National Disaster Risk Index
The index does not talk about the possibility of a natural disaster, but the economic vulnerability of the region and the steps taken by the administration to mitigate the risks
Maharashtra has been ranked at the top of the list of Indian states, vulnerable to natural disasters, followed by West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, according to the National Disaster Risk Index.
Among the Union Territories, Delhi is the most vulnerable to such disasters.
The index does not talk about the possibility of a natural disaster, but the economic vulnerability of the region and the steps taken by the administration to mitigate the risks.
As per a
report by The Times of India, the index takes many factors into consideration before ranking the states/ union territories like the exposure of population, agriculture and livestock, along with the environmental risk. The disasters taken into consideration include cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, etc.
The top ten states most vulnerable to natural disasters are:
1. Maharashtra
2. West Bengal
3. Uttar Pradesh
4. Madhya Pradesh
5. Rajasthan
6. Karnataka
7. Assam
8. Andhra Pradesh
9. Gujarat
10. Bihar
In the recent past, some states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Tripura, and Himachal Pradesh have taken significant steps in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). These states have invested in building disaster-resilient infrastructure and early warning systems. Also, capacity building by some states has led to a lower risk to their population economy.
This index is currently in a draft form made by the Union Home Ministry with support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) believes that ‘in many countries, the process of development itself has a huge impact — both positive and negative — on disaster risk. It shows how countries that face similar patterns of natural hazards — from floods to droughts — often experience widely differing impacts when disasters occur. The impact depends in large part on the kind of development choices they have made previously.’
