National Disaster Risk Index

UPSC Exam Preparation: Topic of the Day – National Disaster Risk Index

For the first time ever, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has prepared a Disaster Risk Index for India.

Details:

• The disaster risk index would map hazards and vulnerabilities including economic vulnerabilities across 640 districts and all states including UTs.
• The index factors in the exposure of population, agriculture and livestock, environmental risk and the steps taken by the administration to mitigate the risks.
• Some states have made significant progress in disaster risk reduction (DRR) by building resilient infrastructure and investing ¡n early warning systems.
• Capacity building by Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh has lowered their net risk to population and economic losses while States like UP, MP are considered high-risk states despite facing lower natural hazard possibilities due to high vulnerability and low capacity building.
• It will be used to prepare a composite disaster score card (DSC) to have a comprehensive assessment of hazards, vulnerabilities and risks of disasters at different levels, prevention of new risks and mitigation of existing risks, and mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction across different sectors of development.
• The index is in line with India’s commitment to the Sendai Framework, where it has to substantially bring down disaster losses in terms of lives and properties.

How are the states and districts ranked?

All India Ranking of the states and the districts has been assessed on six parameters, they are:

1. Hazards
2. Vulnerability
3. Hazard-specific vulnerability
4. Hazard and vulnerability Exposure
5. Capacity
6. Risk

Maharashtra is ranked number 1 in the Disaster Risk index of states, followed by West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh

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