States demand that lightning be declared a natural disaster
2 years ago

States demand that lightning be declared a natural disaster

The Hindu  

A few States have demanded that “lightning” be declared as a “natural disaster” because deaths caused by it surpass any other disaster in the country, National Disaster Management Authority member secretary Kamal Kishore said on March 11. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, India Meteorological Department, said around 2,500 people died every year due to lightning. Bihar’s Disaster Management Minister Shahnawaz Alam said climate change was responsible for the increase in deaths by lightning, and, in the past five years, more than 1500 persons have died in the State, with 300 deaths being recorded every year. Mr. Mohapatra, while making a presentation at the conference, said the frequency of lightning was the highest in northeastern States and in West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar, but the number of deaths was higher in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

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History of this topic

Disaster management bill gets House nod; Shah says no centralisation of power
Trending News
6 days, 14 hours ago

Disaster management bill gets House nod; Shah says no centralisation of power

Hindustan Times  

The Parliament on Tuesday passed the Disaster Management Bill through a voice vote, with Union home minister Amit Shah asserting that there will be no centralisation of powers or discrimination with states in handling disasters. “This bill ensures transparency, trust credibility and accountability,” Shah said, adding that the amendments to the Act take forward the fight against disaster from a …

High-level committee approves ₹3,027 crore for projects to mitigate lightning and drought
2 months ago

High-level committee approves ₹3,027 crore for projects to mitigate lightning and drought

The Hindu  

A high-level committee, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved ₹3,027.86 crore for projects to mitigate disasters such as lightning and drought. The committee considered proposals of projects on lightning safety and lightning risk mitigation in 50 heavy lightning-prone districts of 10 States and catalytic assistance to 49 districts of 12 most drought-prone States for funding …

Will form disaster management teams in villages, says Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan
2 months, 1 week ago

Will form disaster management teams in villages, says Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan

The Hindu  

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan said on Sunday that the State government would take steps to form disaster management teams at the gram panchayat level to ensure quick response to any emergency as advised by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. At the inaugural of the National Institute of Disaster Management and the National Disaster Response Force campus …

Nagapattinam’s journey of resilience, lessons for the future
3 months ago

Nagapattinam’s journey of resilience, lessons for the future

The Hindu  

Disasters have always served as harsh reminders of nature’s overwhelming power and humanity’s vulnerability. The rehabilitation and recovery efforts provided a holistic and scalable model for disaster recovery by incorporating Disaster Risk Reduction measures applicable to various disasters. Additionally, the growing relevance of risk insurance, extending beyond crops to assets such as housing, marked a step toward comprehensive disaster risk …

Will urban disaster bodies help smoother handling of emergencies?
3 months, 1 week ago

Will urban disaster bodies help smoother handling of emergencies?

Hindustan Times  

The Disaster Management Bill, 2024, passed in the Lok Sabha on December 12 as an amendment to the existing 2005 law has, among multiple modifications, envisaged the formation of urban disaster management authorities in a first. A senior official with experience in working with a state disaster management authority for more than three years said the amendment could have mandated …

AP: Anitha opens Disaster Management training seminar
3 months, 2 weeks ago

AP: Anitha opens Disaster Management training seminar

Deccan Chronicle  

Vijayawada: Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha has said the Andhra Pradesh government is well-equipped to tackle any disaster under the leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. She stated this during the inauguration of a three-day training seminar on disaster risk reduction at the National Institute of Disaster Management campus in Gannavaram on Monday. The minister said, “The government has sufficient funds …

Govt approves ₹1,116 crore for disaster mitigation, capacity building projects
4 months ago

Govt approves ₹1,116 crore for disaster mitigation, capacity building projects

Live Mint  

New Delhi: A high-level committee, under the chairmanship of Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah, on Tuesday approved ₹1,115.67 crore for disaster mitigation and capacity building projects for various states. Another project The committee has also approved another project for training and capacity building of civil defense in all states and Union Territories at a total outlay of ₹115.67 …

Lightning deaths more frequent than ever, research classifies it as national disaster
4 months, 1 week ago

Lightning deaths more frequent than ever, research classifies it as national disaster

