India is a country affected by various types of disasters. According to the data collected by United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) between 2005-2014, India ranks fourth in the world after China, USA and Philippines in terms of number of disasters. . At the same time, India ranks second after China in terms of natural disasters.
The profile of disasters in India is largely determined by the characteristics of the geo-climatic conditions and topography and the inherent weaknesses in them result in the occurrence of disasters of varying intensity annually. Climate-induced disasters rank at the top in terms of frequency,impact and uncertainties.
According to government statistics, about 59 percent of the Indian landmass is earthquake prone. The Himalayas and its adjoining regions, the northeastern region, some areas of Gujarat and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the most seismically active regions.
In India, 68 percent of the land area experiences mild and sometimes drought. Here in 38 percent area 750-1125mm. If there is rainfall then 750 mm in 33 percent area. There is less rainfall. Inthe western and peninsular states of India, mainly dry, semi-arid and low moisture areas are generally dry.• The flood prone area in India is 40 million hectares. The wrath of flood prevails in all the river valley areas of the country. But states like Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal get flooded every year.
About one-third of the length (7561 km) of the Indian coastline is affected by disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis.
Along with these natural disasters, there is also a lot of loss of life and money in India every year due to various human-caused disasters,such as fire, road and rail accidents etc.i a Major disasters in India include floods, droughts,earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, cloud bursts,fires, various road and rail accidents, etc.
A lot of people and money are lost every year in these disasters. Keeping this in mind,efforts are being made by the Government of India to reduce the damage caused by disasters through disaster management.
Thus, India is the most threatened country in the world in terms of natural disasters.About 50 percent of the country's population lives in areas prone to natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, cyclonic storms, droughts and tsunamis.
