There is no established study for India providing a quantified attribution of climate change to the triggering of natural disasters leading to loss of life and property. While many studies monitor impact of disasters such as floods, drought and heat, the science of attribution of these changes particularly to climate change is far more complex and currently an evolving subject. Most studies so far have relied on mathematical modelling of climate change impacts but these are yet to be empirically verified.
The extant legal and promotional measures cater to the concerns of disasters related to climate change, which are subject to refinement, improvement and further development by the relevant Ministries/Departments at the Centre and the States. The relief, recovery, and rehabilitation related to disasters in India are governed inter alia by the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the guidelines, directives, and orders of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authorities. Furthermore, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is responsible for monitoring, detection and forecasting of weather and climate including early warning for severe weather events such as cyclones, heavy rainfall, extreme temperature, thunderstorms, and other such extreme events.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) spearhead and implement holistic and integrated approach to Disaster Management in India. NDMA has issued guidelines for the preparation of District Disaster Management Plans (DDMPs). In addition, the National Disaster Management Plan prepared by NDMA in 2019 and the respective State Disaster Management Plans provide the overall framework and guidance for the preparation of DDMP. Further, the relief, recovery, and rehabilitation related to disasters in India are governed inter alia by the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the guidelines, directives, and orders of the NDMA and the SDMAs.
As part of India’s participation and leading international cooperation and collaboration in these matters, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) has been launched in 2019 and headquartered in India. It aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks through updating and enhancing information on the exposure of infrastructure systems, and model climate related hazards such as droughts and heat waves, enabling near time response.