New Indian Express  

BENGALURU: In light of increasing instances death due to lightning strikes, governments are becoming more and more concerned. Researchers and weathermen have pointed out that with every one degree Celsius rise in temperatures, there is a 12% increase in lightning density, calling for changes in building bylaws and lightning protection standards. According to the Annual Lightning Report 2023- 24 released …

Revamping Disaster Management Architecture: A Roadmap for India's Resilience
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Revamping Disaster Management Architecture: A Roadmap for India's Resilience

The Hindu  

The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to revamp the disaster management architecture in India by empowering state and central government authorities to prepare disaster management plans at their respective levels. It also provides for the creation of urban disaster management authorities in State capitals and cities with municipal corporations, empowering them to take the lead in disaster management. The …

India’s disaster management story: Work in progress
5 months, 2 weeks ago

India’s disaster management story: Work in progress

New Indian Express  

Recently, the Disaster Management Bill, 2024 was introduced in the Lok Sabha. It aims at amending the Disaster Management Act of 2005, India’s primary legislation dealing with prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and management of disasters. Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimated more than 2.5 million people were displaced in India in 2022 due to natural disasters, especially floods and cyclones. This …

Wayanad: Decentralisation in disaster management
6 months, 1 week ago

Wayanad: Decentralisation in disaster management

Hindustan Times  

The news and the images from the landslides in Wayanad district in Kerala depicting horrific losses prompt us to revisit the disaster management and governance of areas vulnerable to natural disasters. The14th State Plan based on the working group report on disaster management mentions ‘The scientific analysis has also brought out that there is a knowledge gap, a lack of …

Why India needs a professional approach to disaster management
9 months ago

Why India needs a professional approach to disaster management

Firstpost  

Public knowledge of the entire phenomenon of disasters is abysmal in most of the world, and more so in India, where less informed citizens tend to take this as something inevitable Disasters have always been a part of life progression and were, in earlier years, taken in stride as something inevitable; in many cases, they were simply divine intervention. In …

Create a force in India that is first in the field of disaster management in the entire country, says Amit Shah
9 months ago

Create a force in India that is first in the field of disaster management in the entire country, says Amit Shah

The Hindu  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said dangers like avalanches, landslides, floods, and storms are going to increase everywhere in the future due to climate change. The Union Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has left no stone unturned and never looked at the budget for the development of the NDRF, training and providing modern resources to the …

Rift over relief: On the rain-caused damage in Tamil Nadu and the central and Tamil Nadu governments interactions
1 year, 3 months ago

Rift over relief: On the rain-caused damage in Tamil Nadu and the central and Tamil Nadu governments interactions

The Hindu  

The recent spat between the central and Tamil Nadu governments over flood relief after two spells of heavy rainfall in the State has been disheartening for those struggling to rebuild their lives. Mr. Stalin, had, prior to this, in a meeting with Mr. Modi in New Delhi, sought interim relief funds of ₹7,033 crore and a final relief fund of …

Braving Michaung: NDRF’s Relentless Journey in Emergency Response
1 year, 3 months ago

Braving Michaung: NDRF’s Relentless Journey in Emergency Response

News 18  

As Cyclone Michaung wreaks havoc in the eastern coast of India, the NDRF is engaged in the difficult task of bringing relief to the areas hit by heavy rainfall and powerful winds. Over 29 National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Puducherry for over a week now to conduct relief and rescue …

Odisha urges Centre to declare lightning as natural disaster
1 year, 6 months ago

Odisha urges Centre to declare lightning as natural disaster

Deccan Chronicle  

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government has demanded lightning to be declared as a natural disaster. The state government has given a proposal in this regard to the Centre, state revenue and disaster management minister Pramila Mallik informed on Thursday. If lightning is included in the list of natural disasters then the family members of the deceased will be able to get an …

India Has Shown Resolve to Make Disaster Resilience an Urgent Priority, Says NDMA Member-Secy Ahead of G20
1 year, 6 months ago

India Has Shown Resolve to Make Disaster Resilience an Urgent Priority, Says NDMA Member-Secy Ahead of G20

