According to a report published by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in 2020, India is the world’s third most disaster-prone country, behind China and the United States. “India is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, with cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, floods, and droughts affecting 27 of the country’s 29 states and seven union territories on a regular basis.” (UNICEF) Natural disasters are a risk due to the country’s physical location, whereas manufactured disasters are caused by undertakings such as unplanned urbanisation. This means that India’s disaster response measures must be top-notch in order to prevent the country from devolving into chaos.
During man-made and natural disasters, disaster management refers to the protection and preservation of property and lives. It entails strategic planning for disaster prevention, campaigning for disaster-safe development, and rapid crisis assessment to facilitate a smooth transfer of relief activities. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, and forest fires are all common occurrences in India. Twenty-seven of the country’s 35 states and union territories are disaster-prone. In India, disaster management is the responsibility of local government, which is supervised by the state government and assisted by the Indian government. In comparison to other countries, India has a one-of-a-kind system with independent disaster management authorities for each state, such as Odisha and Gujarat. As each state has a greater awareness of its local conditions and the crises that occur, this has been developed. The impacts of segregation and specialisation have been good. The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, for example, successfully handled Cyclone Fani as it neared Odisha in 2019, allowing 1.2 million people to be evacuated on time.
While Odisha has been a success story, the same cannot be said for every other state. In recent decades, “growing trends of urban flood disasters in India have swamped places such as Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Srinagar, Chennai, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, and Guwahati,” according to a news report. In addition, the government has yet to include sustainable and disaster-resistant designs into its development initiatives. Every year, floods hit these cities, which is nothing new. Despite this, little is being done to protect the poor people who are harmed by the floods. After the floodwaters receded, a daily wage labourer named Manji Paswan had to reconstruct his two-room mud hut in Taralahi hamlet, according to a report. Despite the fact that the Bagmati River submerges his whole villages, causing immense havoc in terms of human lives, livestock, and crops, no concrete steps have been taken to alleviate their suffering.
These instances show a contrast. While state autonomy over one region has benefited states such as Odisha, some state governments have not fully understood their duties, resulting in unequal disaster management across India. There is a need for local governments to gain a better understanding of crisis management. With India’s progress, there is hope that the country’s geographical vulnerabilities can be addressed through adequate disaster management systems.
