Mains Practice Questions

Introduction:

India’s disaster management approach has shifted from a relief-centric model to a risk reduction and resilience-based framework, strengthened by theThe Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025.

• The amendment prioritises multi-hazard risk assessment, early warning systems, mitigation, and resilient infrastructure, integrating disaster management with climate adaptation.
• However, uneven implementation across disaster types and regions highlights gaps in local capacity and last-mile preparedness

Body:

Movement Towards Mitigation (Reducing Disaster Risk Before Impact):

• Legal And Institutional Shift After 2005: The Disaster Management Act, 2005 marked a structural move away from ad-hoc relief by creating permanent institutions for disaster risk governance.
  • Bodies such as the National Disaster Management Authority and State Disaster Management Authorities institutionalised hazard mapping, mitigation planning, and preparedness.
    • This represented a shift from post-disaster response to pre-disaster risk reduction.
• Early Warning Systems And Risk Anticipation: India has significantly strengthened forecasting and early warning mechanisms, especially for hydro-meteorological disasters. Accurate prediction enables preventive action rather than reactive relief.
  • For instance, during Cyclone Fani (2019), advance warnings allowed evacuation of about 1.2 million people from Puri, Khordha, and Cuttack districts.
• Infrastructure-Based Mitigation Measures: Investment in protective infrastructure reflects a mitigation mindset aimed at reducing disaster impact.
  • Odisha’s network of multi-purpose cyclone shelters, constructed after 1999, played a crucial role in limiting casualties during Cyclones Phailin (2013), Fani (2019), and Amphan (2020).
  • India’s launch of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) highlights its commitment to creating infrastructure that survives disasters, moving beyond just repairing them.
• Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction Into Development: Disaster mitigation is increasingly integrated into development planning and infrastructure projects, aligning with global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
  • Risk assessments are gradually becoming part of road, housing, and coastal development planning.
  • The 15th Finance Commission recommended the establishment of dedicated mitigation funds at both the national and state levels, resulting in the creation of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) and the State Disaster Risk Management Funds (SDRMF), thereby integrating relief and mitigation into a unified disaster risk–management framework.

Movement Towards Resilience (Capacity To Absorb And Recover):

• Professionalisation Of Disaster Response Forces: The creation and strengthening of the National Disaster Response Force has enhanced India’s ability to respond quickly and recover efficiently, a key component of resilience. Pre-deployment and regular mock drills indicate preparedness beyond relief.
  • For instance, NDRF units were pre-positioned along the Odisha and West Bengal coasts before Cyclone Yaas (2021).
• Community-Based Disaster Preparedness: Resilience is increasingly built at the community level through training, awareness, and volunteer networks.
  • Odisha’s Village Disaster Management Plans (VDMPs) for Cyclone Preparedness uses trained local volunteers for last-mile communication and evacuation, ensuring quick community response during cyclones.
• Climate Resilience And Adaptive Capacity: India has begun addressing slow-onset and climate-linked disasters by building adaptive resilience.
  • For instance, Ahmedabad’s Heat Action Plan (since 2013) introduced early warnings, public advisories, and hospital preparedness, leading to a measurable decline in heat-related deaths.
• Urban And Localised Resilience Efforts: Post-disaster learning has triggered selective urban resilience measures, though outcomes remain mixed.
  • For example, after the 2015 Chennai floods, the city initiated storm-water drainage expansion and partial restoration of water bodies to improve long-term flood resilience.

Persistent Gaps in Disaster Management:

• Floods And Urban Disasters: Despite repeated flood events, mitigation and resilience remain weak due to poor land-use regulation and encroachment of natural drainage.
  • For instance, Bengaluru floods (2022) highlighted continued neglect of lake systems and storm-water channels, turning heavy rainfall into recurring crises.
• Earthquakes And Landslides: India’s preparedness is weakest in low-frequency, high-impact disasters due to poor enforcement of building codes.
  • Joshimath subsidence (2023) exposed unregulated construction in a fragile Himalayan zone despite known seismic risks.
• Heatwaves And Slow-Onset Disasters: While early warnings have improved, mitigation for slow-onset disasters like heatwaves remains uneven, with many cities lacking long-term urban cooling and occupational safety measures.
  • Response often focuses on emergency advisories rather than structural adaptation.
  • During the 2024 North India heatwave, cities like Delhi and Jaipur reported heat-related fatalities among outdoor workers, exposing gaps in heat-resilient urban design and labour protection.
• Industrial And Technological Disasters: Preparedness for industrial and chemical disasters remains largely response-oriented, with limited emphasis on prevention, risk audits, and land-use zoning around hazardous sites.
  • The Vizag LG Polymers gas leak (2020) highlighted weak enforcement of safety norms and poor emergency preparedness, with mitigation failures preceding the disaster.

Measures to Strengthen Disaster Mitigation And Resilience:

• Risk-Informed Land Use And Urban Planning: Disaster risk considerations must be embedded into land-use planning, zoning regulations, and infrastructure approvals, especially in floodplains, coastal zones, and seismic regions.
  • Development permissions should be linked to hazard maps and carrying-capacity studies.
  • Mandatory use of floodplain zoning and GIS-based hazard mapping in cities like Chennai and Guwahati to prevent construction on natural drainage and wetlands.
• Enforcing Resilient Building Codes And Standards: Strict enforcement of disaster-resilient building codes is essential to reduce losses from earthquakes, cyclones, and heatwaves.
  • Compliance must be ensured through third-party audits and accountability of local authorities.
  • Scaling up enforcement of earthquake-resistant construction norms (IS 1893) in Seismic Zone IV–V states such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
• Strengthening Local And Community-Level Capacity: Disaster resilience must be decentralised by empowering Panchayats, Urban Local Bodies, and community groups with training, resources, and decision-making authority. Local knowledge improves last-mile preparedness and response.
  • Expanding Cyclone Preparedness Programme–type volunteer networks to flood-prone districts of Assam and Bihar.
• Integrating Climate Adaptation With Disaster Management: Disaster management should be closely integrated with climate adaptation strategies to address increasing frequency of extreme events.
  • Sectoral planning must incorporate heat, flood, and drought resilience.
  • Scaling Heat Action Plans from cities like Ahmedabad to all heat-prone urban centres and integrating them with labour safety and public health systems.

Conclusion

India has made a clear shift from relief-centric disaster management towards mitigation and resilience, particularly in cyclones, early warning systems, and climate-related disasters. However, progress remains uneven across disaster types and regions, with floods, earthquakes, and urban risks still dominated by reactive responses. Deepening risk-informed planning, resilient infrastructure, and local capacity-building is essential to fully embed resilience into India’s development trajectory.