12-May-2022: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) holds One-day Consultative Workshop on Forest Fire Management in India
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) organised a one-day Consultative workshop for 'Forest Fire Management in India' yesterday in New Delhi in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change.
The Workshop largely focused on Strengthening of Forest Fire Management in the 26 most forest fire affected districts of India spread over 11 States. It also focused on preventing future forest fire outbreaks and ensuing effective and swift response towards this disaster. Keeping these in mind, various officers of MHA, NDMA, IAF, NDRF, FSI, ICFRE, IGNFA and MoEF & CC and Forest Departments of 11 states conducted sessions related to forest fire training, fire alerts and early warning, meteorological drivers of forest fire forecasting, issues and challenges of forest fire management, Global best practices on forest fire management, capacity and training constraints.
In his Inaugural address the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri. Nityanand Rai, stated that "The fire-fighting action plans must be prepared for each forest range, considering the climate, type of vegetation, availability of water etc. Local communities should be trained as first responders to forest fires. The challenge before us is to strive towards higher levels of preparedness, mitigation efforts and strengthening our response mechanisms to deal with the effects of forest fires. "He further added that , Disaster Management is of great concern to the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi , since he had clearly defined a ten point agenda in his Inaugural speech at Asian Ministerial Conference in 2016, that stresses on disaster risk reduction, local community involvement, using social media for disaster risk reduction, pointing out the role of women in managing disasters as well as reviewing and learning from past experiences through analysis and deliberations." in responding to forest fire etc.
The Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, in his Keynote address said, "We should follow prevention and control of forest fires by informing, enabling and empowering forest fringe communities and incentivising them to work with State Forest departments. Capacity building, by creating effective forest fire detection and alert system, digitizing location of critical resources, equipping fire fighters, training field staff and forest fire risk zonation and mapping are all extremely crucial in handling disasters." He also mentioned that, “ that the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi is extremely sensitive about the state of Disaster Management in the country, and that there is a need for conducting mock drills in forest prone States and districts, involving concerned stakeholders and he appealed to all State Monitoring committees to ensure that Standard Operating Procedures may be developed and disseminated.”
In an attempt to chart a roadmap for generating awareness towards forest fires, various technical sessions on awareness to various problems and solutions related to forest fire management were held as a part of the one day workshop. This included active discussions and deliberations with Divisional Forest Officers of 26 most forest fire affected districts in the country with respect to forest fires. Delegates from various forest fire prone States discussed needs and challenges of forest fire in their particular zones/districts.
Detailed discussions on forest fire incident scenarios and issues and challenges outlined by speakers under different categories of prevention, preparedness, early warning and response will help in framing recommendations and compiling a list of intended actions both at the National level and by Forest Departments of respective States. The proposed “National Forest Fire Management Project” was discussed and solutions were sought through deliberations and knowledge sharing and this workshop set various critical components of this future project. This Project will bring in effective and efficient multi-department response to forest fire management.
24-Mar-2020: Government of India issues Orders prescribing lockdown for containment of COVID-19 Epidemic in the country
The COVID-19 epidemic has affected many countries and the World Health Organisation has declared it ‘Pandemic’.
Government of India (GOI) has been taking several proactive preventive and mitigating measures starting with progressive tightening of international travel, issue of advisories for the members of the public, setting up quarantine facilities, contact tracing of persons infected by the virus and various social distancing measures. Several advisories have been issued to States and Union Territories (UTs) for taking necessary measures to contain the spread of this virus. Government have temporarily suspended metro and rail services as well as domestic air traffic.
The situation has been continuously reviewed at the level of the Prime Minister of India. The PM has addressed the Nation on the need for preventive measures and has also held meeting with all the Chief Ministers through video conference.
