Nightmare relived
Turkey is hit by another earthquake. Having learnt their lessons three months ago, government agencies react quickly to provide relief
Power of resilience
Book>> Women, Gender and Disaster • edited by Elaine Enarson, P G Dhar Chakrabarti • Sage • Rs 850
In flood-prone Bihar, govt asks villagers to tweet potential threats
The state’s major rivers are all above danger levels and pose severe risks to flood-prone areas
Living with Bhopal disaster
A photo chronicle of lives and times of Bhopal gas disaster survivors collated from our archives. Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the …
On shaky ground
450,000 people in and around Jharia town of Jharkhand are threatened by the fire raging underground, but there is no political will to implement …
In 2018, natural disasters cost the world $225 billion
Extreme weather-related disasters caused 89 per cent of the economic loss in Asia Pacific region
On road to recovery
Nepal has banned new constructions till it formulates a fresh building code. Emerging threat of landslides compounds its troubles
A state in chaos
The human cost of the cyclone in Orissa is very high. So is the cost of the damage to the environment. The failure of the state machinery in …
Climate change will cause a cascade of catastrophes in the future: study
New study says that if something isn't done to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, people could be forced to cope with three to six …
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 …
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
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?
‘Many seismic gaps in Himalayas capable of producing powerful earthquakes’
In an interview to Kundan Pandey, Supriyo Mitra, associate professor with the Department of Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science …
Quaking, 1108 aftershocks later
The Indian plate is underthrusting the Eurasian plate by 4 to 5 centimetres a year. But our scientists move even slower. Are they waiting for the …
How Phailin was different from super cyclone 1999
Improvements in weather forecasting and disaster preparedness, and lessons learnt from 1999, made all the difference
After 7.9 shock
The earthquake that shook Nepal and northern India underscores the urgency to understand the seismicity of the Himalayas and to improve the …
Bhopal court issues direct summons to Dow Chemical in 1984 gas leak case
Following allegations of non-cooperation from US Department of Justice, a summon has been issued directly to Dow Chemical to appear in the court
Twelve years later, impact of Tsunami still makes waves
Down To Earth revists the causes of the massive earthquake that triggered tsunami 12 years ago and the progress scientists have made towards …
Damage estimates for hurricanes like Dorian don’t capture the full cost of climate change-fueled disasters
Growth accounting incorporates the productive use of capital and innovation into the equation. The question we want to ask is what happens to GDP …
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
‘Faults inactive for long period could pose greater hazard’
Chan Lung-sang, professor at Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong, speaks to Kundan Pandey about the probability of a bigger …