A Big Step in Reducing the Risk of Disasters

Context: 

Disasters worldwide are increasing, highlighting the impact of climate change. Recent heatwaves and forest fires in Greece and Canada, along with floods in Delhi, emphasize the need for preventive measures. 

• India’s leadership in the G20 has led to the establishment of the first G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group.

What are Disasters?

• Disasters are serious disruptions to the functioning of a community that exceed its capacity to cope using its own resources. 
• Disasters can be caused by natural, man-made and technological hazards, as well as various factors that influence the exposure and vulnerability of a community.

Classification of Disasters:

• On the basis of origin: Disasters are classified into natural and man-made disasters. 
• On the basis of severity: Disasters are classified into minor or major.

Natural Disasters: 

• Geophysical: Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions
• Hydrological: Floods
• Meteorological: Hurricanes
• Climatological: Heat waves and droughts
• Biological: Epidemics like COVID-19.

Man-made Disasters: 

• Fires, groundwater contamination, transportation accidents, mining accidents, terrorism, etc.

Technological Hazards:

• These may include industrial pollution, nuclear radiation, toxic wastes, dam failures, transportation accidents, chemical spills, etc.

Causes of Disasters:

• Degradation of Environmental: Clearing of forests and cutting of trees have caused soil erosion, expansion of flood plain area and groundwater depletion.
  • It can result in various natural disasters (floods & droughts) and man-made disasters (fires).
• Infrastructure Development: Development of infrastructure, rapid urbanization and technological development have caused increasing pressure over the natural resources.
  • For infrastructure development various forests are cleared and trees are cut down, resulting in disruptions of natural geographical phenomena and inviting disasters like earthquakes, floods, fires, etc.
• War and Civil Strife: War, nuclear power aspirations, conquering land, sea and skies have resulted into a wide range of disaster events such as Hiroshima nuclear explosion, Syrian civil war, growing militarisation of oceans and outer space and Ukraine-Russia War.
• Industrialization: This is one of the major reasons for earth warming and frequency of extreme weather events has also increased.

Impacts of Disaster:

• Loss of Economy and Infrastructure: Disaster results in huge economic loss due to destruction of property, human settlements and infrastructure etc.
• Loss of Biodiversity: Disaster can change the natural environment, loss of habitat to many plants and animals and cause ecological stress that can result in biodiversity loss.
• Scarcity of Basic Necessities: Post- disasters, food, water and other natural resources become scarce resulting in food and water scarcity. 
• Increase in Inequality: The disaster results in displacement of people, and displaced populations often face several challenges in new settlements, in this process they become poorer.
• Psychological Impact: Disaster increases the level of vulnerability and affects psychologically too.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR):

• Disaster risk reduction is the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyze and reduce the causal factors of disasters.

Steps of DRR:

• Pre-Disaster Risk Reduction:
  • Mitigation: To eliminate or reduce the impacts and risks of hazards through proactive measures taken before a disaster occurs.
  • Preparedness: To take steps to prepare and reduce the effects of disasters.
• Post-Disaster Risk Reduction:
  • Rescue: Providing warning, evacuation, search, rescue and providing immediate assistance.
  • Remedy: To respond to the victims communities and provide relief measures such as food packets, water, medicines, temporary accommodation, relief camps etc.
  • Recovery: This stage emphasizes upon recovery of victims of disaster, recovery of damaged infrastructure and repair of the damages caused.

About G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group:

• Established by: India has established the first G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group.
• Significance of the Group:
  • High Population & Economy: The group holds significance because G20 countries hold around 85% of the global GDP and about two-thirds of the world population. 
  • Risky Member Countries: In the current World Risk Index, four out of the top 10 vulnerable countries are G20 nations.
  • Loss Faced by the Group: The combined estimated annual average loss in the G20 countries alone is USD 218 billion, equivalent to 9% of the average annual investment in infrastructure made by them.
  • Requirement: Such a grouping is necessary if countries wish to protect their people and grow their economies in the face of increasing and interconnected risks.
  • Focus Area: It emphasized the need for new-age Social Protection Systems that focus and invest in local risk resilience to mitigate, prepare and recover from disasters.
  • Considering Area: It intended to include considerations for the Sendai Framework’s mid-term review, renew multilateral cooperation at all levels, and inform future global policies and initiatives related to DRR.
• Priorities of the Group:
  • Get to Know: Global coverage of Early Warning Systems
  • Infrastructure Building: Increased commitment towards making infrastructure systems disaster resilient
  • Financial Framework: Stronger national financial frameworks for DRR
  • Response: Strengthened national and global disaster response system
  • Implementation: Increased application of ecosystems-based approaches to DRR

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030:

• Adoption: The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was adopted at the Third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan, on March 18, 2015.
• Applicability: It applies to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters caused by natural or man-made hazards, as well as related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks.
• Priorities of the Framework:
  • Get to Know: Understanding disaster risk
  • Strengthen & Manage: Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk
  • Investment: Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
  • Response: Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Building Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction

Way Forward: 

• Early Warning System: There is a need to work on receiving early warnings as much as possible, which helps in mitigating the disasters.
• High Budget Allocation: High allocation of budget and resources are necessary to take mitigating actions and after-effect actions.  
• Resilient Infrastructure: It should be focused on to prevent extreme situations. 
• Transparency: Transparency mechanisms should include transparency boards, clearly mentioning the cost, quality and quantity of relief items, social audits and citizens’ reports. 
• Awareness and Knowledge: Awareness is the best practice that can prevent and reduce the impact of disasters. Traditional and modern knowledge both should be spread and implied to mitigate the impacts of disasters.
  • Example: The tribal communities in India adopt low-cost traditional technologies that help them mitigate the impact of natural disasters like drought.
• Environmental Protection: Governments should strictly impose the law and international conventions related to environmental protection.

News Source: The Hindu

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