Non Traditional Security - Disaster Risk and Disaster Management in India

Posted By
10Pointer
Categories
Science & Technology
Published
12th Dec, 2020

A nation faces various types of threats in today’s world. These can be of two types- traditional security threats and non-traditional security threats.

Traditional security threats are threats to national security that arise out of conventional international issues such as water sharing, land sharing, etc.
Non-traditional security issues are challenges to the survival and well-being of people and states that arise out of non-military sources, such as ethno-nationalism leading to ethnic conflicts, climate change, resources scarcity, infectious diseases, natural disasters, irregular migration, food shortages, people smuggling, cyberspace security risks, drug trafficking and transnational crime.

COVID-19 and its devastating consequences, both in terms of loss of lives and economic recession, have brought the attention of the policymakers on the rising non-traditional security threats posed to the entire world. While the focus on traditional military threats to the physical security of the country and its people is important, the interconnected and interdependent nature of the world today demands equal attention towards non-traditional security threats. One critical aspect of non-traditional security is threats posed to societies by natural and man-made disasters.

Disaster

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) (2009) defined Disaster as: “A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or Environment losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources”.

UNSIDR considers Disaster to be a result of the combination of many factors such as Exposure to hazards, Conditions of vulnerability that are present and, Insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the potential negative consequences.

Disaster Risk in India

According to United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Disaster risk is defined as “the potential loss of life, injury, or damaged assets which could occur to a system, society or a community in a specific period of time, determined as a function of hazard, exposure, and capacity”. Disaster risk is a combination of three terms: hazard, exposure and vulnerability.

Hazard is defined as “a phenomenon or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury (or other health impacts), property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation”.

Exposure is defined as “the situation of people, infrastructure, housing, production capacities and other tangible human assets located in hazard-prone areas”. The measure of exposure can include the number of people or types of assets in an area and can be used to estimate the quantitative risks associated with that hazard.

Vulnerability is defined as “the conditions determined by physical, social, economic, environmental,cultural and institutional factors which increase the susceptibility of an individual, or a community to the impacts of hazards”. Examples: poor design and construction of buildings, weak institutions, governance (e.g. including corruption etc.), high levels of poverty, limited recognition of risks and preparedness measures, lack of public awareness,disregard for wise environmental management, etc.

While disasters are a natural phenomenon, they are increasingly influenced by human-driven climate change, posing heightened risks by way of volatile weather patternsandincreased severity of natural calamities. India is particularly at high risk of being affected by natural calamities. According to the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM) 2009, 58.6 per cent of the landmass is prone to earthquakes, 12 per cent of the land is prone to floods, and 5,700 km of the total 7,516 total coastlines is prone to cyclones and tsunamis, while 68 per cent of the total cultivable land is prone to droughts.

According to a National Crime Record Bureau report, deaths due to natural calamities in 2019 stood at 8,145 which was 18 per cent more than 2018’s figure of 6,891. On the economic impact, a UNDRR report highlighted thatIndia suffered economic losses of USD 79.5 billion between 1998 and 2017.This presents a strong case for making structured and considerable investments in its disaster management capabilities in India.

Disaster risk reduction

UNISDR defines it as “The conceptual framework of elements considered with the possibilities to minimize vulnerabilities and disaster risks throughout a society, to avoid (prevention) or to limit (mitigation and preparedness) the adverse impacts of hazards, within the broad context of sustainable development”.

Strategies to Strengthen Disaster risk reduction

International effortsto develop and implement the strategy for Disaster risk reduction with Financial and technical support.
Integration of Disaster risk reduction into national policy and in all developmental projects
Capacity building -It can be done through improving governance, accountability and leadership of national societies and committees.It includes providing education, trainings and skills volunteers and all the related staffs.

Challenges in Disaster risk reduction

Effective,uniform,and scientific disaster information system - Issues like finance, technology, human resource, etc., affects formation of such information system.
Lack of Political commitment - With the issues of fighting poverty, improving health, and establishment of basic infrastructure,Disaster risk reduction comes to the least priority in developing countries like India.
Increased Risk - Population growth alone increases the risk.Rapid unplanned urbanization increases the risk of occurrence of disaster in developing countries. Additionally, developing countries are more prone to the effects of climate change and the disaster induced.
Resource constraints - Lots of resources are required from mitigation to recovery.Developing countries find it difficult to afford such expenditure.Inadequate infrastructure adds up to the already existing resource constraints. Intensive research about vulnerability assessment, risk assessment and many more are needed for Disaster risk reduction.

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

It was approved at the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March 2015, held in Sendai, located in Japan. It is the successor to the Hyogo Framework that came into effect from 2005 and ended in 2015, with the approval of Sendai Framework.