Experts, keeping in view the global experiences of countries which have been successful in containing the spread of COVID-19 unlike some others where thousands of people died, have recommended that effective measures for social distancing should be taken to contain the spread of this pandemic
While steps taken by State/UT Governments are in the right direction, lack of uniformity in the measures adopted as well as in their implementation, may not serve the objective of containing the spread of the virus. Considering the situation. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in exercise of the powers under section 6(2)(i) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, has issued an Order dated 24.03.2020, directing the Ministries/ Departments of Government of India, and the State/Union Territory Governments and State/ Union Territory Authorities to take effective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
In compliance of the said Order of NDMA, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an Order dated 24.03.2020 under Section 10(2)(l) of the Disaster Management Act, directing the Ministries/ Departments of Government of India, State/Union Territory Governments and State/ Union Territory Authorities to take effective measures for ensuring social distancing so as to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The Order shall remain in force, in all parts of the country, for a period of 21 days with effect from 25.03.2020.
The Ministries/ Departments of Government of India and State Governments/Union Territory Administrations, have been directed to ensure strict implementation of these Orders. The implementation of these measures will be monitored by MHA.
26-Feb-2019: NDMA to conduct national workshop on heat wave risk reduction
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is conducting a two-day national workshop on heat wave risk reduction on 27-28 February, 2019. The workshop, to be held at Nagpur, has been organised in collaboration with the Maharashtra Government.
Heat wave has emerged as one of the major severe weather events around the globe in recent years. Climate change is driving temperatures higher as well as increasing the frequency and severity of heat waves. India too is experiencing increased instances of heat waves every year.
NDMA has been closely working with vulnerable States to reduce the adverse impacts of heat wave.
Sustained efforts - timely release and effective implementation of the national Guidelines on heat wave, preparation of Heat Action Plans by 13 vulnerable States, regular follow-up and monitoring by NDMA, extensive awareness generation campaigns through print, electronic and social media, preparedness workshops in 2017 and 2018 - have significantly brought down the number of heat-related deaths in the past few years. From more than 2,000 deaths in 2015, the number came down to 25 in 2018.
In this backdrop, this workshop aims to sensitise the States to the need of preparing and implementing specific Heat Action Plans. Some of the most vulnerable States, which have done a commendable job in mitigating the impact of heat waves, will share their experiences and best practices to help other stakeholders draw lessons.
It will also provide an opportunity for community capacity building and awareness generation among vulnerable populations. The workshop will also discuss the integration of long-term heat risk reduction measures into developmental plans as well as Climate Change Adaptation.
The workshop will be attended by experts on heat wave as well as other stakeholders such as early warning and forecasting agencies, State governments and research institutions apart from Members and senior officials from NDMA.
27-Oct-2018: 14th Formation Day of NDMA
The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, inaugurated the 14th Formation Day of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The theme of this year’s Formation Day is ‘Early Warning for Disasters’.
Delivering the inaugural address, Shri Rijiju said, “NDMA has changed the way Disaster Management is looked upon as a subject - that a disaster can be prevented. With such a vast geography and population while also being a democracy, we have come a long way in managing disasters; the world cannot ignore India when it comes to Disaster Risk Reduction. India is taking a lead role in matters pertaining to Disaster Management.” He also emphasized that half the battle against the disasters would be won by increasing disaster awareness and improving early warning systems. He said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is taking special interest in making the country more disaster resilient.
On the occasion, NDMA also released a training manual for masons on Hazard-Resistant Construction. A study report on “Gujarat floods 2017: A Case Study” will also be released.
Early warning is a major element of disaster risk reduction and can minimise the loss of lives and economic impacts. Timely early warning is key to a structured and efficient response.
To be effective, early warning systems need to involve the communities at risk, generate public awareness, effectively disseminate warnings and ensure there is a constant state of preparedness. Over the years, India has made considerable progress in issuing accurate and timely early warning, especially for cyclones. Earlier this month, authorities could evacuate thousands before Cyclone Gaja made its landfall as its path was accurately predicted.
18-Oct-2018: Prime Minister chairs 6th meeting of NDMA
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi chaired the sixth meeting of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at New Delhi.
Prime Minister reviewed the activities of NDMA to effectively manage and respond to disasters affecting the country. He also reviewed ongoing projects undertaken by NDMA.
