Vulnerability of India to disasters

VULNERABILITY PROFILE OF INDIA

India is vulnerable in varying degrees to a number of disasters.

1. More than 55% of the landmass is prone to Earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity
2. More than 10% of its landmass is prone to floods and river erosion
3. More than half of its long coastline of 7500 kms is prone to cyclones and tsunamis
4. More than 65% of its cultivable area is vulnerable to droughts and its hilly areas are at risk from landslides and avalanches.
5. India is also vulnerable to CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear) emergencies and other man-made disasters
6. Disaster risks in India are further compounded by vulnerabilities related to changing demographics & socio-economic conditions like unplanned urbanization, development in high risk zones, environmental degradation, climate change, geological hazards, epidemics (SARS) and pandemics (AIDS)

Creation of a vulnerability atlas containing a combination of local hazard intensity & vulnerability of existing house types to formulate pro-active policies to face threat of natural hazards.

International research institute (IRI) for climate prediction provides a seasonal climate forecast. This information is provided from a variety of climate prediction tools. For example:

1. Dynamic models of the atmosphere
2. Statistical models of climate variability related to sea surface temperature variability and
3. knowledge of current state of climate system.