India Disaster Context Analysis India is the seventh largest country in the world by geographical area with an extent

of 32,62,263 sq.km and is the second largest populated country in the world. India stands unique in its rich cultural heritage, diversified geographical and climatic conditions, with the snow covered mountains (Himalayas) in the northern side and rain forests in the south, the Indo-Gangetic Plains ,the Deccan Plateau, the major life-giving Rivers which make the areas fertile, deserts on the western side, drought prone areas and long stretches of coastal areas. India, due to its physio- geographic conditions, land characteristics and climatic conditions, is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world, exposed to different kinds of natural hazards. India has witnessed a number of disasters which claimed several thousands of human lives, rendering millions of people homeless and causing immense loss to properties of the people. Natural Disasters from 1980 2010 - An Overview Over View No of events No of people killed: Average killed per year: No of people affected: Average affected per year: Economic Damage (US$ X 1,000): Economic Damage per year (US$ X 1,000):

431 143,039 4,614 1,521,726,127 49,087,940 48,063,830 1,550,446

Major Disasters that struck the country in the recent decades:

1. Uttarkashi Earthquake in 1991 2. Killani Earthquake in 1993 3. Latur Earthquake in Maharashtra in 1993 4. Koyama Earthquake in 1997 5. Chamoli Earthquake in Uttarakhand in 1999 6. Super Cyclone in Orissa in 1999 7. Bhuj Earthquake in 2001 8. Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 9. Kashmir Earthquake in 2005 10. Barmer Floods in Rajasthan in 2006

11. Kosi Floods in Bihar in 2008 12. Cyclone Aila in West Bengal in 2009 13. Cyclone Laila in Andhra Pradesh in 2009 11. Cloudburst in Leh in 2010 12. Thane Cyclone in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry 2011

Susceptibility of India to Natural Disasters: Earthquakes: During the last 20 years, India has experienced 10 major earthquakes that have claimed more than 35,000 lives. Almost 58% of our total land mass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity. The Himalayan mountain range is undergoing constant geological changes (crustal movements) resulting in frequent earthquakes and landslides. Floods: Floods in the Indo-Gangetic Brahmaputra plains are an annual feature. Several thousands of lives have been lost, millions have been rendered homeless and 8 million hectares of crops are damaged every year. India receives 75% of rains during the monsoon season (June September). As a result almost all the rivers carry heavy waters during this time resulting in sediment deposition, drainage congestion, invading into the main land. 40 million hectares of land is vulnerable to floods with about 30 million people affected by flood every year. Floods brought severe drought in arid and semi arid areas. About 12% of the total land mass is flood prone. Cyclones: India has a long coastline running 7,516 km long and the entire coastal stretch is exposed to Tsunami, cyclone, Tidal waves and storm surges. On an average, five to six tropical cyclones strike every year, of which two or three are very severe. More cyclones occur in the Bay of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea and the ratio is approximately 4:1. Every year the eastern coast is affected by cyclones and Tsunami. The Orissa Super Cyclone (1999) and the India Tsunami 2004 claimed thousands and thousands of human lives devastating agricultural crops and rendering lakhs and lakhs of people homeless. Drought: The Desert which is located in the western region of the country and the Deccan Plateau face recurring droughts due to acute shortage of rainfall. About 50 million people are affected annually by drought and 40 million hectares of land are prone to scanty or no rain. Landslides: Landslides are yet another recurrent phenomenon in the hilly regions of India such as Himalayas, North-East India and Eastern and Western Ghat regions. The major Landslide disaster that took place was at Malpa Uttarkhand (UP) in the year 1998 when nearly 380 people were killed when massive landslides washed away the entire village. The 2010 Leh cloudburst led to flash mudslides and flash floods that killed 196 people swept away a number of houses and public buildings.

Cold waves: Cold waves are common and recurrent disaster in North India. During the winter season due to extreme cold climates, hundreds of people die of cold bites and related diseases every year. The impact is more on the urban poor.

