India Disaster Report 2013

The India Disaster Report 2013 documents the major disasters of the year with focus on the Uttarakhand Flash Floods and the Cyclone Phailin. Other disasters like building collapse and stampede have also been covered besides the biological disaster (Japanese Encephalitis). The lessons learnt in these disasters provide us a bench-mark for further refining our approach to disaster management with an aim at creating a disaster resilient India.

With the climate change, the natural hazards are expected to increase and it has to be taken as a wake up call. The frequency with which the cyclones have formed in the recent past, also indicates that the community needs to be prepared and the aim of all the stakeholders should be preparedness for good resilience. So both these events have lessons to teach us in their own way.

Besides, the building collapse in the Maharashtra's Thane district, the stampede at Datia, during the Dusehra at Ratangarh temple and the stampede at Allahabad railway station during the Kumbh mela, are covered. Japanese encephalitis, which has been affecting people, every year, in several parts of the country, has also been included in the report as a special issue, as there is need to bring awareness among the disaster managers/administrators and community as a whole, with an aim to reduce its occurrence.