Can new authority cope better with disasters?

The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, passed in the Lok Sabha on December 12 as an amendment to the existing 2005 law has, among multiple modifications, envisaged the formation of urban disaster management authorities in a first.

- Soumya Chatterjee

NEW DELHI: Be it Bengaluru, which suffered flooding during October earlier this year, or Chennai, which was paralysed as a result of cyclone Michaung in November, climate-induced disasters are becoming a recurring phenomenon in Indian cities at a point wherein India is continuing to log an urban-focussed growth. In this context, experts and practitioners have lauded the introduction of an urban-specific disaster authority.

While the amendments are yet to be discussed in detail and passed in the Upper House before being sent to the President for her assent, the provisions of the urban authority and aspects, such as necessary recognition of disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change and some autonomy to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), have been welcomed.

Krishna S Vatsa, a member of NDMA, said this is a landmark step, given the country's rapid urbanisation and recurrence of disasters in cities. "The existing district-level structures are not effective in these cases."

An official working with a UN agency, echoing the sentiments, said the emphasis on the creation of a disaster database will also lead to more informed decision-making.