Disasters in India:
The Indian subcontinent is among the world's most disaster prone areas. Almost 85% of Indias area is vulnerable to one or multiple hazard. Of the 28 states and 7 union territo ries, 22 are disaster-prone. It is vulnerable to wind storms spawned in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, earthquakes caused by active crustal movement in the Himalayan mountains, floods brought by monsoons, and droughts in the country's arid and semi-arid areas. Almost 57% of the land is vulnerable to earthquake (high seismic zones IIIV), 68% to drought, 8% to cyclones and 12% to floods. India has also become much more vulnerable to tsunamis since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Earthquakes: Of the earthquake-prone areas, 12% is prone to very severe earthquakes,18% to severe earthquakes and 25% to damageable earthquakes. The biggest quakes occur in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kutch, Himachal and the North-East. The Himalayan regions are particularly prone to earthquakes.. The last two major earthquakes shook Gujarat in January 2001 and Jammu and Kashmir in October 2005. Many smaller-scale quakes occurred in other parts of India in 2006. All 7 North East states of India - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Megalaya; Andaman & Nicobar Islands; and parts of 6 other states in the North/North-West (Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal, Bihar) and West (Gujarat), are in Seismic Zone V. Floods: About 30 million people are affected annually. Floods in the IndoGangeticBrahmaputra plains are an annual feature. On an average, a few hundred lives are lost, millions are rendered homeless and several hectares of crops are damaged every year. Nearly 75% of the total rainfall occurs over a short monsoon season (June September). 40 million hectares, or 12% of Indian land, is considered prone to floods. Floods are a perennial phenomenon in at least 5 states - Assam, Bihar, Orissa , Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. On account of climate change, floods have also occurred in recent years in areas that are normally not flood prone. In 2006, drought prone parts of Rajasthan experienced floods. Droughts: About 50 million people are affected annually by drought. Of approximately 90 million hectares of rain-fed areas, about 40 million hectares are prone to scanty or no rain. Rainfall is poor in nine meteorological subdivisions out of 36 subdivision (each meteorological sub division covers a geographic area of more than ten revenue districts in India). In India

annually 33% area receive rainfall less than 750 mm (low rainfall area) and 35 % area receive between 750 to 1125 mm rainfall Medium rainfall) and only 32percent falls in the high rainfall (>1126 mm) zone. Cyclones: About 8% of the land is vulnerable to cyclones of which coastal areas experience two or three tropical cyclones of varying intensity each year. Cyclonic activities on the east coast are more severe than on the west coast. The Indian continent is considered to be the worst cyclone-affected part of the world, as a result of low-depth ocean bed topography and coastal configuration. The principal threat from a cyclone are in the form of gales and strong winds; torrential rain and high tidal waves/storm surges. Most casualties are caused due to coastal inundation by tidal waves and storm surges. Cyclones typically strike the East Coast of India, along the Bay of Bengal, ie. the states of West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, but also parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat at the Arabian Sea West Coast. Landslides: Landslides occur in the hilly regions such as the Himalayas, North-East India, the Nilgiris, and Eastern and Western Ghats. Landslides in India are another recurrent phenomenon. Landslide-prone areas largely correspond to earthquake-prone areas, i.e. North-west and North-East, where the incidence of landslides is the highest. Droughts: Drought is another recurrent phenomenon which results in widespread adverse impact on vulnerable peoples livelihoods and young childrens nutrition status. It typically strikes arid areas of Rajasthan (chronically) and Gujarat states. Drought is not uncommon in certain districts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, etc. Although a slow onset emergency, and to an extent predictable emergency, drought has caused severe suffering in the affected areas in recent years, including effects on poverty, hunger, and unemployment. Cold waves: Cold waves are recurrent phenomenon in North India. Hundreds if not thousands of people die of cold and related diseases every year, most of them from poor urban areas in northern parts of the country. According to Indias Tenth Five Year Plan, natural disasters have affected nearly 6% of the population and 24% of deaths in Asia caused by disasters have occurred in India. Between 1996 and 2001, 2% of national GDP was lost because of natural disasters, and nearly 12% of Government revenue was spent on relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction during the same period. As per a World Bank study in 2003, natural disasters pose a major impediment on the path of economic development in India