Rajya Sabha

The common natural disasters that are occurring in India are earthquakes, landslides, cloudbursts, flash floods, snowstorm, snow avalanches, ice fall, cyclone, flood, tsunami, rock fall, mud flow/debris flow, crevasses, glacial lake out bursting, and lightening.

Our country is vulnerable to various types of natural disaster viz. 55% of its land is prone to earthquake, 8% is vulnerable to cyclone, 5% vulnerable to flood and landslides affects 15% of our country covering over 0.49 million square kilometers. Majority of landslides occur during monsoon season whereas the snow avalanches phenomena is dominant during winter however only in rare and exceptional circumstances it takes place in remote locations during the monsoon season.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has recently issued guidelines on management of landslides and snow avalanches which recommends some structural and non-structural measures to tide over the impact of these disasters. These measures inter alia primarily include landslide hazard zonation, mapping of landslide prone areas, treatment measures for selected hazards, landslides, early warning system, capacity building and strengthening the emergency capabilities. Further Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) is working in the field of avalanche mitigation in the country. Civilians and troops are forewarned about the impending danger by SASE and also it provides information about all round danger to the Government. Besides Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology is also engaged in investigating the major causative factors for landslides in Himalaya.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences (Independent charge), PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Prithviraj Chavan in a written reply to a question by Dr.K.Malaisamy in the Rajya Sabha today.

Source : Press Information Bureau
Date : July 23, 2009