Republic quaked
Gujarat is paying a heavy price for a calamity that is by far the biggest government-made disaster since Independence. As the state crawls out …
Eye on the storm
Cyclone Phailin has not taken many lives but has left behind a trail of destruction that severely cripples people’s livelihood. What did it …
Still life in waves
The visual media is into the business of producing images. Sometimes, just sometimes, they become iconic. For disasters there is a recognisable …
Flat in 20 days
Global climatic anomalies allied with local weather conditions produced the most freakish hailstorms in central and north India in February and …
How to contain Himalayan tsunamis
The Himalaya has one of the most fragile topographies among mountain ranges of the world on account of being the youngest. Even though its phase …
Future shock
As the world continues to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the global temperatures could rise by 3°C by mid-century, says a soon-to-…
'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 …
Nightmare relived
Turkey is hit by another earthquake. Having learnt their lessons three months ago, government agencies react quickly to provide relief
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 …
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 …
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
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 …