Kerala, After The Flood: India should focus on disaster-proof housing, insurance, not take recourse to jugaad
6 years, 4 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 homeless. Soon after the 2001 earthquake, the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority was set up to implement the huge task of the rehabilitation and reconstruction programme in the earthquake affected areas of the state. Disaster proof housing But, the Kerala experience, must remind us that India has been increasingly prone to disasters in the last two decades. India has a comprehensive Disaster Management Act of 2005 and a nodal agency, the National Disaster Management Authority, whose vision is “to build a safer and disaster resilient India by a holistic, pro-active, technology driven and sustainable development strategy that involves all stakeholders and fosters a culture of prevention, preparedness and mitigation”.

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History of this topic

India Leads the World in Disaster Warning Systems: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh
2 weeks, 5 days ago

India Leads the World in Disaster Warning Systems: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh

Deccan Chronicle  

HYDERABAD: India has emerged as a global leader in disaster warning systems, providing important services to nations worldwide, said Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh. Speaking at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, held at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services in Hyderabad on Thursday, Dr Singh stressed India’s progress in ocean research …

Nagapattinam’s journey of resilience, lessons for the future
2 weeks, 6 days 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 …

Centre says no provision to declare Wayanad landslides as national disaster
2 months ago

Centre says no provision to declare Wayanad landslides as national disaster

New Indian Express  

KOCHI: There is no provision to declare any calamity as ‘national disaster’, the Union government has informed Kerala government in response to its plea to declare the July 30 landslides in Wayanad that left over 400 dead, as one. The Centre’s response drew flak from political parties, with Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress general secretary and the party’s Wayanad Lok Sabha …

Revamping Disaster Management Architecture: A Roadmap for India's Resilience
2 months, 1 week 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 …

Wayanad: Decentralisation in disaster management
3 months, 3 weeks 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 …

CDRI report reveals Odisha's power infrastructure needs change, could apply to India
6 months ago

CDRI report reveals Odisha's power infrastructure needs change, could apply to India

India Today  

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Government of Odisha have jointly launched a new report that looks at how to make the power infrastructure in state more resilient to disasters. The report titled "Disaster Resilient Power Systems for Odisha," outlines key recommendations aimed at enhancing the resilience of power infrastructure in coastal regions, particularly those prone to cyclones, …

Why India needs a professional approach to disaster management
6 months, 2 weeks 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
6 months, 2 weeks 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 …

The Supreme Court of India spells the way in Himalaya’s development
6 months, 3 weeks ago

The Supreme Court of India spells the way in Himalaya’s development

The Hindu  

It is a well-established fact that the Indian Himalayan Region is both India’s water tower and also the critical provider of invaluable ecosystem goods and services. In view of some of the recent judgments of the Supreme Court of India, we seem to be headed towards a more robust rights-based regime where sustainable development would be a fundamental right. In …

Understanding and tackling urban floods in India
10 months, 1 week ago

Understanding and tackling urban floods in India

Hindustan Times  

Given their frequent recurrence in Indian cities, the problem of urban flooding is gaining focus in policy discussions. Indeed, urban floods can cause massive loss of infrastructure, property, and lives, and have a substantial economic impact. To ensure they remain functional and secure, Indian cities must tackle the issue of floods by examining the urban over-densification problem and adopting innovative …

Braving Michaung: NDRF’s Relentless Journey in Emergency Response
1 year, 1 month 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 …

2018, India's Official Oscars Entry, A Grim Reminder of Kerala Floods
1 year, 3 months ago

2018, India's Official Oscars Entry, A Grim Reminder of Kerala Floods

News 18  

India on Wednesday announced survival drama 2018 as the official entry for the 2024 Academy Awards, officially acknowledging the Malayalam film’s status as both a critical and box office hit. The film, starring Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain and Lal and directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, is based on the devastating floods in Kerala in 2018 …

G20’s DRR Working Group unifies nations in combating disasters
1 year, 3 months ago

