• Responding to natural disasters

Responding to natural disasters

India is one of the largest and most vulnerable countries, in terms of exposure to natural hazards including floods, cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis or droughts. Reported direct losses from natural catastrophes more than quadrupled from 1981-1995, reaching $13.4bn, as compared to the losses registered
during the previous 15 years ($2.9bn). This alarming trend is accelerating. 

This paper analyses the essential elements of India's approach to disaster management - as seen in its response to the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The study also analyses policy trends in India's disaster response focussing on the 2005 Disaster Management Act.

Conclusions include:

• Investment in local responses reduces the impact of disasters
  
• The effectiveness of disaster response varies significantly depending on to the state administration
  
• The quality of physical infrastructure affects the disaster response, and existing social divisions are reflected in the disaster response
  
• India is stronger at response than at prevention or rehabilitation
  
• India's top-down approach to disaster management threatens traditional coping strategies.
  

Recommendations include:

• Multilateral donors - data is critical for informing recovery need assessments and risk
  management strategies that are conducted by multilateral institutions in each country after
  each major disaster
  
• State and National Government - Government recovery programmes should focus on the strategic enabling environment for community recovery instead of implementing recovery projects directly
  
• NGOs -  Civil society organisations have little awareness of government disaster preparedness arrangements that do exist. There is also limited awareness of financial tools like micro insurance among local communities.
  
  (adapted from author)

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