Natural hazards and disaster mitigation
A hazard becomes a disaster when it strikes a vulnerable community beyond its coping capacity. Mitigation reduces that risk before the event; response and recovery follow it.
The disaster management cycle
- back to Mitigation
Mitigation and preparedness come before a disaster; response and recovery after it.
Structural and non-structural mitigation
India's institutional set-up
| Body | Role |
|---|---|
| NDMA | Apex policy body, chaired by the Prime Minister |
| SDMA | State authority, chaired by the Chief Minister |
| DDMA | District authority, headed by the Collector or District Magistrate |
| NDRF | Specialised force for search, rescue and response |
| NIDM | Training, research and capacity building |
| IMD and INCOIS | Weather and cyclone warnings (IMD); tsunami warnings (INCOIS, Hyderabad) |
Hazards and key mitigation measures
| Hazard | Key measures |
|---|---|
| Earthquake | Seismic zoning, building codes, retrofitting old buildings |
| Cyclone | Early warning, cyclone shelters, coastal mangrove belts |
| Flood | Embankments, floodplain zoning, flood forecasting |
| Drought | Watershed management, water harvesting, drought-tolerant crops |
| Landslide | Slope stabilisation, drainage, afforestation, no building on unstable slopes |
| Tsunami | Warning systems, coastal zoning, mangroves |
How NET asks this: put the disaster management cycle in order, separate structural from non-structural measures, or match bodies (NDMA, NDRF) with their roles. Sendai 2015-2030 is a favourite.
Typical MCQ: “Who chairs the National Disaster Management Authority?” The Prime Minister, under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Typical MCQ: “Is a building code a structural or a non-structural measure?” Non-structural: it is a rule, even though it shapes how structures are built.
M-P-R-R: Mitigate, Prepare, Respond, Recover, then loop back to mitigate.