Disaster

A disaster is defined as a disruption on a massive scale, either natural or man-made, occurring in short or long periods. Disasters can lead to human, material, economic or environmental hardships, which can be beyond the bearable capacity of the affected society. As per statistics, India as a whole is vulnerable to 30 different types of disasters that will affect the economic, social, and human development potential to such an extent that it will have long-term effects on productivity and macro-economic performance.

Disasters can be classified into the following categories:

• Water and Climate Disaster: Flood, hail storms, cloudburst, cyclones, heat waves, cold waves, droughts, hurricanes. (Read about Cyclone Disaster Management separately at the linked article.)
• Geological Disaster: Landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes
• Biological Disaster: Viral epidemics, pest attacks, cattle epidemic, and locust plagues
• Industrial Disaster: Chemical and industrial accidents, mine shaft fires, oil spills,
• Nuclear Disasters: Nuclear core meltdowns, radiation poisoning
• Man-made disasters: Urban and forest fires, oil spill, the collapse of huge building structures

In this section, we define what is disaster management as per the Disaster Management Act of 2005.

The Disaster Management Act of 2005 defines Disaster Management as an integrated process of planning, organizing, coordinating and implementing measures which are necessary for-

1. Prevention of threat of any disaster
2. Reduction of risk of any disaster or its consequences
3. Readiness to deal with any disaster
4. Promptness in dealing with a disaster
5. Assessing the severity of the effects of any disaster
6. Rescue and relief
7. Rehabilitation and Reconstruction

Agencies involved in Disaster Management

• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA):- The National Disaster Management Authority, or the NDMA, is an apex body for disaster management, headed by the Prime Minister of India. It is responsible for the supervision, direction, and control of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
• National Executive Committee (NEC):- The NEC is composed of high profile ministerial members from the government of India that include the Union Home Secretary as Chairperson, and the Secretaries to the Government of India (GoI)like Ministries/Departments of Agriculture, Atomic Energy, Defense, Drinking Water Supply, Environment and Forests, etc. The NEC prepares the National Plan for Disaster Management as per the National Policy on Disaster Management.
• State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA):- The Chief Minister of the respective state is the head of the SDMA.The State Government has a State Executive Committee (SEC) which assists the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Disaster Management.
• District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA):- The DDMA is headed by the District Collector, Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate depending on the situation, with the elected representatives of the local authority as the Co-Chairperson. The DDMA ensures that the guidelines framed by the NDMA and the SDMA are followed by all the departments of the State Government at the District level and the local authorities in the District.
• Local Authorities:- Local authorities would include Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), Municipalities, District and Cantonment 11 Institutional and Legal Arrangements Boards, and Town Planning Authorities which control and manage civic services.

Bihar Hazard Profile

The multi-disaster prone state of Bihar requires a multi-disciplinary approach to deal with these disasters requiring participation of various stakeholders. It requires a continuous and integrated process of planning, organizing, coordinating and implementing measures that are necessary for risk prevention, mitigation of risk impacts, preparing to face the disaster event, response, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Some of the prominent disasters and their impacts are –

Flood:-

Bihar’s topography is marked by a number of perennial and non-perennial rivers of which, those originating from Nepal are known to carry high sediment loads that are then deposited on the plains of Bihar. A majority of the rainfall in this region is concentrated in the 3 months of monsoon during which the flow of rivers increases up to 50 times causing floods in Bihar. 68800 sq km out of a total area of 94160 sq km, an estimated 73% per cent of the total land area in Bihar is vulnerable to flood . Annual flooding in Bihar accounts for about 30-40% of the flood damages in India; 22.1% of the total flood affected population in India is reported to be located within the state of Bihar. 28 districts of Bihar fall under most flood prone and flood prone districts.

Earthquake :-

Bihar is located in the high seismic zone that falls on the boundary of the tectonic plate joining the Himalayan tectonic plate near the Bihar-Nepal Border and has six sub-surface fault lines moving towards the Gangetic planes in four directions. Major parts of the state are classified under in seismic zone IV and V by the Vulnerability Atlas of India, i.e. as having high earthquake vulnerability with the potential to cause very high degree of devastation. In all, 15.2% of the total area of Bihar is classified under Zone V and 63.7% of the total area of Bihar falls in Zone IV. Of the 38 districts, 8 districts fall in seismic zone V while 24 districts fall in seismic zone IV and 6 districts in seismic zone III with most districts falling under multiple seismic zones (i.e. either seismic zone V & IV or seismic zone IV & III). The state has in the past experienced major earthquakes; the worst was the 1934 earthquake in which more than 10,000 people lost their lives, followed by 1988 earthquake.

Drought :-

Though the climate of Bihar is favorable for production of various crops, the agriculture of the state is dependent on behavior of monsoon and distribution of rainfall. Although the average rainfall in the state is 1120 mm, considerable variations occur between the different parts of the State. Large part of the state is now increasingly vulnerable to drought due to climate change. In the absence of adequate rainfall, most part of Bihar including North Bihar which is prone to floods faces drought situations. South and South West Bihar are more vulnerable and often experiences severe drought situations.

Other Hazards :-

Apart from the above hazards, the state is also prone to cold and heat waves, Cyclonic storms (high speed winds) and other human-induced hazards like fire, epidemics, road / boat accidents, stampedes etc. Incidences of fire are mainly local in nature but have a severe impact on villages. Since a majority of Kucha houses have thatch roofs and wooden structures, in the summer months when winds are high, fires from the traditional stoves spread to damage entire villages.

Bihar – Official website –

Disaster Management Portal

Aapda Sampoorti Portal

Flood Control Room Number –  06244-222384,06244-222326