News 18  

India has shown resolve to make disaster risk reduction an urgent priority, says National Disaster Management Authority member secretary Kamal Kishore as the country gears up for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi from September 9 to 10. However, it was for the first time that this global forum consisting of the world’s largest economies had a separate working …

Lightning not a natural disaster, says Centre
1 year, 8 months ago

Lightning not a natural disaster, says Centre

The Hindu  

The Union government is not in favour of declaring lightning a natural disaster as deaths caused by it can be avoided through education and awareness, according to a senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. There have been demands by States such as Bihar and West Bengal that deaths due to lightning be covered as a natural …

Lightning, the single largest killer among natural disasters in Karnataka
1 year, 9 months ago

Lightning, the single largest killer among natural disasters in Karnataka

The Hindu  

More deaths take place due to lightning than any other natural disaster, including floods, every year. Hence, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre has advised the district administrations to communicate to the public the dos and don’ts in the event of lightning strike as part of their monsoon preparedness. 100 a year on average Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, Karnataka State …

Amit Shah directs MHA and NDMA to develop software on disaster management
1 year, 9 months ago

Amit Shah directs MHA and NDMA to develop software on disaster management

Op India  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday directed the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority to develop a comprehensive software by March 2024, in which scientific data will be made available to all the early warning agencies immediately for dissemination to the disaster management agencies. The Home Minister also advised specialized institutions like the India Meteorological Department …

Joshimath land subsidence to be discussed at national disaster risk reduction conference
2 years ago

Joshimath land subsidence to be discussed at national disaster risk reduction conference

The Hindu  

The land subsidence in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath that displaced many people, and the role of the National Disaster Response Force after the Turkey earthquake, will be among the many disaster-related topics that will be discussed at the third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction conference to be held in Delhi from March 10-11. The session is aligned with …

Countries want to train with Indian disaster relief agency: NDRF DG
2 years, 1 month ago

Countries want to train with Indian disaster relief agency: NDRF DG

Live Mint  

New Delhi: A number of countries are interested in training with and studying the National Disaster Response Force’s model said the director general of the force, Atul Karwal. As India’s economic clout grows and climate change increases the likelihood of natural disasters, the country’s unique experience in disaster relief efforts and standing relief forces give it a unique skill-set, which …

Third regional conference on disaster management starts in Lucknow
2 years, 4 months ago

Third regional conference on disaster management starts in Lucknow

The Hindu  

Strict vigilance and prior awareness were essential to control the impact of disasters, said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday in Lucknow, while addressing the third ‘Regional Conference’ on disaster management organised under the banner of the National Disaster Management Authority. The representatives of eight States namely Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Assam, Chandigarh and Madhya Pradesh, and …

A Bolt From the Blue for Rural India: With 36 Deaths in a Month, Here's Why Lightning Strikes Remain More Fatal Than Cyclones, Floods
2 years, 9 months ago

A Bolt From the Blue for Rural India: With 36 Deaths in a Month, Here's Why Lightning Strikes Remain More Fatal Than Cyclones, Floods

News 18  

Sixteen people died of lightning strikes and thunderstorms across multiple districts in Bihar on Tuesday. Although deaths due to lightning are reported as isolated incidents, the natural phenomenon, common during the monsoon, leads to more casualties, and even unaccounted deaths, than floods and cyclones in rural parts. Lightning has led to 1,697 deaths between 2020 and 2021, with a majority …

What is NDMA? Establishment, vision, structure and functions
3 years, 2 months ago

What is NDMA? Establishment, vision, structure and functions

India Today  

The National Disaster Management Authority, NDMA, was formed in 2005 after the Government of India enacted the Disaster Management Act for establishing rules, standards, and best-practices regarding disaster management and mitigation. The origin of the NDMA dates back to August 1999 when the Government of India set up a High Powered Committee to make recommendations for preparing disaster management plans …

Disaster management: How India is improving its existing capabilities
3 years, 3 months ago

Disaster management: How India is improving its existing capabilities

Hindustan Times  

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States initiative at the Glasgow climate conference, he was drawing the world’s attention to the urgent need of finding new, smarter, and more effective ways of managing disasters. International cooperation in disaster management is, therefore, critical to India for the effective handling of disasters within its borders as well …

