Syllabus: Disaster and disaster management.
Regional Disaster Risk Context
- Emerging Asian economies face increasingly frequent and intense natural disasters.
- India, China, and ASEAN-11 experience around 100 disasters annually.
- These disasters affect nearly 80 million people each year across the region.
- Disaster types vary by geography across Asian economies.
India’s Disaster Profile
- Floods and storms are the primary disaster risks in India.
- India’s vulnerability is largely hydrological, including floods and landslides.
- Loss patterns differ regionally; Myanmar faces meteorological risks, unlike India.
- China and Indonesia face higher seismic risks compared to India.
Economic Losses and GDP Impact
- From 1990 to 2024, India incurred disaster losses averaging 0.4% of GDP annually.
- Rising economic losses have elevated disaster risk finance in policy priorities.
- Landmark disasters have highlighted India’s human and economic vulnerability.
Risk Assessment Framework
- Regional risk includes meteorological, hydrological, climatological, and geophysical hazards.
- Climatological risks cover droughts and wildfires.
- Geophysical risks include earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Global Risk Ranking
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- India ranks second highest in Asia on the World Risk Index, after the Philippines.
- The index measures risk using exposure and vulnerability.
- Vulnerability combines structural susceptibility, coping capacity, and long-term adaptation.
- Policy Implication
- Escalating losses underline the need for data-driven disaster risk finance strategies.