Disaster Management (CS-703 (D)) - Unit 4 Short Notes

How unit 4 is examined

This unit covers India's hazard profile, relief components, the institutions and laws of disaster management, and the use of GIS/IT; damage assessment (14 marks in a short note) and GIS/IT carry the most marks.

Hazard and Vulnerability profile of India

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Definition. <mark>India's hazard profile is the map of natural and human-made hazards that threaten its land, coast and people, and its vulnerability profile is the set of social, economic and physical conditions that make those hazards turn into disasters.</mark>

Key points.

1. About 59% of the land is prone to moderate or severe earthquakes; the Himalayan belt and the north-east lie in Zones IV and V, while Zone II is the least hazardous.
2. About 12% of the land (roughly 40 million hectares) is flood-prone, mainly the Ganga-Brahmaputra basins, and about 68% of the net sown area is prone to drought.
3. Of the 7,516 km coastline, about 5,700 km is exposed to cyclones and storm surge, mostly on the east coast (Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal).
4. The Himalaya, north-east hills and Western Ghats make about 15% of the land landslide-prone; tsunami, forest fire, heat wave and industrial accidents add further hazards.
5. Vulnerability is raised by high population density, poverty, unplanned urbanisation, weak buildings in hazard zones, environmental degradation and low awareness.
6. Implication for planning: hazard-zone maps must guide land use and building codes, and risk reduction must be built into development plans.

Asked: [7 marks] (Dec 2020) Write a note on Hazard and Vulnerability profile of India.

Components of Disaster Relief: Water, Food, Sanitation, Shelter, Health, Waste Management

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Definition. <mark>Disaster relief is the organised provision of life-saving help and basic needs to affected people immediately after a disaster, until normal life can be rebuilt.</mark>

Key points.

1. Search and rescue, and first aid, come first because the first hours decide survival.
2. Water: safe drinking water is supplied by tankers, chlorination and purification tablets, at the minimum standard of about 15 litres per person per day.
3. Food: dry rations and cooked meals are distributed through community kitchens, with special nutrition for children, pregnant women and the old.
4. Sanitation: temporary toilets, handwashing and drainage prevent cholera and diarrhoea.
5. Shelter: tents, temporary shelters and relief camps give protection and dignity, planned with privacy and safety for women.
6. Health: medical teams, medicines, vaccination and psychosocial care control injury, disease and trauma.
7. Waste management: safe removal of debris, garbage, dead bodies and hazardous waste prevents epidemics.
8. Logistics, communication and coordination among agencies, followed by compensation and rehabilitation, complete relief.

Answer frame. Open with the definition; list components in the order rescue, water, food, sanitation, shelter, health, waste; close with coordination, compensation and rehabilitation.

Asked: [7 marks] (Dec 2020) What are the various components of Disaster Relief? Discuss them.

Institutional arrangements (Mitigation, Response and Preparedness, Disaster Management Act and Policy)

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Definition. <mark>Institutional arrangements are the authorities, forces and rules, set up by the Disaster Management Act 2005 and the National Policy 2009, that carry out mitigation, preparedness and response at every level.</mark>

Key points.

1. The three tiers are NDMA at the national level (chair: Prime Minister), SDMA at the state (Chief Minister) and DDMA at the district (District Magistrate/Collector).
2. The National Executive Committee, headed by the Home Secretary, assists NDMA in coordination and implementation.
3. NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) is the specialised response force, and NIDM (National Institute of Disaster Management) gives training and research.
4. Mitigation and preparedness are handled by preparing plans, mapping risk, early warning and drills; response is led by the district with NDRF, SDRF, army and police.

Other related policies, plans, programmes and legislation

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Definition. <mark>The Disaster Management Act, 2005 is the law that provides for effective management of disasters and matters connected with it; it was enacted on 23 December 2005 and came into force in stages, with NDMA constituted on 27 September 2006.</mark>

Key points.

1. The Act created NDMA (chaired by the Prime Minister, with up to nine members), SDMAs (chaired by the Chief Minister) and DDMAs (chaired by the District Magistrate).
2. It requires a National Plan, State Plans and District Plans, and each ministry and department must prepare its own plan.
3. It provides funds: National and State Disaster Response Funds for relief, and National and State Disaster Mitigation Funds for mitigation.
4. It set up the National Institute of Disaster Management and the National Disaster Response Force.
5. It makes non-compliance with orders and false alarms punishable.
6. Related documents are the National Policy on Disaster Management 2009, the National Disaster Management Plan 2016 and the Sendai Framework 2015-2030.

Asked: [7 marks] (Jun 2025) When the Disaster Management Act came in the effect in India? Give an overview of this Act.