Analysis | Kerala yet to get its basics right on tackling natural disasters
3 years, 5 months ago

Analysis | Kerala yet to get its basics right on tackling natural disasters

The Hindu  

Kerala, it appears, has failed to take a leaf out of the two back-to-back floods it had in 2018 and 2019 and the landslides which left a trail of destruction. As it once again reels under the fury of nature, disaster management experts feel the State has not got its basics right when it comes to vulnerability mapping and mitigation …

Uttarakhand floods: Easy to point finger at climate change, but humanity is equally to blame
3 years, 5 months ago

Uttarakhand floods: Easy to point finger at climate change, but humanity is equally to blame

Firstpost  

It’s easy to blame climate change and lack of collective global action for increasing intensity and frequency of disasters, but what about the manner in which the region’s topography has been unashamedly smashed in recent years? Since then, the government has changed, the Disaster Management Act of 2005 has been uploaded on the State Disaster Management Authority’s website as a …

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021: Government plans and policies to improve disaster risk reduction
3 years, 5 months ago

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021: Government plans and policies to improve disaster risk reduction

Firstpost  

The National Disaster Management Plan, the National Policy on Disaster Management, National Action Plan on Climate Change and the Disaster Management Act are just some of the measures adopted by the government to mitigate the destruction in face of a disaster Every year on 13 October, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed across the world. Here are a …

Calls for India’s lightning-strike deaths to be declared a natural disaster
3 years, 6 months ago

Calls for India’s lightning-strike deaths to be declared a natural disaster

The Independent  

It was drizzling when Haris Uddin, 44, stepped out to fish on the lake near his home in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. “But then we have never received any lightning-strike warnings, ever.” Despite losing another family member and several friends in their village to strikes in the recent past, Rahman says the local people still have no idea …

Lightning is the biggest natural disaster-linked killer in India: data
3 years, 8 months ago

Lightning is the biggest natural disaster-linked killer in India: data

The Hindu  

With the monsoon making a slow revival over several parts of India, except the northwest region, there is a rise in lightning-linked deaths. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed due to the lightning strikes in all the three States and ₹50,000 for the injured. Over the …

India Taking Lead Role to Bolster Cooperation Among South Asian Nations to Reduce Disasters: MoS MEA
4 years, 6 months ago

India Taking Lead Role to Bolster Cooperation Among South Asian Nations to Reduce Disasters: MoS MEA

News 18  

With multi-dimensional initiatives and expertise, India is taking a leading role in strengthening regional cooperation among South Asian countries for reducing disasters, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Tuesday. He also said the Coalition on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure formed last year will conduct country-specific and global activities, and also serve as a platform for facilitating investment …

Environment ministry says over 2,000 people died due to extreme weather events in 2018-19, denies connection to climate change
5 years, 8 months ago

Environment ministry says over 2,000 people died due to extreme weather events in 2018-19, denies connection to climate change

Firstpost  

More than 2,000 people died in India in the last one year due to extreme weather events, the environment ministry informed Rajya Sabha on Monday but denied any connection to climate change. New Delhi: More than 2,000 people died in India in the last one year due to extreme weather events, the environment ministry informed Rajya Sabha Monday but denied …

Opinion | A sustainable option to fund disaster management in India
5 years, 9 months ago

Opinion | A sustainable option to fund disaster management in India

Live Mint  

The ongoing monsoon brings to mind the flood disaster that ravaged Kerala last year. The Disaster Management Act, 2005, requires that a disaster management plan and a mitigation plan be formulated at the district, state and national levels. These could be the reasons why the Kerala government requested the Goods and Services Tax Council to permit it to levy a …

Kerala, After The Flood: India should focus on disaster-proof housing, insurance, not take recourse to jugaad
6 years, 7 months ago

Kerala, After The Flood: India should focus on disaster-proof housing, insurance, not take recourse to jugaad

Firstpost  

The Kerala experience must remind that it’s time India looked seriously at disaster proof housing to secure homes and property from shocks, mudslides and flooding, while also making disaster insurance compulsory Editor’s Note: Described as one of the worst since 1924 by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the rains in Kerala have left over 350 dead and rendered thousands of people …