This treaty is voluntary and not binding upon the member states.Under the framework, the primary role of the Member States is to reduce the identified disaster risks.The framework has a time frame of 15 years, i.e., 2015-2030.UNISDR is tasked with the implementation, follow-up, support and review of the Sendai Framework.

The objectives include:

It aims at achieving a substantial reduction of disaster risk and disaster losses in lives, livelihoods and health; in the environmental, cultural, social, physical-economic assets of people, communities, and businesses over the next 15 years.
The framework comprises of a set of standards, an all-encompassing framework containing achievable targets and an instrument with a legal basis for disaster risk reduction.
The framework calls for the sharing of responsibility among the stakeholders including the private sector, the government and the other stakeholders.
It highlights the concerns on human health and well-being that are common to disaster risk reduction, climate change and sustainable development.

The High Priorities are:

Understanding the disaster riskin all its dimensions (vulnerability,capacity, knowledge, etc).
Strengthening the governance of disaster risks for managing disaster risks atnational, regional and global level.
Investments in disaster risk reduction for resilience
Improving the disaster preparedness to ensure effective response, recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Disaster Management in India

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) definesDisasterManagement as the organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.

India’s disaster management structure is guided by the Disaster Management Act of 2005 which led to the creation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). India’s disaster management structure is rather well laid with a comprehensive approach involving national, state and district level authorities.

The National Disaster Management Plan 2019 guides India’s renewed and far more mature approach towards disaster management which focuses more on proactive preventions, mitigation and preparedness than mere relief and reconstruction activities. The policy incorporates several commitments and objectives in the disaster risk reduction domain associated with the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015.

The policy also recognises the importance of technology for effective disaster management such as remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The policy also highlights the importance of critical infrastructure in most vulnerable areas as well as the need to establish and upgrade the forecasting and early-warning systems of various types to plug technological gaps to be able to better manage future calamities.

Components of Disaster Management

Mitigation - Mitigation refers to the actions that are to be taken before the occurrence of an event for reducing the overall risk and impacts. Mitigation activities should be considered long before an emergency. It includes the steps like - Vulnerability assessment, Risk assessment, and Hazard assessment.
Preparedness - Preparedness is done before the occurrence of an event/disaster. All kinds of plan like vulnerability management plans, emergency preparedness plans, evacuation plans etc., are made. It includes actionsthat will improve your chances of successfully dealing with an emergency like - Preparation of disaster relief plan, awareness and education programs for general public, and Development of early warning system.
Response - It refers to the activities that are carried out after the event or disaster has occurred. Response actions include - Evacuation, Emergency services (food, shelter, medical attention, etc.), Provision for medical help, and Coordination between the local and international actions, and Proper mobilization of aids and grants provided.
Recovery - Recovery is a post disaster action. It includes activities that would lessen (mitigate) the effects of future disasterslike - Create emergency relief fund, Rehabilitate the victims, Reconstruction of the damages properties or make arrangement (through loans), and Psychological counselling.

National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMA)

It was established in 2005, under the Disaster Management Act 2005.
Its objective is to build a safer and disaster resilient India by a holistic, proactive, technology driven and sustainable development strategy.
It is chaired by the Prime Minister of India. It has a vice chairman with the status of Cabinet Minister and eight members with the status of Ministers of State.
State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) - it is established under Disaster Management Act 2005 toprepare disaster management planfor the state. It is chaired by the Chief Minister of the State and has not more than eight members who are appointed by the Chief Minister.
Under Disaster Management Act 2005, every State government shall establish a District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) for every district in the State.It makes District Disaster Management Plan.The Collector/ District Magistrate/ Deputy Commissioner acts as Chairperson of DDMA.Elected representative of the local authorityis theCo-Chairperson of DDMA, while The Chief Executive Member of the district council of autonomous district is the co-chairperson in the Tribal Areas.

National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP)

It was released in 2016 and is the first ever national plan prepared in the country for disaster management. It is aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, to which India is a signatory. Salient features are as follows:

Planning - It has plans for short, medium and long run(5, 10, and 15 years respectively)to deal with disasters.
Role clarity - 15 different disasters have been identified anddifferent ministers are entrusted for management. For instance, Minister for earth science will be responsiblefor cyclone. Besideunion, it offers role for state, districts, and panchayats.
Redefining disaster - It also identifies major activities such asearly warning, information dissemination, medical care, fuel,transportation, search and rescue, evacuation, etc. to serve as achecklist for agencies responding to a disaster.
Human disasters - Human induced disasters like chemical,biological, radioactivity, and nuclear disasters are covered under it.
Animals - Besides human, it focuses on livestock and animals also.
Media role - It calls for ethical guidelines for the media forcoverage of disasters as well as self-regulation. The plan wants themedia to respect the dignity and privacy of affected people. Also,in a move aimed to stop rumours and spread of panic, the plandirects the authorities to schedule regular media briefing.
Awareness - To prepare communities to cope with disasters, itemphasises on a greater need for information, education andcommunication activities.
International practise - Technical upgradation and adopting bestinternational practice is part of it.