Role of GIS and Information Technology in Preparedness, Risk Assessment, Response and Recovery

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Definition. <mark>A Geographic Information System (GIS) captures, stores, analyses and maps spatial data, and together with information technology (remote sensing, GPS, MIS, communication networks) it supports decisions in every phase of a disaster.</mark>

Key points.

1. Preparedness: GIS makes hazard maps, and IT supports early warning, evacuation routes, shelter location and resource databases.
2. Risk assessment: GIS overlays hazard layers with population, buildings and infrastructure to map vulnerability and risk, for example flood-zone and seismic-zone maps.
3. Remote sensing gives satellite images of floods, cyclones, fires and landslides, and GPS gives exact locations of teams and victims.
4. Response: GIS and communication technology show the affected area, plan routes, direct rescue teams and coordinate relief in real time through control rooms.
5. Recovery: satellite comparison before and after gives damage assessment, and MIS tracks relief, compensation and reconstruction progress.
6. Example tools: INSAT/IRS satellites, mobile alerts (SMS), the IMD cyclone warning and the NDMA's India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN).

Answer frame. Open with the GIS and IT definition; then develop points 1-5 phase by phase (preparedness, risk assessment, response, recovery); close with one example such as flood mapping.

Asked: [7 marks] (Dec 2020, Jun 2025) Discuss the role of GIS and information technology (components) in preparedness, risk assessment, response and recovery phases of disaster.

Disaster Damage Assessment

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Definition. <mark>Disaster damage assessment is the systematic estimation of the physical, economic and social losses caused by a disaster, made to plan relief, recovery and reconstruction.</mark>

Key points.

1. Purpose: it measures the extent of loss so that relief, compensation and funds can be decided and priorities set.
2. Rapid assessment is done within the first days to find urgent needs (lives lost, injured, houses damaged, roads cut) for immediate relief.
3. Detailed assessment follows through field surveys of buildings, crops, infrastructure and livelihoods to prepare the recovery plan.
4. Methods are field surveys with formats, remote sensing and satellite images, aerial and drone photos, and GIS mapping of the damage.
5. Direct loss is physical damage to houses, roads, crops and life; indirect loss is the disruption of business, income and services.
6. Loss estimation converts the damage into money (repair or replacement cost) and gives the total economic loss.
7. Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) combines damage, loss and recovery needs, and its results guide compensation.
8. Example: after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, building damage surveys and satellite images estimated houses destroyed and the funds needed to rebuild.

Answer frame. Open with the definition; state purpose; then rapid and detailed assessment, methods, direct and indirect loss and loss estimation in that order; close with the use of results in relief and reconstruction.

Pitfall: Attempt only two parts of the three-part short note, and do not mix damage (physical) with loss (monetary).

Asked: [14 marks] (Dec 2020) Write short notes on any two of the followings: a) Disaster Damage Assessment b) Waste Management c) Landslide Hazard

Last-minute revision

• Disaster Management Act: enacted 23 December 2005; NDMA formed 27 September 2006.
• NDMA is chaired by the Prime Minister, SDMA by the Chief Minister, DDMA by the District Magistrate.
• About 59% of India's land is earthquake-prone; 12% flood-prone; 68% of sown area drought-prone.
• About 5,700 km of the 7,516 km coastline is cyclone-prone.
• Relief components: rescue, water, food, sanitation, shelter, health, waste management.
• Funds: NDRF/SDRF for response, NDMF/SDMF for mitigation.
• GIS overlays hazard layers with population and assets to map risk.
• Damage assessment: rapid, then detailed; direct and indirect losses; PDNA.
• Waste management (for the Dec 2020 short note): debris, hazardous and medical waste must be removed and disposed of safely after a disaster.
• Landslide hazard (for the same note): caused by steep slopes, heavy rain, earthquakes and deforestation; mitigated by zonation maps, retaining walls, drainage and afforestation.

Memory hooks

• Three tiers of authority: N-S-D (National, State, District) with PM, CM, DM at the head.
• Relief order: "R-W-F-S-S-H-W" (Rescue, Water, Food, Sanitation, Shelter, Health, Waste).
• GIS phases: P-R-R-R (Preparedness, Risk, Response, Recovery).
• Damage assessment: "Rapid first, detailed next, then rupees."

Coverage checklist

• Hazard and Vulnerability profile of India: Dec 2020 note.
• Components of Disaster Relief: Water, Food, Sanitation, Shelter, Health, Waste Management: Dec 2020 relief components.
• Institutional arrangements (Mitigation, Response and Preparedness, Disaster Management Act and Policy: no past question.
• Other related policies, plans, programmes and legislation: Jun 2025 DM Act.
• Role of GIS and Information Technology Components in Preparedness, Risk Assessment, Response and Recovery Phases of Disaster: Dec 2020, Jun 2025.
• Disaster Damage Assessment: Dec 2020 short notes.