disaster management

Question 1

e-Course on Vulnerability Atlas of India?

Answer 1

It is offered by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in collaboration with School of Planning & Architecture (SPA), New Delhi and Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC).

It is a unique course that offers awareness and understanding about natural hazards, helps identify regions with high vulnerability with respect to various hazards

Question 2

NISARGA Cyclonic storm?

Answer 2

1. formed over East central Arabian Sea
2. name suggested by BN

Question 3

IMD-tropical Cyclone intensity scale?

Answer 3

1. Depression: 3min avg speed of sustained winds: <27 knotts (1 knott = 1.8km)
2. Deep depression: 28-33 knotts
3. cyclonic storm: 34-47 knotts
4. Severe cyclonic storm: 48-63 knotts
5. very severe cyclonic storm: 64-119 knotts
6. Super cyclonic storm: >120 knotts

Question 4

Naming of cyclones?

Answer 4

1. Cyclones around the world are named by Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres. There are a total of six RSMCs and five TCWCs, including the India Meteorological Department.
2. IMD has been mandated with the duty to name cyclones that develop over the North Indian ocean, including Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal
3. IMD names cyclones of north IO along with Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, maldives, Pakistan, Oman and Saudi arabia, Iran, Qatar, Yemen, UAE (added in 2018)
4. African countries are not part of consultation grp even though they share north IO
5. IMD released a list of cyclone names in April 2020 as suggested by the 13 countries. These include: Gati, Nivar, Burevi, Yaas, Arnab, Aag, Vyom, Azar

Question 5

‘Desert Locusts’: How they form swarms?

Answer 5

1. As individuals, or in small isolated groups, locusts are not very dangerous. But when they grow into large populations their behaviour changes, they transform from ‘solitary phase’ into ‘gregarious phase’, and start forming ‘swarms’. A single swarm can contain 40 to 80 million adults in one square km, and these can travel up to 150 km a day.
2. Large-scale breeding happens only when conditions turn very favourable in their natural habitat, desert or semi-arid regions. Good rains can sometimes generate just enough green vegetation that is conducive to egg-laying as well as hopper development.
3. If left uncontrolled, a single swarm can increase 20 times of its original population in the first generation itself, and then multiply exponentially in subsequent generations.

Question 6

‘Desert Locusts’: What factors led to their sudden and early growth this year?

Answer 6

• These locusts usually breed in the dry areas around Horn of Africa. Other breeding grounds are the adjoining Asian regions in Yemen, Oman, southern Iran, and in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
• Many of these areas received unusually good rains in March and April, and that resulted in large-scale breeding and hopper development. These locusts started arriving in Rajasthan around the first fortnight of April, much ahead of the normal July-October normal.
• Cyclonic storms Mekunu and Luban had struck Oman and Yemen respectively that year. Heavy rains had transformed uninhabited desert tracts into large lake where the locust swarms breed.
• Apart from the search for food, their movement has been aided by westerly winds that were, this time, further strengthened by the low-pressure area created by Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal. Locusts are known to be passive flyers, and generally follow the wind. But they do not take off in very strong windy conditions.

Question 7

Locust control in India: history?

Answer 7

In the nineteenth century, India experienced serious locust outbreaks 8 times like in 1812, 1821, 1869, 1896-97 etc.

Measures taken:

• The first of these measures was to systematically collect and record data regarding locust occurrences.
• The colonial system employed an interesting mix of local reliance and global cooperation in collecting data. It rested on the exchange of knowledge and techniques between various provinces of India as well as with other countries similarly ravaged by the pestilence.
• after the 1927-’29 outbreak that ravaged the central and western parts of India was the need felt for a centralised organisation to gather information about locusts and control them. This resulted in the formation of the Standing Locust Committee in 1929 and the Central Locust Bureau in 1930. This culminated in 1939 in the establishment of the present-day Locust Warning Organisation.

Question 8

Locust control in India: methods used?

