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Lok Sabha
The Indian sub-continent by virtue of its unique geographical configuration and associated climatic regime is most vulnerable to natural disasters like earthquakes, landslides, cyclone, floods, droughts and Tsunamis etc. According to the concept of plate tectonics, the Indian plate is moving in north-north-east direction and colliding with Eurasian plate causing earthquakes and landslides in the Himalayan region. Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea witness development of cyclones which strike both the east and west coasts making the Indian sub-continent vulnerable to cyclones during monsoon season. The inter-annual and intra-seasonal variability of monsoon rainfall results in disasters like floods and droughts. Tsunamis are generally associated with large magnitude earthquakes in the Indian Ocean along the border of Indian plate boundary.
Minister of Home Affairs, the nodal agency for disaster management has initiated efforts to strengthen the preparedness for effective handling of the disaster situation arising from natural calamities in the country by taking up the training and equipping of specialists response teams of National Disaster Response Force. These specialist teams are being trained in “medical first responses” and “collapsed structures search and rescue” and will be available to supplement efforts by the State Governments concerned in the event of a major disaster situation. The State Governments have also been advised to set up specialist response teams. GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme has also been taken up in 169 districts in 17 multi-hazard prone states.
This information was given by Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ocean Development in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
SK:SPS:NC
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