Disasters worldwide are increasing, highlighting the impact of climate change. Recent heatwaves and forest fires in Greece and Canada, along with floods in Delhi, emphasize the need for preventive measures.?
- India’s leadership in the G20 has led to the establishment of the first G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group.
- Disasters are?serious disruptions?to the functioning of a community that exceed its capacity to cope using its own resources.?
- Disasters can be caused by natural, man-made and technological hazards, as well as various factors that influence the exposure and vulnerability of a community.
Classification of Disasters:
- On the basis of origin:?Disasters are classified into natural and man-made disasters.?
- On the basis of severity:?Disasters are classified into minor or major.
- Geophysical:?Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions
- Hydrological:?Floods
- Meteorological:?Hurricanes
- Climatological:?Heat waves and droughts
- Biological:?Epidemics like COVID-19.
- Fires, groundwater contamination, transportation accidents, mining accidents, terrorism, etc.
- These may include industrial pollution, nuclear radiation, toxic wastes, dam failures, transportation accidents, chemical spills, etc.
- Degradation of Environmental:?Clearing of forests and cutting of trees have caused soil erosion, expansion of flood plain area and groundwater depletion.
- It can result in various natural disasters (floods & droughts) and man-made disasters (fires).
- Infrastructure Development:?Development of infrastructure, rapid urbanization and technological development have caused increasing pressure over the natural resources.
- For infrastructure development various forests are cleared and trees are cut down, resulting in disruptions of natural geographical phenomena and inviting disasters like earthquakes, floods, fires, etc.
- War and Civil Strife:?War, nuclear power aspirations, conquering land, sea and skies have resulted into a wide range of disaster events such as Hiroshima nuclear explosion, Syrian civil war, growing militarisation of oceans and outer space and Ukraine-Russia War.
- Industrialization:?This is one of the major reasons for earth warming and frequency of extreme weather events has also increased.
- Loss of Economy and Infrastructure:?Disaster results in huge economic loss due to destruction of property, human settlements and infrastructure etc.
- Loss of Biodiversity:?Disaster can change the natural environment, loss of habitat to many plants and animals and cause ecological stress that can result in biodiversity loss.
- Scarcity of Basic Necessities:?Post- disasters, food, water and other natural resources become scarce resulting in food and water scarcity.?
- Increase in Inequality:?The disaster results in displacement of people, and displaced populations often face several challenges in new settlements, in this process they become poorer.
- Psychological Impact:?Disaster increases the level of vulnerability and affects psychologically too.
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR):
- Disaster risk reduction is the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyze and reduce the causal factors of disasters.
- Pre-Disaster Risk Reduction:
- Mitigation:?To eliminate or reduce the impacts and risks of hazards through proactive measures taken before a disaster occurs.
- Preparedness:?To take steps to prepare and reduce the effects of disasters.
- Post-Disaster Risk Reduction:
- Rescue:?Providing warning, evacuation, search, rescue and providing immediate assistance.
- Remedy:?To respond to the victims communities and provide relief measures such as food packets, water, medicines, temporary accommodation, relief camps etc.
- Recovery:?This stage emphasizes upon recovery of victims of disaster, recovery of damaged infrastructure and repair of the damages caused.
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About G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group:
- Established by:?India has established the first G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group.
- Significance of the Group:
- High Population & Economy:?The group holds significance because G20 countries hold around 85% of the global GDP and about two-thirds of the world population.?
- Risky Member Countries:?In the current World Risk Index, four out of the top 10 vulnerable countries are G20 nations.
- Loss Faced by the Group:?The combined estimated annual average loss in the G20 countries alone is USD 218 billion, equivalent to 9% of the average annual investment in infrastructure made by them.
- Requirement:?Such a grouping is necessary if countries wish to protect their people and grow their economies in the face of increasing and interconnected risks.
- Focus Area:?It emphasized the need for new-age Social Protection Systems that focus and invest in local risk resilience to mitigate, prepare and recover from disasters.
- Considering Area:?It intended to include considerations for the Sendai Framework’s mid-term review, renew multilateral cooperation at all levels, and inform future global policies and initiatives related to DRR.
- Priorities of the Group:
- Get to Know:?Global coverage of Early Warning Systems
- Infrastructure Building:?Increased commitment towards making infrastructure systems disaster resilient
- Financial Framework:?Stronger national financial frameworks for DRR
- Response:?Strengthened national and global disaster response system
- Implementation:?Increased application of ecosystems-based approaches to DRR
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Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030:
- Adoption:?The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was adopted at the?Third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan, on March 18, 2015.
- Applicability:?It applies to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters caused by natural or man-made hazards, as well as related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks.
- Priorities of the Framework:
- Get to Know:?Understanding disaster risk
- Strengthen & Manage:?Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk
- Investment:?Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
- Response:?Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Building Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction
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- Early Warning System:?There is a need to work on receiving early warnings as much as possible, which helps in mitigating the disasters.
- High Budget Allocation:?High allocation of budget and resources are necessary to take mitigating actions and after-effect actions.??
- Resilient Infrastructure:?It should be focused on to prevent extreme situations.?
- Transparency:?Transparency mechanisms should include transparency boards, clearly mentioning the cost, quality and quantity of relief items, social audits and citizens’ reports.?
- Awareness and Knowledge:?Awareness is the best practice that can prevent and reduce the impact of disasters. Traditional and modern knowledge both should be spread and implied to mitigate the impacts of disasters.
- Example:?The tribal communities in India adopt low-cost traditional technologies that help them mitigate the impact of natural disasters like drought.
- Environmental Protection:?Governments should strictly impose the law and international conventions related to environmental protection.
Additional Information:Disaster Management in India:
- National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA):
- It is the apex statutory body for Disaster Management in India.
- It is headed by the Prime Minister, and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) headed by respective Chief Ministers, to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to Disaster Management in India.
- National Disaster Response Force (NDRF):
- Established in 2006, it is the world’s single largest force dedicated to disaster response.
- It is functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, within the overall command, control and leadership of the Director-General.
- It is a multi-skilled and high-tech force that effectively responds to all types of natural and man-made disasters, including building collapses, landslides, devastating floods, and cyclones.
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- The Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (DRI):
- To reduce the loss of human life and help in sustainable living.
- Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI):?
- It is a global partnership of National Governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, academic and knowledge institutions .
- It aims to promote the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.
- Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations:
- Indian defense forces, under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) have been carrying out HADR operations within the country as well as outside the country to deepen coordination with its neighbors and friendly countries with a focus on sharing expertise and building capabilities