Answer 8

1. Currently, the most commonly used control is insecticide. Sprayed from land or aerial vehicles, whole swarms can be targeted in relatively short periods of time.
2. Experts have expressed disappointment over the fact that despite the known side-effects of aerial spraying of pesticides, governments’ locust control policies are focussed only on chemical spray.
3. Swarms of locusts are being scared away by the district administration in Panna using police sirens.
4. Farmers in Budhni and Nasrullaganj areas of Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore district have been beating utensils in a bid to drive away locusts.
5. Few non-chemical measures to consider:

• Destroy the breeding grounds and locust larvae before they could fly.
• Use of oil-tarred screens to kill locusts (also known as Cyprus screen).
• Net system and the dhotar method. The net system involved holding a “capricious” bag and swinging it around fields, trapping young locusts in the process. The dhotar method involved using a blanket to trip locusts resting on bushes.
• Devise an insect-control technique that involved ploughing the fallow lands where locusts are resting: the escaping insects became an easy target for birds.
• Natural predators such as wasps, birds and reptiles may prove effective at keeping small swarms at bay.

Question 9

Locust Warning Organisation?

Answer 9

1. (LWO) is responsible to monitor and control the locust situation in Scheduled Desert Area (SDA) mainly in the States of Rajasthan and Gujarat while partly in the States of Punjab and Haryana.
2. established in 1939 and amalgamated in 1946 with the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) of the Ministry of Agriculture.
3. The main objective of LWO is protection of standing crops and other green vegetation from the ravages of Desert locust

Question 10

Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine & Storage (PPQS)?

Answer 10

established in the year 1946 on the recommendation of Woodhead Commission as an apex organization for advising the GoI and SGs onall matters related to plant protection

It is an attached Office of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Question 11

T/F: Orders under Disaster Management Act 2005 were invoked fr the first time in the country since the legislation was drafted

Answer 11

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Question 12

relevance of Disaster Management Act 2005 in the present Pandemic?

Answer 12

• COVID-19 is the first pan India biological disaster being handled by the legal and constitutional institutions of the country.
• The current lockdown has been imposed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act).
• Under the Act, the States and district authorities can frame their own rules on the basis of broad guidelines issued by the Ministry.
• Entry 29, Concurrent List “Prevention of the extension from one State to another of infectious or contagious diseases or pests affecting men, animals or plants,” can also be used for specific law making.
• Central government has included the Covid-19 outbreak as “Notified Disaster” as a “critical medical condition or pandemic situation”.

Question 13

disaster management Act 2005?

Answer 13

The legal basis of the DM Act, is Entry 23, Concurrent List of the Constitution “Social security and social insurance”.

Obj: to manage disasters, including preparation of mitigation strategies, capacity-building and more.

Act calls for the establishment of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), with the Prime Minister of India as chairperson.

Act enjoins the Central Government to Constitute a National Executive Committee (NEC) to assist the National Authority.

All State Governments are mandated to establish a State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).

Question 14

disaster management Act 2005: NDMA?

Answer 14

apex Body of Government of India, with a mandate to lay down policies for disaster management.

It is headed by the Prime Minister of India and can have up to nine other members, one of them designated as Vice Chairperson

Since 2014, there have been four other members.

Fns:

1. Approve the National Disaster Plan and Lay down policies on disaster management
2. Approve plans prepared by Ministries or Departments of the CG
3. Lay down guidelines to be followed by State Authorities in drawing up State Plan
4. Recommend provision of funds for the purpose of mitigation
5. It works closely with the National Institute of Disaster Management for capacity building.

Question 15

T/F: In the federal polity of India, the primary responsibility of Disaster management vests with the state government.

Answer 15

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Question 16

Disaster Management Act 2005: NEC?

Answer 16

1. A National Executive Committee is constituted under Section 8 of DM Act, 2005 to assist the National Authority in the performance of its functions.
2. Union Home secretary is its ex-officio chairperson.
3. NEC has been given the responsibility to act as the coordinating and monitoring body for disaster management, to prepare a National Plan, monitor the implementation of National Policy etc.

Question 17

Disaster Management Act 2005: Powers given to the Centre?

Answer 17

1. Power bestowed by DM Act on Central Government and NDMA are extensive.
2. The Central Government, irrespective of any law in force (including over-riding powers) can issue any directions to any authority anywhere in India to facilitate or assist in the disaster management.
3. Importantly, any such directions issued by Central Government and NDMA must necessarily be followed
4. In order to achieve all these, the prime minister can exercise all powers of NDMA (S 6(3)). This ensures that there is adequate political and constitutional heft behind the decisions made.

Question 18

nationla Crisis Management Committee (NCMC)?

Answer 18

For effective implementation of relief measures in the wake of natural calamities, the Government of India has set up a Standing National Crisis Management Committee with Cabinet Secretary as Chairman.

Key functions:

• Oversee the Command, Control and Coordination of the disaster response.
• Give direction to the Crisis Management Group (CMG) as deemed necessary.

Question 19

Amphan cyclone and Sunderbans?

Answer 19

1. storm’s impact was devastating for the millions who live in the Sundarbans. About 28% of the Sunderbans has been damaged. Despite the massive plantation drives, it may take years to restore the mangroves.
2. Cyclone Amphan, with wind speeds >170km/hr, passed directly through the Sundarbans, devastating it.
3. Cyclone Amphan also damaged almost the entire length of the 100-kilometer (62-mile) nylon fence that had been erected to prevent tigers from straying into human habitations.
4. Also led to breaking of embankments, resulting in salt water pouring onto the land. Saline water kills freshwater fish in ponds in a day, most sources of drinking water disappear, and land can’t be used for cultivation for up to five years.
5. The coronvirus is complicating relief work as well. During the cyclone, villagers huddled in crowded storm shelters, which authorities feared could spread the virus.

Question 20

Assam gas leak?

Answer 20

1. natural gas flowing out of a gas well in Assam following a blowout at the Oil India Limited’s (OIL) Baghjan gas well in Assam’s Tinsukia district.
2. close is the Maguri-Motapung wetland —an Important Bird Area notified by the Bombay Natural History Society.
3. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is at the distance of 900m

Question 21

State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)?

Answer 21

1. All State Governments are mandated under Section 14 of the Disaster Management Act 2005 to establish a State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).
2. The SDMA consists of the Chief Minister of the State, who is the Chairperson, and no more than eight members appointed by the Chief Minister.
3. In case of UTs, headed by LGs/Administrators
4. State Executive Committee is responsible (Section 22) for drawing up the state disaster management plan, and implementing the National Plan.
5. The SDMA is mandated under section 28 to ensure that all the departments of the State prepare disaster management plans as prescribed by the National and State Authorities

Question 22

Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)?

Answer 22

constituted in 2008 under the Chairpersonship of Lt. Governor of Delhi for an effective and practicable framework for disaster management in Delhi.

The Authority will function through a secretariat (The DDMA Secretariat) which will be called the Disaster Management Center.

Recent development:

• Baijal has directed authorities to ensure that treatment is not denied to any patient on the ground of not being a resident of the national capital.
• Earlier, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that all government and private hospitals in the city will only treat Delhi residents till the rising COVID-19 cases are contained.

Question 23

Flood Warning System in Mumbai?

Answer 23

1. IFLOWS-Mumbai is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and BMC
2. Mumbai is only the second city in the country after Chennai to get this system.
3. warning system will be able to relay alerts of possible flood-prone areas anywhere between six to 72 hours in advance.
4. can provide all information regarding possible flood-prone areas, likely height the floodwater could attain, location-wise problem areas across all 24 wards and calculate the vulnerability and risk of elements exposed to flood.
5. The primary source for the system is the amount of rainfall, but with Mumbai being a coastal city, the system also factors in tidal waves and storm tides for its flood assessments.
6. Need:

• Urban flooding is common in the city from June to September
• recent flood on 29 August 2017 had brought the city to a standstill.
• flood during 26th July 2005, when the city received a rainfall of 94 cm, a 100 year high in a span of 24 hours had paralyzed the city completely.

Question 24

Heat waves in India?

Answer 24

• heat waves—defined as temperatures above the normal average and lasting two days or more
• During 1978—2014 there were 660 heat waves causing the deaths of 12,273 people
• Indian heatwaves are increasing in recent years and are attributed to the amplification of Arctic warming.
• The Indian government does not recognize heat waves as potential threat to human lives. The National Disaster Management Act and the National Policy on Disaster Management do not include heat wave fatalities in their list of natural calamities and so no budgetary allocation is made to address the problem.

Question 25

nowcast warnings?

Answer 25

warnings for extreme weather conditions through SMS sent by National weather forecasting centre

Question 26

Pine needles; significance? recent context?

Answer 26

highly inflammable, due to the high amt of turpentine oil they contain, thereby propagates forest fires.

HP govt has recently amended the policy that regulates collection and use of pine needles to avoid this.

Question 27

T/F: Disaster Management Act 2005 defines ‘disasters’

Answer 27

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Question 28

defn of ‘disaster’ as per Disaster Management Act 2005?

Answer 28

1. “disaster” means a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area.
2. could arise from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence. may also include a man-made disaster of nuclear, biological and chemical nature.
3. should result in
   
   • substantial loss of life or human suffering (or)
   • damage to, and destruction of, property (or)
   • damage to, or degradation of, environment
4. should either be of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.

Question 29

‘national’ disaster?

Answer 29

1. there is no provision, executive or legal, to declare a natural calamity as a national calamity. Hence there is no fixed criterion to define any calamity as a national calamity.
2. In this regard, the 10th Finance Commission (1995-2000) examined a proposal- to term a disaster “a national calamity of rarest severity” if it affects one-third of the state’s population.
3. The panel did not define a “calamity of rare severity”. But it stated that a calamity of rare severity would necessarily have to be adjudged on a case-to-case basis.
4. It would have to take into account:
   
   • the intensity and magnitude of the calamity
   • the level of assistance needed
   • the capacity of the state to tackle the problem
   • the alternatives and flexibility available within the plans to provide relief, etc
5. benefits of such a declaration
   
   • Support to the state government is provided at the national level.
   • The Centre also considers additional assistance from NDRF
   • A Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) is set up, with the corpus shared 3:1 between Centre and state. When CRF resources are inadequate, additional assistance is considered from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF).
   • NCCF is funded 100% by the Centre.
   • Relief in repayment of loans or grant of fresh loans to the affected persons on concessional terms are also considered.

Question 30

National Crisis Management Committee?

Answer 30

deals with major crises that have serious or national ramifications.

It is headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Question 31

Droughts: defn?

Answer 31

Drought is characterized by a lack of precipitation—such as rain, snow, or sleet—for a protracted period of time, resulting in a water shortage

Question 32

Droughts: classification?

Answer 32

1. Meteorological drought
   
   1. defined as deficiency of precipitation frm expected or normal levels over an extended period of time. is said to occur when seasonal rf received over an area is <25% of its long term avg value
   2. it is further classified as moderate drought (deficit is 26-50%) and severe (deficit>50%)
2. Hydrological drought
   
   1. defined as deficiencies in surface and subsurface water supplies leading to a lack of water for normal and specific needs
   2. such conditins arise, even in times of avg or above avg precipitation when increased uasge of water diminishes the reserves
3. Agricultural drought: usualy triggered by meterological and hydrological droughts, occurs when soil moisture and rf are inadequate during the crop growing season causing extreme cross stress and wilting

Question 33

Droughts: stats: global?

Answer 33

1. has directly affected 15Bn people so far in this century
2. 700mn people are at a risk of being displaced as a result of drought by 2030
3. 2/3rd of the world will be under water stressed conditions by 2025

Question 34

Droughts: stats: India?

Answer 34

1. effect of severe droughts on India’s GDp: estimated at 2-5% of GDP
2. Over 68% of India is vulnerable to drought.
3. The ‘chronically drought-prone areas’ – around 33% – receive less than 750 mm of rainfall, while 35%, classified as ‘droughtprone’ receive rainfall of 750-1,125 mm
4. The major drought years in India were 1877, 1899, 1918, 1972, 1987 and 2002
5. Deccan regions sees the highest frequency of severe droughts in all of India.
6. NITI Aayog, under the CWMI report, highlighted that about two lakh people die in India every year due to inadequate water and sanitation. It states that the 6% of GDP will be lost by 2050 due to water crisis
7. On the basis of severity of droughts, India can be divided into the 3 regions:
   
   1. Extreme Drought affected areas: Most parts of Rajasthan, particularly areas to the west of the Aravali hills, i.e. Marusthali and Kachchh regions of GJ
   2. severe Drought affected areas: Parts of eastern RJ, most parts of MP, eastern parts of MH, interior parts of Andhra Pradesh and KN Plateau, northern parts of interior TN and southern parts of JH and interior Odisha.
   3. moderate drought affected areas: nortehrn parts of RJ, Haryana, southern districts of UP, remaining parts of GJ, MH except Konkan, JH and Coimbatore plateau of TN and interior KN

Question 35

Drought differs from other natural hazards such as cyclones, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis in that?

Answer 35

1. There is no universally accepted definition that can encapsulate its complexity.
2. It is difficult to determine the beginning and end of a drought episode because of the slow onset, silent spread and gradual withdrawal. In India, it is generally considered to be coterminous with the monsoons.
3. There is no indicator or index which can precisely forecast the advent and severity of a drought event, nor project its possible impacts.
4. Spatial expanse tends to be far greater than in the case of other natural calamities which make effective response highly challenging.
5. Impacts are generally non-structural and difficult to quantify e.g. the damage to the ecology, the disruption of socio-economic fabric of communities, the long term effects of mal-nutrition on health and morbidity etc.

Question 36

Droughts: INdia specific classification of drought?

Answer 36

A drought year as a whole is defined by the IMD as a year in which, the overall deficiency is more than 10% of Long Period Average (LPA) value and more than 20% of its area is affected by drought conditions, either moderate or severe or combined moderate and severe.

IMD has officially expunged the word “drought” from its vocabulary as part of a decision to do away with or redefine terms that are not scientifically precise.

Instead of using terms like “All India Drought Year”’ or “All India Severe Drought Year”, the IMD has adopted “deficient” year or “large deficient” year.

Question 37

flash drought?

Answer 37

Unlike conventional droughts that develop over months, Flash Drought refers to a severe drought kind of situation that develops very rapidly.

They are caused by high evapo-transpiration rates due to abnormally high temperatures (Heatwave flash drought), winds, and high insolation and rain staying away (Precipitation deficit flash drought) for 15-20 days at a stretch.

It can be classified as agricultural droughts due to their direct association with soil moisture and crop stress.

Question 38

Droughts: Causes of recurring drought in India?

Answer 38

1. Considerable seasonal/regional variations: in spite of a high average annual rainfall of around 1,150 mm.
   
   • There is a relatively short window of less than 100 days during the SW Monsoon season (June to September) when about 73% of the total annual rainfall of the country is received.
   • Uneven distribution of rainfall over different parts of the country in that some parts bear an inordinately high risk of shortfalls, while others tend to receive excessive rainfall.
   • Low average annual rainfall of 750mm over 33% of cropped area heightens susceptibility to drought.
2. Over-exploitation: of ground water and sub-optimum conservation of surface water leading to inadequate water availability for irrigation. Traditional water harvesting systems have been largely abandoned.
3. Limited irrigation coverage and poor irrigation techniques: (net irrigated area in the country is less than 50%) exacerbates the impact of drought on account of complete dependence of agriculture in such areas on rainfall. India’s farm water efficiency is presently amongst the lowest in the world.

Question 39

Droughts: Current challenges in drought management in India?

Answer 39

• Reactive and relief centric approach: There is a need to shift from relief-centric approach to integrated management emphasising on prevention, mitigation and preparedness, to minimise losses.
• Issues in Assessment and Early Warning: Forecasts are general in terms of space and time, timing does not match user needs, information received from different sources sometimes has conflicting messages etc
• Lack of proper, reliable data on water: Data in the water sector exists in silos, with very little horizontal and vertical data sharing across the value chain of water thereby reducing efficiency.

Question 40

NDMA Guidelines on Drought Management: major points?

Answer 40

• Institutional framework and financial arrangements
• Assessment and Early Warning
• Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation
• Capacity Development
• Relief and Response
• Preparation of Drought Management Plans (DMP)

Question 41

NDMA Guidelines on Drought Management:Institutional framework and financial arrangements?

Answer 41

1. Separate Drought Monitoring Cells (DMCs) will be created at the state leve under the control of SDMAs
2. State DMCs will undertake the preparation of vulnerability maps for their respective States
3. Watershed development approach is an important facet of drought management initiatives, taken up through the programmes of the GoI

Question 42

NDMA Guidelines on Drought Management: Assessment and Early Warning?

Answer 42

Integrate ground-based information with space-based information for comprehensive reporting.

Automatic weather stations will also include moisture sensors for obtaining information about the soil moisture levels under natural environment.

Unit of deceleration of drought should be standardised and alternative methods of quicker assessment of crop yield need to be evolved so as to mitigate the impact of drought in time.

Question 43

NDMA Guidelines on Drought Management: Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation?

Answer 43

1. Automatic weather station and rain-gauges will be put in place at appropriate spacing to enable micro level analysis and forecasting.
2. Mitigation measures to be taken will include:
   
   • Conduct of pilot studies in all categories of drought prone areas for suggesting long term mitigation measures.
   • Cloud-seeding as a possible measure of mitigation will be considered.
3. Promote crop diversification and utilization of sprinklers/Drip irrigation systems.
4. Promote protective irrigation through micro irrigation systems through incentives.
5. Afforestation with subabul, seemaruba, casurina, eucalyptus and bio diesel plantation like jetropha and pongomia will be encouraged.
6. Insurance products will be developed for different agro-climatic zones

Question 44

NDMA Guidelines on Drought Management: Capacity Development?

Answer 44

A national training and capacity building programme for drought management will be formulated and implemented.

The agricultural universities and National Research Centres of ICAR will be encouraged to undertake contractual research for industries/farmers as a means of revenue generation and providing solutions to immediate problems.

Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will ensure capacity building of their officers and employees

Question 45

NDMA Guidelines on Drought Management: Relief and Response?

Answer 45

generating employment in the droughtaffected areas and building assets such as tanks and wells which reduce the impact of drought.

Provision of consumption loan will also be encouraged in drought prone areas and efforts will be made to bring agricultural labours into the net of social security

Question 46

NDMA Guidelines on Drought Management: Drought Management Plans?

Answer 46

National Executive Committee (NEC) will prepare a National DMP, incorporating plans prepared by central ministries and state governments for drought affected States and districts.

States are requested to modify the existing plans according to GoI-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Programme on Disaster Risk Management

Question 47

Seven pinch points under volcanic activity threat?

Answer 47

Most studies on volcanoes focus on catastrophic effects from large-scale eruptions.

However, there is now a risk of hazards even in areas of low volcanic activity, due to the rise in infrastructure and technological systems.

Globally, there are seven pinch points, where lowmagnitude eruptions and consequent tsunamis, submarine landslides, flow of ash/tephra (rock fragments), or lahars (debris flow) can disrupt aerial, maritime, transport and communication systems.—

1. China/Korea;
2. Luzon, the Philippines;
3. Malaysia;
4. Taiwan;
5. Mediterranean;
6. North Atlantic; and
7. Pacific Northwest

Question 48

ACROSS Scheme?

Answer 48

“Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)” scheme

● ACROSS scheme pertains to the atmospheric science programs of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
● It addresses different aspects of weather and climate services, which includes warnings for cyclone, storm surges, heat waves, thunderstorms etc.
● Each of these aspects is incorporated as nine sub-schemes under the umbrella scheme “ACROSS” and is implemented in an integrated.

ACROSS is an umbrella scheme with eight sub-schemes encompassing the programmes for greater understanding of atmospheric science. These eight master schemes are as follows:

1. Commissioning of Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs).
2. Upgradation of Forecast System, Weather & Climate Services.
3. Atmospheric Observations Network.
4. Numerical Modelling of Weather and Climate.
5. Monsoon Mission III.
6. Monsoon Convection.
7. Clouds and Climate Change (MC4).
8. High Performance Computing System (HPCS).

Benefits of the Scheme:
● The scheme will provide improved weather, climate and ocean forecast and services, thereby ensuring transfer of commensurate benefits to the various services.
● It will also provide a sizable number of scientific and technical staff along with requisite administrative support, thereby generating employment.
● To ensure last-mile connectivity of the weather based services to the end -user, a large number of agencies like the Krishi Vigyana Kendras of ICAR, Universities and local municipalities are roped in thus generating employment opportunities to many people.

Implementation:
Implemented by MoES in collaboration with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).

Question 49

NDMA: Disaster Management Plan of Min of Panchayati Raj?

Answer 49

Union Minister of Panchayati Raj has released the “Disaster Management Plan of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (DMP-MoPR)”.

Areas covered under the Plan:

1) Institutional arrangement for Disaster Management.
2) Hazard Risk, Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis.
3) Coherence of Disaster Risk Management across Resilient Development and Climate Change Action.
4) Disaster Specific Preventive and Mitigation Measures-Responsibility Framework.
5) Mainstreaming of Community Based Disaster Management Plan of Villages and Panchayats and so on.

Highlights of the plan:
● It aims to develop a culture of disaster resilience at the grassroots level among the Panchayats and Rural Local Bodies.
● It seeks to establish a framework to align the disaster management measures in rural areas to that of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
● Under the Plan, every Indian village would have a “Village Disaster Management Plan” and every Panchayat would have their Disaster Management Plan.
● All stakeholders including PRIs, elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayats etc. would participate in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the plan

Question 50

urban flooding: intro? facts/stats?

Answer 50

Urban Flooding is an inundation of land in a constructed setting, particularly in densely populated areas.

Question 51

urban flooding: causes?

Answer 51

Natural:

• Higher rainfall: As per the IMD, monsoon has become frequent and unpredictable
• Storm surges (for coastal cities): E.g. Cyclone Amphan in 2020 flooded the streets of Kolkata. Within eastern India, the storm killed 98 people and caused $13.8 billion (2020 USD).
• Groundwater levels: In Chennai, the replenished groundwater table across the city after rains becomes a challenge for several buildings with basements.

Anthropogenic:

• Encroachment: A large number of wetlands that soaked up the rainwater has encroached. Bangalore had 262 lakes in the 1960s; now only 10 of them hold water.
• Rapid and unplanned urbanization: In Bengaluru, stormwater drains were not directly connected to its water bodies. In some places, the runoff water was flowing into constructed deviation canals. CAG found that this increased the chances of flash floods.
• Destruction of mangroves: Mumbai lost about 40% of its mangroves between 1995 and 2005.
• Poor civic management of storm water drainage: CAG report (last year) pulled up Bengaluru municipality for this poor management.
• Lack of data: CAG also found that the Bengaluru municipality did not maintain proper records of the stormwater management funds allotted to it under the JNNURM.
• Lack of coordination: CAG report also noted the lack of coordination between the municipality and the Bangalore Development Authority on drainage-related matters.

Question 52

urban flooding: suggestions?

Answer 52

• Sponge Cities Mission: The idea of a sponge city is to make cities more permeable so as to hold and use the water which falls upon them.
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT
• Stormwater disposal system: The Brihanmumbai Storm Water Disposal System or BRIMSTOWAD, the project to overhaul Mumbai city’s old stormwater drainage system was started after the 2005 deluge.
• Water-sensitive urban design (WSUD in Australia): regards urban stormwater runoff, and waste water as a resource rather than a nuisance or liability.
• Bioswales or ‘Rain Garden’ (New York): are landscape features that collect polluted stormwater runoff, soak it into the ground, and filter out pollution.

Question 53

Famine: what?

Answer 53

Famine is declared in an area when severe hunger is already widespread, and when people have started dying of starvation because they do not have enough nutritious food.

According to the United Nations, the affected area must meet three conditions:

At least 20% of the population is facing extreme food shortages

At least 30% of children are suffering from acute malnutrition

At least two people out of every 10,000 inhabitants are dying each day due to starvation, or a combination of severe hunger and illness

Question 54

Somalia Famine?

Answer 54

• why?
  
  • Climate change is the main reason, say aid workers. Somalia – and parts of neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya – are facing the fifth failed rainy season in a row.
  • This has pushed vulnerable populations – already hit by years of insurgency by Islamist insurgents al Shabaab and loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic – to the brink.
  • Hunger has been worsened due to the soaring cost of grain, fuel and fertilizer following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Somalia relies on Russia and Ukraine for 90% of its wheat, and prices of some basic commodities have risen by up to 160%.
• stats
  • About 6.7 million people – nearly half the country’s population – face severe hunger as a lack of rain for more than two years has decimated their crops and killed livestock.
  • More than one million people have been uprooted from their homes and forced to trek for days in search of food, water and medical treatment.
  • Hundreds of malnourished and disease-hit children have already died and more than 300,000 people face starvation.
• The decision to declare a famine is generally made jointly by the government and the United Nations. Not yet declared. A famine declaration can be politically contentious as governments may see it as a blight on their rule
  The declaration of famine carries no binding obligations on the United Nations, the government or other U.N. member states, but serves to focus global attention on the situation and galvanise resources to provide emergency aid. When another drought crippled Somalia in 2017, rapid action helped avert a famine.