The alarm bell rings when the Earth shakes, floods swallow regions, rockslides bury habitats, avalanches freeze life, tsunamis wreak havoc, or droughts parch land. As we navigate the challenging landscape of natural disasters, the criticality of disaster management continues to grow. The spotlight is now on early warning systems, their significance, and India’s role in shaping them. The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has recently begun field studies in the Himalayan states to install an early-warning system against major disasters.
Understanding Early Warning Systems
In their simplest form, early warning systems are intricate systems of hazard monitoring, forecasting, prediction, disaster risk assessment, communication, and preparedness activities. These processes and systems empower individuals, communities, governments, businesses, and other stakeholders to take timely action that can minimize disaster risks before hazardous events occur.
Early warning systems aim to reduce potential harm to people and damage to assets in anticipation of various hazards including storms, tsunamis, droughts, and heatwaves. Multi-hazard early warning systems encompass multiple hazards that may occur alone or simultaneously. As part of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, one of seven global targets is to increase the availability of multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information.
India’s Endeavours in Disaster Management
India has made significant advances towards mitigating and responding to diverse types of disasters. These include the establishment of its National Disaster Reaction Force (NDRF), the world’s largest rapid response force dedicated to disaster response.
Furthermore, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), led by the Prime Minister, serves as India’s apex body for disaster management. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 mandates the establishment of NDMA and the creation of an enabling environment for institutional mechanisms at the State and District levels. It prescribes policies on disaster management.
India’s Role in Foreign Disaster Relief
India’s foreign humanitarian assistance has increasingly incorporated its military assets, primarily deploying naval ships or aircraft for relief deployment. Consistent with its diplomatic policy of “Neighbourhood First”, many of the recipient countries are within the South and Southeast Asian region.
Contribution to Regional Disaster Preparedness
Within the framework of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), India has hosted DM Exercises that allow NDRF to showcase the developed techniques for responding to various disasters. Other exercises involving NDRF and Indian Armed Forces have brought India’s first responders into contact with those from states in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Managing Climate Change related Disaster
India has endorsed the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030), and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. These collectively establish the connections among Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), and sustainable development.
India is taking significant strides in disaster management and early warning systems as well. However, sustained efforts and collaborations on a global scale are required to prevent or minimize the devastating effects of natural disasters.
