Johan von Schreeb on humanitarian aid
Johan Von Schreeb, a surgeon who has worked for the group Medicins Sans Frontieres, is a public health scholar with the Karolinska Institutet, …
'Natural disasters are shaped by social and economic inequality'
Down To Earth speaks to historian Ben Kingsbury, who, in his book An Imperial Disaster: The Bengal Cyclone of 1876, says natural disasters are …
SC directs Centre to formulate a national plan for disaster management
As per Section 11 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, a national plan is to be drawn up by the National Executive Committee
COVID-19: Lessons from past epidemics, natural disasters
India has a robust legal framework for disaster management, yet there are gaps in response and preparedness to fight COVID-19 outbreak
Centre announces Rs 940 crore, but Tamil Nadu yet to learn from disasters
As floods in Tamil Nadu cause a financial dent and Chennai is declared a disaster zone, a look at the rescue efforts and what’s missing in …
Cyclone Fani: The tale of a weird storm
Here is our entire coverage on the cyclonic storm that barrelled through Odisha on May 3, 2019
‘A multi-sectoral approach to adaptation finance would help strengthen allied sectors’
Sub-regions of both south and south-west Asia will witness extremes in precipitation and droughts
Disaster Risk Governance in India and Cross Cutting Issues
Different types of disasters faced by Indian states are covered, including geophysical and hydrometeorological hazards.
India releases first ever national disaster management plan
The plan spells out the roles of all tiers of the government, including panchayats and urban local bodies
Breaking silos in disaster management
An integrated approach involving all concerned stakeholders can help farmers combat the ill-effects of climate-induced natural disasters
Assam's nowhere people
The state has lost more than seven per cent of its area to erosion because of floods. The result: thousands of displaced people in makeshift …
Thailand’s new early warning technology to protect 70 million from disasters
The country suffered economic loss due to natural disasters from 2009-2018 to the tune of $46,055,161
Life in the burning mountains
Besides destroying hectares of forest land, the Uttarakhand forest fire has huge implications on the lives and livelihoods of the local population
Phailin(g) to tell the story
The dead make a better story than the living. Failure of media to continue reporting Phailin will take the pressure off administration to provide …
Nightmare relived
Turkey is hit by another earthquake. Having learnt their lessons three months ago, government agencies react quickly to provide relief
Lessons from Cylone Gaja to Tamil Nadu
While the state government’s precautionary measures have helped save many lives, the cyclone offers some very important lessons for the future
Safeguarding women after disasters: some progress, but not enough
Sexual exploitation must be recognised as a real and widespread problem. There must be staff and management accountability.
Cyclone Fani: IMD and Odisha govt did a good job, but could have done better
The weather agency and the state must look out for new ideas, focus on immediate response and long-term recovery instead of celebrating the …
Avalanche forecasting, public awareness can save lives
Scientists from Chandigarh say accidents related to snow avalanches can be avoided if travellers know Standard Operating Procedure, for which …
Preparing for the deluge in Bihar
Despite excellent information from across the border from Nepal, and much preparation Bihar remains flood prone, with problems of communication …
Odisha hospital fire reveals critical safety gaps, low level of preparedness
Even if the fire broke out due to short circuit as has been claimed, why it couldn’t be doused at an initial stage?
Look at disasters from a broader perspective, urges new report
It analyses past trends and says India has to be prepared for catastrophes even if they are not defined as natural disasters
Bihar canal collapse brings lack of dam safety in focus
A CAG report released in July found that less than 10 per cent dams had disaster management plans in place
The eye in the sky
India is one of the few developing countries to have its own space satellite systems. And, now Indian planners are depending increasingly on …
CAG had warned state about lack of disaster preparedness
Uttarakhand has not even compiled baseline data of frequency and intensity of natural disasters in the past