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2.4.3 Disaster Preparedness
India’s national and state governments have taken major steps to deal with disaster
risk by implementing legislation, plans and policies. The Disaster Management Act
of 2005 provided a strong policy framework for dealing with natural hazards. Since
then, many States and Union Territories have developed state disaster management
plans (SDMPs) and district disaster management plans which have been very useful
in dealing with disasters.
Disaster Preparedness in India (2015–2016) described India as one of the most
disaster prone countries in the world due to its geography, geo-climatic condition,
high population and other socio-economic factors. According to GAR (2015) by
UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, average economic loss in India due to disaster is $9.8 billion. Economic loss due to floods only accounts for $7 billion in India
(GAR 2015). CAG audit report (2013) on disaster preparedness of India revealed
that although India is one of the pioneering countries who have established three
level disaster management institutional set up, there are critical gaps in the preparedness for various disasters, particularly for catastrophic disasters like earthquakes and floods. The gaps are lack of know-how for assessing risks at very local
level, poor enforcement of standards and regulations, inadequate risk mitigation,
more emphasis on response and relief after disaster rather than considering disaster
management cycle holistically, inadequate integration of the socio- economic vulnerability of women and very poorest people in vulnerability assessment, and inadequate baseline assessments and data to track future progress in disaster risk
reduction.
2.5 Land Degradation, Desertification
and Soil Contamination
Land is an essential resource to humankind for its survival. Land is degrading at an
alarming rate which affects the productivity of fertile lands like cropland, rangelands. etc. United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defined
land degradation as ‘reduction of biological and ecological productivity of land due
to combination of processes, including human activities’. According to WHO, there
are multiple forces polluting the land which include extreme weather condition due
to climate change, human activities, etc. Land degradation negatively affects the
food production, livelihoods, production of other ecosystem goods and services.
According to UNCCD (2014), man is using more than 75% of the total land in
the world excluding Greenland and Antarctica. The report also indicates that 25% of
all globally available land is highly degraded. This land degradation results in 60%
reduction of all ecosystem services and is also responsible for 20% of global carbon
erosion. Approximately 5.2 million hectare of land is degrading annually during
2004 to 2014 (UNCCD 2014).
2 Contemporary Environmental Issues – The Indian Perspective
2.4.3 Disaster Preparedness
India’s national and state governments have taken major steps to deal with disaster
risk by implementing legislation, plans and policies. The Disaster Management Act
of 2005 provided a strong policy framework for dealing with natural hazards. Since
then, many States and Union Territories have developed state disaster management
plans (SDMPs) and district disaster management plans which have been very useful
in dealing with disasters.
Disaster Preparedness in India (2015–2016) described India as one of the most
disaster prone countries in the world due to its geography, geo-climatic condition,
high population and other socio-economic factors. According to GAR (2015) by
UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, average economic loss in India due to disaster is $9.8 billion. Economic loss due to floods only accounts for $7 billion in India
(GAR 2015). CAG audit report (2013) on disaster preparedness of India revealed
that although India is one of the pioneering countries who have established three
level disaster management institutional set up, there are critical gaps in the preparedness for various disasters, particularly for catastrophic disasters like earthquakes and floods. The gaps are lack of know-how for assessing risks at very local
level, poor enforcement of standards and regulations, inadequate risk mitigation,
more emphasis on response and relief after disaster rather than considering disaster
management cycle holistically, inadequate integration of the socio- economic vulnerability of women and very poorest people in vulnerability assessment, and inadequate baseline assessments and data to track future progress in disaster risk
reduction.
2.5 Land Degradation, Desertification
and Soil Contamination
Land is an essential resource to humankind for its survival. Land is degrading at an
alarming rate which affects the productivity of fertile lands like cropland, rangelands. etc. United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defined
land degradation as ‘reduction of biological and ecological productivity of land due
to combination of processes, including human activities’. According to WHO, there
are multiple forces polluting the land which include extreme weather condition due
to climate change, human activities, etc. Land degradation negatively affects the
food production, livelihoods, production of other ecosystem goods and services.
According to UNCCD (2014), man is using more than 75% of the total land in
the world excluding Greenland and Antarctica. The report also indicates that 25% of
all globally available land is highly degraded. This land degradation results in 60%
reduction of all ecosystem services and is also responsible for 20% of global carbon
erosion. Approximately 5.2 million hectare of land is degrading annually during
2004 to 2014 (UNCCD 2014).
2 Contemporary Environmental Issues – The Indian Perspective