Issues with Disaster Management in India

While India’s efforts and policies to manage natural disasters better must be appreciated, there are considerable shortcomings that must be remedied to ensure the safety and well-being of Indian citizens and residents. Some of the issues, which have been contributing to poor response following disasters includepoor co-ordination at the local level, lack of early-warning systems, very slow responsesat major occasions, shortage of trained dedicated clinicians, lack of search and rescue facilities, and so on.

The preparedness at various levels is not people-oriented. Furthermore, unlike Sendai Framework,the National Disaster Management Plan does not set any goals, targets or adefinite time frame. Additionally, aframework for funding is missing in the National Disaster Management Plan.The disaster insurance provisions still lack clarity and need to be looked into.

Suggestions for a better Disaster Management in India

A clearer demarcation of national and state-level responsibilities is needed, especially regarding who is responsible for risk-reduction activities.It is vital for SDMA to focus on the continued capacity-building of DDMA that are responsible for managing disaster risk.There is a need to revise the disaster management plan to include a much greater emphasis on risk reduction, rather than just preparedness and response.

Accountability mechanisms need to be specified to ensure that departments follow disaster risk-reduction strategies in their own development planning.Build partnerships with and draw lessons from forerunner states such as Bihar and Gujarat on how to include risk reduction in plans more effectively.Public-private partnerships should be looked at more seriously as alternative modes of financing. For eg -Models such as the Surat Climate Change Trust(collaboration between the private sector and the urban local body in Surat, Gujarat), should be studied and, if suitable, replicated.

Risk-transfer mechanisms and insurance should be scaled up to support risk reduction.The needs of women and other marginalised groups must be considered across all types of disaster risk management activity, rather than only response and relief activities. Clearer guidelines need to be issued for the genuine participation of vulnerable communities in processes to develop district disaster management plans.

The economic losses caused due to the numerous disasters warrant abetter funding than the current one. Impact of disasters on lives and economy does not get enough attention and fiscal support. In FY 2010-11, the budget for disaster management was INR 690 crore. After a decade in FY 2020-21, the disaster management budget has risen to double, which in absolute terms stands at a mere INR 1,499 crore.

There is a need to set up and maintain databases for damage and loss estimation as a result of disasters which can help in fostering political motivationfor improving current disaster managementrelated policies and actions. Lastly, there is a need for inclusion of innovative methodologies with a judicious mix of new technology with traditional practices.

The 2nd ARC suggests that Disaster/Crisis Management should continue to be the primary responsibility ofthe State Governments and the Union Government should play a supportive role. The Disaster Management Act should provide categorization of disasters (say, local, district, state or national level)for determining the level of authority primarily responsible for dealing withthe disaster as well as the scale of response and relief. NDMA should make provisions for stringent punishment for misutilization offunds meant for crisis/disaster management. The role of the local governmentsshould be brought to the forefront for crisis/disaster management.

Success stories

The Indian government's "zero casualties" policy for cyclones and the pinpoint accuracy of the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) early warning system has helped reduce the possibility of deaths from cyclones in coastal states.
During the flash floods due to cloudburst in Leh-Ladakh regionin August 2010,Indian Army's immediate search, rescue, and relief operations and mass casualty management effectively and efficiently mitigated the impact of flash floods, and restored normal life.
Bihar suffers from floods almost every year during the monsoon season, predominantly due to the Ganges and its tributaries. The State has successfully scaled up disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts since 2011.

Conclusion

India finds itself in a difficult position due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disaster risks and its management are often overshadowed by the geopolitical tussles and domestic politics and this eventually translates into insufficient debate, research and fiscal appropriation. Not only do natural disasters cause loss to lives and critical infrastructure but also hinder the country’s socio-economic development. However, it is very important for India to mitigate and prepare for the disasters, respond suitably in the event of a hazard, and recover strongly after the occurrence of hazards. India’s ability, primarily through its armed forces, to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) to its immediate and extended neighbourhood has been a vital instrument of soft power for the country. Thus, India must carefully handle the challenges posed to disaster management in India and implement the multi-faceted suggestions for a better Disaster Management in India.