G20’s DRR Working Group unifies nations in combating disasters

Hindustan Times  

With the recent Leaders’ Summit of the G20 meet under India’s presidency, a consensus in the area of Disaster Risk Reduction, placing early warning, resilient infrastructure and recovery experiences as part of the Delhi declaration has established a Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group. To unite these global stakeholders to discuss DRR on a global scale, the Disaster Risk Reduction Working …

Syed Ata Hasnain | Reducing risk of disasters: Taking it to India's public
1 year, 4 months ago

Syed Ata Hasnain | Reducing risk of disasters: Taking it to India's public

Deccan Chronicle  

There are some good things happening in India and some bad things too; in the context of the famous quip by Charles Dickens. As part of training for preparedness, NDMA conducts table-top exercises and mock drills by bringing together all stakeholders, including the armed forces, the railways, industry, civil society outfits, medical personnel and others to remind all of their …

HM Amit Shah Announces 3 Major Schemes Worth Rs 8000 Cr for Disaster Management
1 year, 7 months ago

HM Amit Shah Announces 3 Major Schemes Worth Rs 8000 Cr for Disaster Management

News 18  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday announced three major schemes worth over Rs 8,000 crore that would cover the modernisation of fire brigade services in all states, flood mitigation in seven major cities and prevention of landslides in 17 states. Addressing a meeting of the ministers of disaster management of states and Union Territories, Shah also appealed to ensure there …

States demand that lightning be declared a natural disaster
1 year, 10 months 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 …

prime minister narendra modi addresses third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
1 year, 10 months ago

prime minister narendra modi addresses third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Hindu  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 10, 2023, inaugurating the 3rd Session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, said that the global appreciation for the work of the Indian rescue team in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria recently has made every Indian proud. NPDRR is a multi-stakeholder platform constituted by the Government of India to facilitate dialogue, sharing experiences, …

India has emerged as a regional power and security provider in Indo-Pacific: Rajnath
2 years, 1 month ago

India has emerged as a regional power and security provider in Indo-Pacific: Rajnath

Live Mint  

India has emerged as a regional power and net security provider in the Indo-Pacific, said Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. “With the increasing frequency of climate-related disasters, it is essential for HADR teams of different nations to come together on a single platform.” He added that India’s robust HADR mechanism has effectively provided relief both in India and other nations. …

Odisha to prepare disaster management warriors to face calamities: CM Patnaik
2 years, 2 months ago

Odisha to prepare disaster management warriors to face calamities: CM Patnaik

The Hindu  

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on October 29 said the State is all set to introduce disaster and pandemic management curricula in schools and colleges to prepare Disaster Management Yodhas in every village and household. Noting that the State Government has done everything possible to make Odisha a safer place during natural calamities, Mr. Patnaik said during 23 years since …

Science-Wise: While Citizens And Economy Suffer Burnout, Why Is Heatwave Not a Notified Disaster in India?
2 years, 7 months ago

Science-Wise: While Citizens And Economy Suffer Burnout, Why Is Heatwave Not a Notified Disaster in India?

News 18  

With temperatures hovering above 42 degrees Celsius for several days in a row, the unusually early and brutal heatwave that hit India this summer has truly tested the endurance limits. Yet, the extreme heat that this country of 1.3 billion battles with is still to be declared a “nationally notified disaster”. The government’s Disaster Management Act, 2005, defines disaster as …

Disaster management: How India is improving its existing capabilities
3 years 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, 2 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, 2 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, 3 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 …

Exploring the gap between policy and action in disaster risk reduction
3 years, 5 months ago

Exploring the gap between policy and action in disaster risk reduction

Hindustan Times  

The transition from a response-based paradigm to an anticipative, prevention-based approach remains a stubborn challenge in Disaster Risk Reduction. International policy guidelines have successfully informed the national DRR policies in various countries; however, their further translation down to the regional and local level is full of complex political challenges, exacerbated in many areas by an increased frequency of disasters. Through …

