Disaster Management: Concepts and Framework

Key terms

• Hazard: a possible dangerous event (an earthquake, cyclone or flood).
• Vulnerability: how easily people or assets get harmed (weak houses, poverty, no early warning).
• Disaster: a hazard that hits a vulnerable community and overwhelms its coping capacity.
• A simple way to remember: Risk ∝ Hazard × Vulnerability ÷ Capacity.

The disaster management cycle

India's legal and institutional framework

• Disaster Management Act, 2005 – created a three-tier system:

• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is a specialised force under the Act.
• The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) handles training and research.
• The National Disaster Management Plan (2016) was India's first, aligned with the Sendai Framework.
• Funds: the National/State Disaster Response Funds (NDRF/SDRF) and mitigation funds, guided by the Finance Commission.

India's vulnerability (NDMA estimates)

• About 58.6% of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity.
• About 12% (over 40 million hectares) is prone to floods.
• About 5,700 km of the ~7,500 km coastline is prone to cyclones and tsunamis.
• About 68% of cultivable area is vulnerable to drought.

The Sendai Framework (2015–2030)

A UN framework with 7 targets and 4 priorities: understanding risk, strengthening risk governance, investing in resilience, and better preparedness and "build back better". It shifted the focus from relief to risk reduction.

Background: from relief to risk reduction

India is among the most disaster-prone countries:

• about 58.6% of the landmass is prone to moderate-to-very-high-intensity earthquakes;
• 12% is flood-prone;
• 5,700 km of a coastline of about 7,500 km is prone to cyclones and tsunamis (official coastline length was re-measured to about 11,098 km in 2024);
• 68% of cultivable land is vulnerable to drought;
• hilly areas face landslides and avalanches.

(These are NDMA's widely cited figures.)

Earlier, disasters were managed through relief after the event (state relief codes, the Revenue Department). After the Odisha super cyclone (1999), the Gujarat earthquake (2001) and the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), India shifted to a holistic, proactive approach: prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery.

Key concepts – the risk equation

Risk = Hazard × Exposure × Vulnerability ÷ Capacity

A hazard becomes a disaster only when vulnerable people are exposed – "there is no such thing as a natural disaster".

The legal and institutional framework

Disaster Management Act 2005 (amended 2025 – to strengthen NDMA and SDMAs, create disaster databases, and urban DM authorities):

Funds:

• the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF);
• mitigation funds (NDMF and SDMF), created on the 15th Finance Commission's recommendation.

Plans: the National Policy on Disaster Management (2009) and the National Disaster Management Plan (2016, revised 2019) – the first national plan aligned with the Sendai Framework.

International frameworks

India's initiatives: the CDRI (2019) and the PM's 10-point agenda on DRR (AMCDRR 2016).

The disaster management cycle

1. Mitigation – structural (embankments, building codes) and non-structural (land-use zoning, insurance, awareness).
2. Preparedness – plans, mock drills, early warning, stockpiles, shelters.
3. Response – search and rescue, medical aid, relief camps (the "golden hour").
4. Recovery – rehabilitation and reconstruction, livelihoods; "Build Back Better".

Causes and effects – why vulnerability is rising

Causes: unplanned urbanisation (encroachment on lakes and drains), deforestation, climate change, poverty, poor construction, and weak enforcement of codes.

Effects: economic losses (rising every decade), displacement, health crises, setbacks to development (the poor fall back into poverty).

Case study: Odisha – from 1999 to "zero casualty"

The 1999 super cyclone killed about 10,000 people in Odisha. The state then set up the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (the first in India, 1999), the ODRAF response force, about 800+ multipurpose cyclone shelters maintained by village committees, and community volunteers. Combined with IMD's improved forecasts, this enabled the evacuation of about 1 million people during Cyclone Phailin (2013) and similar efforts during Fani (2019), keeping deaths to a small fraction. The UN praised the effort. Lesson: early warning + last-mile communication + community ownership + political will.

Common misconceptions

• "Disaster management means rescue and relief." – That is only the response phase; most savings come from mitigation and preparedness (each $1 in DRR can save several dollars in losses).
• "The NDRF is part of the Army." – It is drawn from CAPFs (BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles), under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• "Disasters affect everyone equally." – Women, children, the elderly, the disabled and the poor are disproportionately affected.

How UPSC asks it

Mains GS3 asks about the DM Act and its institutions, the Sendai Framework, community-based DRR, urban flooding, and specific hazard management with case studies.

Mains answer framework

Q-type: "Discuss the evolution of India's disaster management approach from relief-centric to risk reduction."

• Intro: India's vulnerability profile.
• Evolution: relief codes → the 1999/2001/2004 events → the DM Act 2005 → NDMP 2016 → Sendai alignment → the 15th FC mitigation funds → the 2025 amendments.
• Achievements: cyclone mortality reduction, NDRF, early warning (IMD, INCOIS), CDRI.
• Gaps: urban floods, heatwave plans, landslides, implementation at the district level, building-code enforcement.
• Conclusion: a "whole of society" approach with local leadership.

The disaster management cycle

Sendai Framework (2015–2030)

Adopted at the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan. It has four priorities: understanding disaster risk; strengthening disaster risk governance; investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience; and enhancing preparedness for effective response and "build back better". It sets seven global targets, including reducing disaster mortality and economic losses.

Institutional framework in India

The Disaster Management Act, 2005 created the NDMA (chaired by the Prime Minister), State and District Disaster Management Authorities, the NDRF and the National Institute of Disaster Management. Amendments passed by Parliament in 2025 aim to strengthen disaster planning and national and state disaster databases. Finance Commissions fund the National and State Disaster Response Funds and, since the 15th Finance Commission, mitigation funds as well.

Mains practice question

Q. Why is a shift from relief-centric to risk-reduction approaches necessary? Outline: rising losses from climate-linked hazards; cost-effectiveness of prevention; Odisha's cyclone preparedness as an example; need for local capacity, risk-informed development and insurance.