Our understanding of the dynamics of risks of disasters is still far from comprehensive
6 years, 7 months ago

Our understanding of the dynamics of risks of disasters is still far from comprehensive

Hindustan Times  

The devastating flood in Kerala has claimed more than 400 lives, besides damaging 8,000-plus houses and a vast network of infrastructure. A bicycle is hung from a tree branch to avoid being washed away in flood waters as a man rows with his country boat, Kuttanad, Alappuzha, Kerala, August 20 First, floods are the most common and recurrent natural disaster …

Centre declares Kerala floods ‘Level-3’ calamity; demand to call it ‘national disaster’ either ignorance or mischief
6 years, 7 months ago

Centre declares Kerala floods ‘Level-3’ calamity; demand to call it ‘national disaster’ either ignorance or mischief

Firstpost  

A Level-3 tag for the Kerala floods means that the Centre must help the state with its personnel and funds, which the Narendra Modi government has already begun to do. This was made clear to the Kerala High Court on Monday in response to a petition, which had sought to have the floods declared a “national disaster”. A ‘national’ confusion …

Rahul Gandhi uses Kerala Floods to to make irrelevant claims
6 years, 7 months ago

Rahul Gandhi uses Kerala Floods to to make irrelevant claims

Op India  

Kerala is facing its most devastating flood situation in almost a century. Rahul Gandhi has shared tweets in which he is repeatedly urging the PM to declare the flood in Kerala a ‘national disaster’. Jain clarified that proclaiming a calamity ‘national disaster’ was relevant when the National Calamity Contingency Fund was in place and there is no provision under the …

All states have adequate funds to deal with disasters: Govt
10 years, 1 month ago

All states have adequate funds to deal with disasters: Govt

Firstpost  

Adequate funds are available for all states to deal with possible disaster, said the government. New Delhi: Adequate funds are available for all states to deal with possible disasters and the National Disaster Management Authority has not abandoned any project mid-way, government said on Tuesday. The government is in discussions with states for any help regarding dealing with disasters, Minister …

Dams and disasters in the Himalayas
11 years, 8 months ago

Dams and disasters in the Himalayas

Live Mint  

Relief operations in disaster-ravaged Uttarakhand have ended and the time seems ripe to take account of the institutional frailties that have contributed to the ongoing human disaster in the state. Chief minister Vijay Bahuguna has been blamed for inaction when the disaster first struck and has also admitted that the state did not meet the norms for national disaster management. …

States have to be proactive about disaster management: NDMA
11 years, 8 months ago

States have to be proactive about disaster management: NDMA

Firstpost  

New Delhi: The National Disaster Management Authority today asked states to be more proactive on disaster management and appoint full-time chiefs for disaster management authorities. He said that states have been insisted to appoint full time chiefs of disaster management authorities in their jurisdictions. “Some states have appointed Chief Executive Officers for SDMAs whereas Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have agreed …

Wanted: a Natgrid for disasters
11 years, 9 months ago

Wanted: a Natgrid for disasters

The Hindu  

For almost two days, those sitting in the Dehradun secretariat were clueless about the intensity of the disaster that had struck Uttarakhand. The fact that over the last three years, the NDRF has trained a mere 3,000 personnel in 12 States shows the low priority that disaster management gets in the State governments’ scheme of things. Until we have disaster …

Involve people in disaster management strategies: PM
11 years, 10 months ago

Involve people in disaster management strategies: PM

India TV News  

New Delhi, May 13: Disaster management is an area of vital national importance to India and the disaster risk reduction strategies must actively involve local communities, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday. Addressing the first session of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction here, the prime minister called for giving greater attention to arrangements for providing funds to people to …

Coping with natural disasters
15 years, 5 months ago

Coping with natural disasters

The Hindu  

It has been a terrible period for countries in the Asia-Pacific region, with natural calamities of one kind or another bringing death and destruction to their lands. The storm produced the worst flooding in decades across the northern Philippines, caused extensive damage in the countries it swept through, and killed several hundred people. Although natural calamities strike the wealthier nations …

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