Information Technology and Natural Disaster Management in India
3.1.5 Search and Rescue
GIS can be used in carrying out search and rescue operations in a more effective manner by identifying areas that are disasters prone and zoning them accordingly to risk magnitudes.
3.2 Internet
In the present era of electronic communication, the internet provides a useful platform for disaster mitigation communications. Launching of a well defined web site is a very cost-effective means of making an intra-national and international presence felt. It provides a new and potentially revolutionary option for the rapid, automatic, and global dissemination of disaster information. A number of individuals and groups, including several national meteorological services, are experimenting with the Internet for real-time dissemination of weather observation, forecasts, satellite and other data. In the most critical phase of natural disasters electronic communication have provided the most effective and in some instances perhaps the only means of communication with the outside world.
4 Warning and Forecasting System
An advance system of forecasting, monitoring and issuing early warnings plays the most significant role in determining whether a natural hazard will assume disastrous proportions or not. The country have the following forecasting systems:
4.1 Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)
IMD provides cyclone warnings from the Area Cyclone Warning Centres (ACWCs) It has developed the necessary infrastructure to originate and disseminate the cyclone warnings at appropriate levels. It has made operational a satellite based communication system called Cyclone Warning Dissemination System for direct dissemination of cyclone warnings to the cyclone prone coastal areas. IMD runs operationally a Limited-area Analysis and Forecast System (LAFS), based on an Optimal Interpretation (OI) analysis and a limited area Primitive Equation (PE) model, to provide numerical guidance.
4.2 National Remote Sensing Agency(NRSA)
Long term drought proofing programmes on the natural resources of the district have been greatly helped by the use of satellite data obtained by NRSA. Satellite data can be used very effectively for mapping and monitoring the flood inundated areas, flood damage assessment, flood hazard zoning and past flood survey of river configuration and protection works.
4.3 Seismological Observations
Seismological observations in the country are made through national network of 36 seismic stations operated by the IMD, which is the nodal agency. These stations have collected data over long periods of time.
4.4 Warning System for Drought
The National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Management System (NADAMS) has been developed by the Department of Space for the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, and is primarily based on monitoring of vegetation status through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution (AVHR) data. The drought assessment is based on a comparative evaluation of satellite observed green vegetation cover (both area and greenness) of a district in any specific time period, with that of any similar period in previous years.
4.5 Flood Forecasting
Flood forecasts and warnings are issued by the Central Water Commission (CWC) , Ministry of Water Resources. These are used for alerting the public and for taking appropriate measures by concerned administrative and state engineering agencies in the flood hazard mitigation. Information is gathered from the CWC's vast network of Forecasting Stations on various rivers in the country.
4.6 Cyclone Tracking
Information on cyclone warnings is furnished on a real-time basis to the control room set up in the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. High-power Cyclone Detection Radars (CDRs) that are installed along the coastal belt of India have proved to be a very useful tool to the cyclone warning work. These radars can locate and track approaching Tropical Cyclones within a range of 400 km. Satellite imagery received from weather satellite is extensively used in detecting the development and movement of Tropical Cyclones over oceanic regions, particularly when they are beyond the range of the coastal radars. The existing mode of dissemination of cyclone warnings to various government officials is through high priority telegrams, telephones, telex and fax.
5. Financial arrangements for Natural Disaster in India
Natural Disasters are huge economic burdens on developing economies such as India. Every year huge amount of resources are mobilised for rescue, relief and rehabilitation works following natural disaster occurrences. The Central Government plays a major role as far as mobilisation of financial resources are concerned. A scheme called Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) has been constituted for each state with contribution from the Central and State Government to undertake relief and rehabilitation measures .This enable the states to manage and provide for calamity relief on their own by drawing upon the resources available with a fund constituted for that purpose separately for each state. In addition to CRF, a National Fund for Calamity Relief (NFCR) has been created to deal with hazards of rare severity managed by a National Calamity Relief Committee (NCRC). The State Governments are required to submit memoranda for this purpose giving details of damage and destruction and the cost of relief and rehabilitation. On receipt of these memoranda, the Government of India decides on an individual basis whether a Central Team is required to be deputed to assess the situation.
6. Administrative Structure of Disaster Management in India
The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, is the nodal department for all matters concerning natural disasters relief at the Centre. The National Contingency Action Plan (CAP) facilitates launching of relief and rescue operations without delay. There are various committees at the national level for disaster management such as Cabinet Committee for effective implementation of relief measures in the wake of natural calamity; National Crisis Management Committee at the national level headed by the Cabinet Secretary who is in charge of various types of disasters and supporting ministries as members; Crisis Management Group reviews various measures required for dealing with a natural disaster, and coordinates activities of the Central ministries and the State Governments pertaining to