India Taking Lead Role to Bolster Cooperation Among South Asian Nations to Reduce Disasters: MoS MEA
4 years, 3 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 …

Opinion | It’s important to be prepared for natural disasters
5 years, 3 months ago

Opinion | It’s important to be prepared for natural disasters

Live Mint  

Every time there’s a large-scale disaster in India, it is proclaimed to be once-in-a-100-years event, and post facto relief measures are carried out. It is said that globally, the insured loss total stood at $219 billion, for the years 2017 and 2018, representing the highest level of associated insurance payouts over two periods ever. The total combined economic loss from …

Kochi: No takers for disaster shelter project
5 years, 5 months ago

Kochi: No takers for disaster shelter project

Deccan Chronicle  

Kochi: Even as massive floods and landslides are visiting us yet again, it is coming to light that a proposal from the Central Government to construct disaster shelters in each district in the state, nearly a decade back, did not find any takers here resulting in plight of the rescued people. "It was at the time when Mullappally Ramachandran was …

Kerala to help Uttar Pradesh combat disasters
5 years, 11 months ago

Kerala to help Uttar Pradesh combat disasters

Deccan Chronicle  

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Politically, Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BJP’s firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath may be sworn enemy of CPM. But when it comes to combating natural disasters, its Disaster Management Authority wants to take lessons from Kerala. A top official from the northern Indian state will be visiting Kerala soon to study how it combated the second worst floods of the …

Kerala floods: 100 days after, where is the reconstruction
6 years, 1 month ago

Kerala floods: 100 days after, where is the reconstruction

Live Mint  

Ernakulam/Bengaluru: In the months that followed the floods in Kerala, A. Raju, who drives an Uber cab in Ernakulam saw his dreams crumble. It’s nearly 100 days since the century’s worst floods lashed Kerala, but for many like Raju, life is yet to get back to normal. Kerala has no proper master plan for any district; hundreds of areas and …

Biggest lesson from Kerala: The developmental agenda should be sustainable
6 years, 4 months ago

Biggest lesson from Kerala: The developmental agenda should be sustainable

Hindustan Times  

“Many cities are caught in a ‘perfect storm’ of population growth, escalating adaptation needs and substantial development deficits created by a shortage of human and financial resources, increasing levels of informality, poor governance, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, poverty and growing inequality”, noted the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2014. Residents collect food and water from a truck distributing relief …

Kerala, After The Flood: Pinarayi Vijayan says Centre should treat state on different yardstick for extending aid
6 years, 4 months ago

Kerala, After The Flood: Pinarayi Vijayan says Centre should treat state on different yardstick for extending aid

Firstpost  

Giving a detailed account of the havoc caused by the devastating floods and landslides since early August, Vijayan said the preliminary assessment of losses was around Rs 20,000 crore which was equal to the state’s annual plan size for 2018-19. Giving a detailed account of the havoc caused by the devastating floods and landslides since early August, he said the …

Our understanding of the dynamics of risks of disasters is still far from comprehensive
6 years, 4 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 …

Kerala floods: Insurance firms expect claims of more than Rs 1,000 crore
6 years, 4 months ago

Kerala floods: Insurance firms expect claims of more than Rs 1,000 crore

India TV News  

Amidst the continuous relief and rescue operations after being ravaged by one-of the worst natural calamities of the 21st century, insurance companies in the state said that they are expecting claims of more than Rs 1,000 crore. Assessment of claims will take place with situation moving to normal, a senior official of an insurance firm said, adding a clear picture …

Kerala floods: Insurance claims likely to be upwards of ₹1,000 crore
6 years, 4 months ago

Kerala floods: Insurance claims likely to be upwards of ₹1,000 crore

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Insurance companies expect claims in flood ravaged Kerala to cross ₹ 1,000 crore as the government declares the deluge as ‘calamity of severe nature’. Assessment of claims will take place with situation moving to normal, a senior official of an insurance firm said, adding clear picture will emerge in the next 4-5 days when claims are received. Public …

