Page 2 - Disaster Management

Isro takes lead role of 'International Charter Space and Major Disasters'

India, through ISRO, once again demonstrated its initiative in space-based disaster management by assuming the lead role of the "International Charter Space and Major Disasters" for six months from April 2025, the space agency said on Saturday. The lead role tenure started with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)/ISRO organising the 53rd meeting of the Charter in Hyderabad during April 14-17, it said. According to ISRO, it witnessed the participation of major global space agencies (with 22 foreign delegates attending in person) engaged in space-based disaster management activities. "India is signatory to the Charter which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025, with ISRO being a founder member. The Charter functions as a collaborative framework involving 17 member organisations, who voluntarily provide Earth observation data and value-added products for managing disasters occurring globally," the space agency said in a statement. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan addressed the board

Centre, NDMA can ask banks to waive loans of Wayanad landslide victims: HC

The Kerala High Court on Thursday said that while the RBI cannot ask banks to waive the loans of Wayanad landslides victims, the Union government and the National Disaster Management Authority can do so. A bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Easwaran S said it will pass orders "nudging" the Centre and the NDMA to ask the banks to waive off the loans. The bench pointed out that the Kerala Bank had waived off the disaster victims' loans and it had an exposure of around Rs five crore. The High Court observed that if the Kerala Bank can do it, then the other banks, which have lesser exposure, can also do the same. "It only requires a bit of goading from the NDMA and the Union government," it said. The observations came in the wake of the central government filing an affidavit earlier in the week stating that according to the RBI's Master Directions on Natural Calamities, the loans of the Wayanad landslides victims can only be restructured or rescheduled. The bench also dir

India's disaster response experience makes it key to Myanmar quake aid: UN

India has emerged as a key player in the humanitarian response to the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, providing swift and substantial aid that has significantly bolstered relief efforts, a UN official has said. In an interview with PTI Videos, Sajjad Mohammad Sajid, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, praised India's rapid deployment of resources under Operation Rama, delivering over 1,000 metric tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food, medical supplies, and field hospital support, within days of the disaster. Myanmar was hit by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28. "The early deployment of resources and facilities helped a lot of people, particularly in urban areas of Mandalay," Sajid said, noting that India also sent a 200-strong search and rescue team and medical personnel to assist the worst-hit regions. The establishment of a field hospital in Mandalay has been particularly critical, Sajid added, as many local hospitals

Parliament passes new bill to improve disaster response across states

Parliament on Tuesday passed the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 to strengthen the efficient working of the national and state disaster management authorities. The government also stressed that the legislation will help states in handling all disasters in a better way. The Rajya Sabha cleared the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 to amend the Disaster Management Act of 2005 by a voice vote. Several amendments moved by Opposition members were negated by the House. The government said states faced difficulties in implementing the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The proposed amendments are based on the difficulties flagged by states and suggestions given by them. The Bill seeks to specify the roles and responsibilities of various organisations involved in disaster management and ensure synergy and uniformity in response. The discussion also saw a significant focus on the government's response to the disaster in Wayanad, with several opposition members accusing the

News updates: Nadda launches weeklong Jan Aushadhi Diwas celebrations

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from around the world here

Avalanche buries BRO camp in Uttarakhand: 33 workers rescued, 22 trapped

Thirty-three of a total of 55 BRO workers trapped under an avalanche in the high-altitude village of Mana in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district have been rescued, with concerns over the safety of the remaining 22 mounting as night fell on the snowbound slopes and the rescue efforts came to a temporary halt. Updating the information on the rescue operations here, Uttarakhand's Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said 33 trapped labourers have been rescued and 22 remain to be traced amid adverse weather conditions. Correcting the information shared earlier, Suman said it was subsequently found out that two of the 57 labourers feared trapped in the avalanche at the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp were on leave and the actual number of workers trapped was 55. While 33 of them have been rescued, 22 are yet to be traced, he added. Suman agreed that the task is challenging as there is seven feet of snow near the avalanche site. However, more than 65 personnel are engaged in t