Prime Minister emphasized on the need for better coordination between the various stakeholders and undertake more joint exercises to bring about effective response to save life and property. He stressed upon the need to bring in global expertise in the field of disaster management.
Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley and Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh were present in the meeting, along with members and officials of NDMA.
28-Sep-2017: 13th Formation Day of NDMA
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 13th Formation Day of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The theme of this year’s formation day is ‘School Safety’.
Delivering the inaugural address, Shri Rajnath Singh said that NDMA has covered a long distance in short time span of 13 years since its formation. He said that NDMA has established credibility of India across world. He further said that there was no institutional framework for disaster management earlier, but after the setting up of NDMA, a mechanism has been developed not only for disaster management, but also for disaster risk reduction. He expressed happiness that India got appreciation due to NDMA’s work at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting on Disaster management held in Kyrgyzstan last month, where he had participated. He said that NDMA has done good work for enhancing the disaster management capabilities. The Home Minister said that he had also moved a proposal to organise a Joint Urban Earthquake Search and Rescue exercise to improve collective preparedness and this proposal was accepted unanimously by all the members of the SCO.
The Home Minister said that all countries stand together when there is any humanitarian issue. He said that there could be differences on some issues among the countries, but we stand together in case of any disaster in the world. He said when any country enhances its capabilities and expertise; it gets success in getting others close to it. Shri Rajnath Singh said that every country has a boundary, but the nature does not recognise these boundaries. Any disaster happening in any country is bound to affect the neighbouring country in that geographical area, he added. He said that India had extended help to earthquake-hit Nepal in 2014 and also India had sent NDRF team to Japan for help.
Diplomatic efforts are also required in managing disasters arising out of floods. He said that hydrological data on rivers should be shared by the neighbouring countries and a consensus needs to be developed in this regard. He expressed hope that a beginning in this regard will be made during BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise next month.
Speaking on this year’s theme of ‘school safety’, Shri Rajnath Singh congratulated NDMA for focusing on integrating children in their disaster management exercise. He said that the children can volunteer in this area and their energy and imagination can be of great help to NDMA. He further said that children should be involved based on their interest in this subject. He congratulated NDMA for making efforts for disaster safety and he expressed belief that NDMA will fulfil dream of a ‘Safe India’.
The Union Home Secretary, Shri Rajiv Gauba said that legal and institutional systems in place for disaster management should be further strengthened. He said that our climatic conditions and density of population make us prone to disasters. He added that 2% of GDP is lost due to disasters. Shri Gauba said that now there is a paradigm shift from relief-centric approach to holistic approach towards disasters. Speaking on the theme of ‘School safety’, he said that lot of school infrastructure is lost in disasters and education services also get affected in post-disaster phase. Children become more vulnerable, so special care and attention needs to be given to them, he added.
The Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Shri Anil Swarup said that implementation of the laws and regulations on ground is very important. He also said that the department will extend all support in the efforts of NDMA for school safety.
On the occasion, Shri R. K. Jain, Member, NDMA highlighted the activities undertaken by NDMA during the last one year since the last formation day. He said that in November last year, India had hosted the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) in New Delhi which was first such conference after Sendai framework. He said that New Delhi Declaration, Asian Regional Plan were adopted during the AMCDRR, 2016. He also said that second meeting of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction was held in New Delhi in May this year. He also informed that India is hosting first ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017’ from 10th-13th October this year. He highlighted India’s efforts in conducting joint exercise by SAARC nations (SAADMEx) to respond to simulated disaster situations, urban flooding and cyclones. He also said that a comprehensive plan to mitigate the effects of earthquake and landslides is also being formed.
During the event, a message of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was also presented to the participants.
On the occasion, the Union Home Minster also released National Disaster Management Guidelines on Boat Safety and Cultural Heritage Sites & Precincts. A study report on “Tamil Nadu floods: Lessons learnt and best practices’’ was also released by Shri Rajnath Singh.
During the event, the stakeholders are discussing the roadmap, their roles and key challenges in the implementation of the School Safety Policy across the country. States are sharing their experiences in terms of best practices and lessons learnt through their efforts towards school safety initiatives.