Centre declares Kerala floods ‘Level-3’ calamity; demand to call it ‘national disaster’ either ignorance or mischief
6 years, 4 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 …

Centre declares Kerala floods a ‘calamity of severe nature’
6 years, 4 months ago

Centre declares Kerala floods a ‘calamity of severe nature’

Hindustan Times  

The Centre on Monday declared the Kerala floods a ‘calamity of severe nature’, amid demands for declaring it a national disaster. “Keeping in view the intensity and magnitude of the floods and landslides in Kerala, this is a calamity of a severe nature for all practical purposes,” a home ministry official said in New Delhi. In an affidavit filed before …

Kerala floods | Live updates: Centre says Kerala floods ‘calamity of severe nature’
6 years, 4 months ago

Kerala floods | Live updates: Centre says Kerala floods ‘calamity of severe nature’

The Hindu  

With rains ebbing away, Kerala got some respite on Monday but faced the gigantic task of rehabilitating those rendered homeless and preventing outbreak of water-borne diseases, even as the death toll mounted to 216, officials said, adding that over 7.24 lakh displaced people have been sheltered in 5,645 relief camps dotting the state, reports PTI. 6.45 p.m. Govt says Kerala …

Opinion | Kerala floods: An unprecedented tragedy foretold
6 years, 4 months ago

Opinion | Kerala floods: An unprecedented tragedy foretold

Live Mint  

Last week, Kerala faced the brunt of an unprecedented flood, which has almost brought the state to a standstill. 80 dams opened, 324 lives lost and 223,139 people are in about 1,500+ relief camps.” Worse is feared, with most of the 44 rivers of the state still in spate and the heavy downpour refusing to yield. This deadly impact of …

What caused the Kerala floods? Could we have done anything to prevent it?
6 years, 4 months ago

What caused the Kerala floods? Could we have done anything to prevent it?

Firstpost  

There are evidently many lessons for authorities to take away from the disaster. Records from the India Meteorological Department from the start of the torrential rains in Kerala – between 9 August and 15 August – show a 255 percent departure from the norm in the state’s hotspots. “Heavy rainfall used to occur in Kerala, but not with such continuity,” …

Rahul Gandhi uses Kerala Floods to to make irrelevant claims
6 years, 4 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 …

Tragedy of Kerala floods unfolds: Bodies found floating, roads cut off, food and medicines scarce
6 years, 4 months ago

Tragedy of Kerala floods unfolds: Bodies found floating, roads cut off, food and medicines scarce

Hindustan Times  

At least 23 more deaths were reported across rain-devastated Kerala on Saturday with 15 bodies of the victims seen floating on flood waters even as rescue and relief operations continued across the state on a war-footing. Prime minister Narendra Modi, who had reached the state on Friday night, announced an interim relief of Rs 500 crore for Kerala after holding …

Trial by water: how Kerala is coping with an extraordinary natural disaster
6 years, 4 months ago

Trial by water: how Kerala is coping with an extraordinary natural disaster

The Hindu  

The last thing Varghese Thalikaparambil, 72, probably saw on that Thursday night of apocalyptic rain was water cascading into his house at Manikandanchal, on the banks of the Pooyamkutty river —a tributary of the mighty Periyar in Kuttampuzha panchayat along the eastern border of Kerala’s Ernakulam district. ‘River reclaimed its lost self’ Before long, the main strand of the Periyar …

Kerala floods: Twitterati slam national media for ignoring ravaged state, ask why is it not a 'national calamity' yet
6 years, 4 months ago

Kerala floods: Twitterati slam national media for ignoring ravaged state, ask why is it not a 'national calamity' yet

Firstpost  

With at least 164 persons losing their lives in Kerala since 8 August the state’s citizens are outraged at how the national media isn’t treating the situation with the gravity it deserves With at least 164 persons losing their lives in Kerala since 8 August, 1.5 lakh people in over 1,000 relief camps, more than 75,000 houses submerged in water, …

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