Centre sanctions Rs 1554.99 cr to five states hit by natural calamities

A committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved Rs 1554.99 crore of additional central assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to five states affected by floods, flash floods, landslides and cyclonic storms during 2024. Out of the total amount of Rs 1554.99 crore, Rs 608.08 crore has been approved for Andhra Pradesh, Rs 170.99 crore for Nagaland, Rs 255.24 crore for Odisha, Rs 231.75 crore for Telangana and Rs 288.93 crore for Tripura, according to an official statement. In a post on X, Shah said, "The Modi government stands like a rock in support of the disaster-affected people. Today, the MHA approved an additional central assistance of Rs 1554.99 crore to Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Odisha, Telangana, and Tripura under the NDR fund. This is in addition to the Rs. 18,322.80 crore released by the Centre to 27 states under the SDR fund". The high level committee approved central assistance of Rs 1554.99 crore to five states from the NDRF, subject t

Can Delhi withstand a magnitude 7 earthquake? What needs to be done?

Delhi's vulnerability to seismic risks is growing. Experts urge urgent retrofitting and structural audits to safeguard buildings against higher-magnitude earthquakes

Centre approves Rs 3,027 cr for disaster mitigation projects across states

A High-Level Committee (HLC), chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved Rs 3,027.86 crore for disaster mitigation projects across various states. The committee, which includes Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog as members, reviewed proposals for mitigation projects related to lightning safety in 50 lightning-prone districts across 10 states, as well as catalytic assistance for 49 drought-prone districts in 12 states, all to be funded from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), according to an official statement. The committee approved a project for catalytic assistance to the 12 most drought-prone states at a total cost of Rs 2,022.16 crore, with the central share being Rs 1,200 crore. The 12 states are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, the committee approved a

Wayanad landslides: SDMA figures of relief funds inaccurate, says Kerala HC

The Kerala High Court on Saturday criticised the state government and its disaster management authority (SDMA), saying their figures regarding the funds in connection with rehabilitation of the landslides-hit areas of Wayanad are "inaccurate". A bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Mohmmed Nias C P also questioned why the funds were being delayed for months and observed that it was turning into another disaster. It said when asking for assistance from the Centre, the state government should provide accurate figures. The court observed that auditing was not accurate and the funds were not being handled properly. It directed the government and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) to submit accurate figures regarding the funds. It directed that the amount allocated from the Rs 677 crore in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for rehabilitation, the amount spent and the amount required should be placed before the court. The state government told the court that

CM Dhami thanks PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah for Rs 139 cr disaster relief

Approval was made by a high-level committee chaired by Amit Shah, which approved Rs 1115.67 crore for disaster reduction and capacity-building projects for various states, including Uttarakhand

Centre sanctions Rs 1,115 cr for disaster mitigation and projects in states

A high-level committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved Rs 1,000 crore for various disaster mitigation and capacity-building projects in 15 states. The committee also approved another project for training and capacity building of civil defence volunteers in all states and Union territories at a total outlay of Rs 115.67 crore, according to an official statement. According to an official statement, a sum of Rs 139 crore each was approved for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, Rs 100 crore for Maharashtra, Rs 72 crore each for Karnataka and Kerala, Rs 50 crore each for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and Rs 378 crore for the eight Northeastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. The committee, comprising Union ministers for finance and agriculture and the vice chairman of the NITI Aayog as members, considered the proposal to mitigate landslide risk in 15 states for funding from the National Disaster Mitigatio

No provision to declare calamity as 'national disaster': Nityanand Rai

The MoS stated that the financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation

Govt strengthening SDRF for effective emergency response: Himachal CM

To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the emergency response system in Himachal Pradesh, the state government is working diligently to strengthen the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday. In this effort, the state government has taken two important decisions. First, the entire response framework will be unified under the additional director general of home guards and civil defence, ensuring a coordinated approach to any emergency or disaster management. Secondly, home guards will be assigned to SDRF for a period of two years to reinforce the system's capacity and resilience, a statement issued here said. "The state government is prioritising the strengthening of SDRF in view of the increasing frequency of cloudbursts and other natural disasters," Sukhu said in the statement. "The state government intends to make the system more organised and effective to safeguard lives and reduce losses. Himachal Pradesh is vulnerabl

