs only basic water and soil conservation measures and some amount of plantation and protection work. By protecting, regenerating and restoring the degraded land the pressure on remaining land, forests and pastures can be reduced. A National Wasteland Development Board has been constituted to promote integrated wasteland development. Natural disasters, particularly droughts, result in huge unemployment and underemployment problems in the rural areas. Providing wage employment to the rural poor has been an integral part of rural development efforts.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and the Employment Assurance Schemes are all aimed at providing employment and ensuring food security.Assistance/support by Central and State Governments:

Support by the government is through various departments or ministries in the relevant fields:

1. Adequate availability of food grains at below poverty level rates, adequate advance stocks in feeder go downs and additional food grains of 40 kg/family/month under the PDS (Department of Food and Public Distribution).

2. Wages and employment programme with food for work (payment at work site) component in order to check migration.

3. Special health programmes for upkeep of health and nutritional levels of women, children, old and infirm people (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare).

4. Fodder and livestock management (Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying).

5. Water and livestock movement by the Ministry of Railways for free of cost.

6. Prohibition of use of fossil water.

7. Roof water harvesting programmes (Rainfed Farming System, National Watershed Development Programme for Rainfed Areas).

8. Alteration in water rate structure to discourage use of groundwater for irrigation (Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme).

9. Planning Commission approves plan allocation (assistance) for calamity prevention and preparedness, and

10. Tax exemption on donation/payment to relief activities (Department of Revenue).Community participation: Community is the first responder, and thus community participation approach can play a key role in effectiveness of government efforts. In

India, many committees and organizations have a participatory approach like:

Gram Sabha/Panchayat recommends relief works.

Districts and Block-level committees are involved in sanctioning and monitoring of relief works.

NGOs play a significant role in training and motivation.Operation of EWS

There are two components of the National EWS: drought forecasting and drought monitoring. The drought forecasting function is carried out by the Inter-Ministerial National Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) which meets during the monsoon period from June to September. It monitors the impact of the monsoon on agricultural operations and also suggests corrective measures to minimize any possible adverse impact of aberrant monsoon conditions on crop production according to the standing contingency crop plan. In case the CWWG anticipates widespread adverse seasonal conditions, it sends out a report. This triggers the operationalization of an emergency contingency action plan for drought management, which envisages institutional arrangements and operating procedures for the drought monitoring system.

Present Situation - Rainwater harvesting

Key issues in policies, programmes and perspectives aimed at reducing drought or its adverse consequences for the poor need to emphasize on environmental conservation and management as a central strategy. Drought proofing aims at permanent insurance against drought impacts through creation of water-harvesting structures like tanks or installation of tube wells; whereas drought escaping implies plantation of crops in such a manner that critical crop stages are able to escape the most probable period of drought. If any standing crop has been affected by drought, then management of the crop by thinning, mulching or any other practice will ensure survival of some crop. The coping strategies could include abandoning a particular crop so as to concentrate resources on the next crop; shifting focus from crop to livestock, migration, borrowing, asset disposal, or other alternative livelihoods, etc.

Water harvesting and conservation at basin, area, field or micro level can bring sustainability to the water sector and, consequently, increase water availability in drought years. In Rajasthan, and particularly in the low-rainfall western zone, there are several kinds of rainwater harvesting systems such as bawari, jhalara, talab, nadi, tanka, khadin, kund and harvesting of roof water. Among these, bawari and jhalara depend on groundwater, whereas talab, nadi, tanka, kund and khadin are based on harnessing surface run-off. With the implementation of government schemes for domestic water supply in many areas, some of these systems were neglected. However, with increasing human population, shortfall in groundwater and recurring droughts, these rainwater harvesting systems are attracting growing attention. Modern technologies of rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge such as an cut, percolation tank, subsurface barrier and pond with infiltration wells have recently been developed to rejuvenate the depleted freshwater aquifers. Harvesting of roof water is an age-old practice to obtain safe drinking water, which is being revived and emphasized now. In ancient times, houses in western Rajasthan were constructed with stone and lime, and roof water was diverted to tanks. Harvesting of roof water is being neglected because of pipe-borne water supplies even in rural areas, which is essentially based on groundwater withdrawal locally or in the vicinity. Roof water harvesting is now becoming the order of the day in towns and in rural areas, due to the alarming rate of groundwater depletion. The estimated water yield from a 1500 m roof top with an effective rainfall of 250 mm and a 0.8 run-off coefficient is 300 m, which is enough for a drinking water consumption of 30,000 person days at 10 l per capita per day.4.CONCLUSION

Most drought management strategies, manuals and guidelines still fail to recognize the scientific or strategic relevance of these aspects in causing or aggravating droughts.

Suitable models of anticipatory environmental impact assessment can be developed further for long-term drought risk management. While drought management integration with programmes of forestry, watershed, public health, pollution control, wetland conservation, and biovillage concept are recognized now, linkages with the management of epidemics, forest fire and pest, environmental health, power generation, and socio-political conflict, including risk of terrorism and war-related disasters still need to be institutionalized. It is also important to recognize the issues of urban drought and water drinking industries while developing the drought management framework.AIM AND OBJECTIVE

AIM:-To ensure the safety of student and staff as well as the infrastructure available

OBJECTIVE:-To identifying the hazard

To manage the hazard

To mitigate the effect of hazard

5.Reference/ Bibliography

http://www.nidm.net/ Info Change News & Features, February 2009

Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs

YOJANA March 2012

Search Engine www.google.comHazards

Vulnerability

Disaster

Underlying Causes

Limited Access to resources, Illness and disabilities, Age/Sex, Poverty.

Dynamic Pressure

Lack of institutions- education, training and skills; Population expansion, Urbanization, Uncontrolled development, Environmental degradation.

Unsafe Conditions-

Dangerous locations, Dangerous buildings, Low income level

Trigger Events

Earthquakes

Tsunamis

Floods

Cyclones

Volcanic Eruptions

Drought

Landslide

War

Technological Accidents

Environmental pollutions

23 |SHETH N.K.T.T COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND J.T.T COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE