India ranks 2nd in natural disasters in Asia

CHENNAI: India occupies the second position in Asia where the most number of natural disasters occur, according to a senior UN expert. “Sixty percent of India’s landmass is susceptible to earthquakes, 14 million hectares are prone to floods and 8000 km of the country’s coastline is prone to cyclones,” said David McLoughlin, Deputy Country Representative of UNICEF India, at the inauguration of Chennai emergency management exercise.The direct losses from natural disasters in India total up to two percent of the national GDP or 12 percent of the central government’s revenues, according to a World Bank report. “Twentyseven states of the country are prone to natural disasters and the World Bank report shows that the country losses a significant chunk of its earnings in disasters. Hence we must work a proactive strategy in dealing with the disasters rather than merely concentrating on disaster response,” he said.According to UN estimates, there were 373 natural disasters across the world in 2010 which killed 296 thousand people and rendered another 20 million homeless. The natural disasters in 2010 cost the world 110 billion US dollars; 77percent of these disasters were geophysical like earthquakes or Tsunami and 19 percent were climatological including cyclones and floods. According to the UN experts, the intensity and frequency of natural disasters in the Indian subcontinent has seen a significant rise in the recent years. “The year 2010 has been recorded as the deadliest year in the last two decades owing to the number of disasters the year has witnessed,” David said.The Chennai Emergency Management Exercise was designed with the motive of creating awareness and engaging the stakeholders in the process of disaster management. Table top simulations and mock drills will be the key methods used during the exercise.