Disaster Management in India
India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disasters on account of its unique geo-climatic conditions. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes and landslides have been a recurrent phenomenon. About 60% of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of various intensities; over 40 million hectares is prone to floods; about 8% of the total area is prone to cyclones and 68% of the area is susceptible to drought. In the decade 1990-2000, an average of about 4344 people lost their lives and about 30 million people were affected by disasters every year. The loss in terms of private, community and public assets has been astronomical.
The word 'planning’ generally covers two entirely different approaches in the context of disasters. One is that of land-use or physical planning. It involves the regulation of the development process in urban and rural areas by means such as imposing limits on building heights and the use of land, the amount of land that can be built upon, etc. In urban areas that are declared to be 'development areas', laws and development regulations are accepted and are generally recognized as being helpful. However, outside the urban areas and especially in the rural flood plains, zoning and planning law proves difficult to enforce. If it does exist, it is mostly in the form of positive direction, rather than precise law, setting out 'what ought to be'. In such cases, planning is very careful because it raises awareness and sets certain standards.
The other form of planning relates to advocacy planning. It relates to policies and proposals. In this approach, the planning team acts as catalytic agents, presenting choices to various organizations like local self-government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and community based organizations, while seeking support for that approach which seems to bring most benefits to a wide range of beneficiaries at a cost that is affordable.
Planning is advantageous because it results in clear allocation of
The word 'planning’ generally covers two entirely different approaches in the context of disasters. One is that of land-use or physical planning. It involves the regulation of the development process in urban and rural areas by means such as imposing limits on building heights and the use of land, the amount of land that can be built upon, etc. In urban areas that are declared to be 'development areas', laws and development regulations are accepted and are generally recognized as being helpful. However, outside the urban areas and especially in the rural flood plains, zoning and planning law proves difficult to enforce. If it does exist, it is mostly in the form of positive direction, rather than precise law, setting out 'what ought to be'. In such cases, planning is very careful because it raises awareness and sets certain standards.
The other form of planning relates to advocacy planning. It relates to policies and proposals. In this approach, the planning team acts as catalytic agents, presenting choices to various organizations like local self-government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and community based organizations, while seeking support for that approach which seems to bring most benefits to a wide range of beneficiaries at a cost that is affordable.
Planning is advantageous because it results in clear allocation of