Committed to Sendai Framework for disaster reduction: Principal secy to PM

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P K Mishra has affirmed India's commitment to the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction and called for increased international collaboration on knowledge sharing, technology transfer and sustainable development to enhance disaster resilience globally. Mishra said this while participating in the G-20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) ministerial meeting in Belem, Brazil, according to an official release. He led a high-level Indian delegation which took part in the meeting held from October 30 to November 1. With the active participation of the Indian delegation, a consensus was arrived at on finalising the first ministerial declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), the release issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said. During various sessions, Mishra shared the progress made by the government of India in reducing disaster risks and in upscaling disaster financing. He emphasised India's proactive approach to ..

UN urges Asia-Pacific nations to boost investments in disaster prevention

Disasters, including those wrought by fiercer storms, are threatening more people and could derail economic progress in the Asia Pacific region if governments don't invest more in disaster mitigation and prevention, a U.N. official said Tuesday. U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Kamal Kishore, who heads the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, issued the warning in a speech at the start of a regional conference on disaster mitigation hosted by the Philippines, one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. "Disasters are now affecting record numbers of people and threatening their lives and livelihoods, Kishore told hundreds of delegates to the three-day conference in Manila led by ministers in charge of disaster mitigation and response across the Asia Pacific. "Left unchecked, these disaster risks threaten to derail the development aspirations of the Asia Pacific region and push back progress that has taken decades to achieve, he said. Kishore said Asia Pacific countries sho

Nearly 50% of public infra unprepared for disaster management: CBRE

Nearly 50 per cent of public infrastructure in India is unprepared for disaster management, according to a survey by CBRE. The survey findings were released at a joint 'Infrastructure Management Conference 2024' organised by CBRE and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here. On Wednesday, real estate consultant CBRE said as per its survey on select large infrastructure assets on risk management parameters, "nearly 50 per cent of the public infrastructure in India is unprepared for disaster planning and management and needs greater attention". "India is grappling with a significant increase in both natural and man-made disasters, posing a threat to the economy, population and long-term sustainable development," the consultant said. The vulnerability to disasters is further exacerbated by a confluence of factors, including changing demographic and socio-economic conditions, unplanned urbanisation, development within high-risk zones, environmental degradation, climate change, and .

Central govt team arrives in Andhra Pradesh to assess flood damage

A Central government team arrived here on Wednesday to assess the flood damage in Andhra Pradesh due to the recent torrential downpours and deluge, affecting as many as seven districts. Local officials have prepared the preliminary report on the flood devastation and also readied a route map for the Central team's tour. "Officials (local) are explaining the flood situation and the damage it caused to the Central team at the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) office in Tadepalli," an official release said. The Central team is meeting with officials from various departments to learn about the havoc wreaked by the deluge, which affected West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla and Palnadu districts. The team was apprised of the devastation caused by the Budameru rivulet in Vijayawada, besides the various relief activities undertaken by the state government.

ASDMA signs MoU with GSI for early warning system for landslides in Assam

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has signed an MoU with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for implementation of experimental regional Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) for combating the problem of landslides in the state. The MoU was signed by ASDMA CEO Gyanendra Dev Tripathi and Siladitya Sengupta, deputy director general, SU: Assam, GSI on Friday, an official statement said. The problem of landslides sometimes goes unnoticed or individual landslides are being dealt with ad-hoc response mechanisms, and the problem keeps on recurring every year. In addition to lives lost, large numbers of houses along with infrastructures destroyed in landslides in the hilly terrains of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, Cachar, Karimganj and Kamrup Metropolitan districts. During recent times, one of the major thrust areas in landslide risk reduction is the development of a regional LEWS for a large area with inputs from static landslide susceptibility and hazard maps, dynamic .

Bill to create Urban Disaster Management Authority introduced in Lok Sabha

Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, also seeks to make provision for a State Disaster Response Force